Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewScales's
genuine appreciation and awe for fish are contagious. She continually entices the reader by introducing exciting aspects of fish in each chapter. * Science *
A
delightful book that provides a welcome invitation to enter the amazing world of fish. * New Scientist *
An
engaging and informative bouillabaisse. * The Economist *
A sprawling, ambitious underwater journey studded with fascinating tidbits. * New York Times Book Review *
This aquarium of a book is an
eloquent reminder of how remarkable [fish] are. * Natural History *
Enthralling and thought-provoking * Countryman *
Helen Scales invites us to dive below the waterline as she reveals the hidden but
glorious lives of fish going about their rather
fascinating business. * Coast *
Eye of the Shoal is
a book brimming with wonders. Shimmering colours, otherworldly abilities, and compelling dramas flood every page, as the masterful Helen Scales brings us eye-to-eye with the world of fishes – creatures who are at once thrillingly strange and startlingly ubiquitous. Whether you snorkel or scuba, whether you meet fish in a tank or on TV,
this book is new portal to see our blue planet with new eyes, one that will make you love our world and its creatures all the more. -- Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus
Eye of the Shoal is like a beautiful glass bottomed boat that
reveals this mysterious realm with joyful passion and perfect clarity. You couldn't have a more knowledgable guide on board than Helen. -- Dallas Campbell, science broadcaster and author
Eye of the Shoal is an absorbing account of the least understood area of our planet.
Helen brings the depths to life, not only with wondrous accounts from her extensive travels, but also by introducing us to some magnificently improbable characters (both human and piscine), and by astonishing us with
mind-blowing facts on every page. -- James Harkin, QI's Head Elf and presenter on the award-winning podcast 'No Such Thing as a Fish'
This
fantastic and timely book will change your perspective on your pet goldfish, a fishmonger's window display, a darting flash of silver glimpsed from a boat and the colourful world of a coral reef.
A must-read for anyone interested in life on Earth. -- Helen Czerski, physicist, oceanographer and author of Storm in a Teacup
If you already love fish wherever they swim, you'll be astonished by so many new discoveries in these pages.
If you don't love fish – you surely will.' -- Carl Safina, author of The View From Lazy Point, and Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel
Table of ContentsPrologue: The wandering ichthyologist Chapter 1: Ichthyo-curiosities
Sedna the sea goddess Chapter 2: A view from the deep - introducing the fish
How the flounder lost its smile Chapter 3: Outrageous acts of colour
The salmon of knowledge Chapter 4: Illuminations
O-namazu Chapter 5: Anatomy of a shoal
Osiris and the elephantfish Chapter 6: Fish food
Vatnagedda Chapter 7: Toxic fish
Chipfalamfula Chapter 8: How fish used to be
The Doctor of the sea Chapter 9: Fish symphonies
The fish and the golden shoe Chapter 10: (Re)thinking fish Epilogue Appendix: Illustration species list Glossary Select bibliography and notes Acknowledgements Index
