The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea

Philip Hoare's life calling started as a childhood interest with the gigantic Natural History Museum model of a blue whale and quickly turned into a hybrid of fascination and admiration of the giants of the sea. Spurned forward with inspiration from Moby Dick, The Whale is the result of Hoare's quest for a comprehensive understanding of the human and natural worlds, and their points of interaction throughout history.

Taking students deep into their domain, Hoare shows these mysterious creatures as they have never been seen before. Following in Ishmael's footsteps, he explores the troubled history of man and whale; visits the historic whaling locales of New Bedford, Nantucket, and the Azores; and traces the whale's cultural history from Jonah to Free Willy. Winner of the prestigious BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, The Whale is an unforgettable and often moving attempt to explain why these strange and beautiful animals still exert such a powerful hold on our imagination.

"The Whale is a moving and extraordinary book .... Philip Hoare here brings [whales], their story, and our long relationship...to life."-Bernd Heinrich, author of Summer World

--Lynne Cox, author of GRAYSON