Watching Giants

The Secret Lives of Whales

Elin Kelsey author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of California Press

Published:4th Dec '09

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Watching Giants cover

Personal, anecdotal, and highly engaging, "Watching Giants" opens a window on a world that seems quite like our own, yet is so different that understanding it pushes the very limits of our senses. Elin Kelsey's colorful first-person account, drawing from her rich, often humorous, everyday experiences as a mother, a woman, and a scientist, takes us to the incredibly productive waters of the Gulf of California and beyond, to oceans around the world. Kelsey brings us along as she talks to leading cetacean researchers and marine ecologists about their intriguing discoveries. We encounter humpback whales that build nets from bubbles, gain a disturbing maternal perspective on the dolphin-tuna issue, uncover intimate details about whale sex, and contemplate the meaning of the complex social networks that exist in the seas. What emerges alongside these fascinating snapshots of whale culture is a dizzying sense of the tremendous speed with which we are changing the oceans' ecosystems - through overfishing, noise pollution, even real estate development. "Watching Giants" introduces a world of immense interconnectivity and beauty - one that is now facing imminent peril.

"An appealing, agitating foray into the world of whales that ignites both protective instincts and a hungry curiosity to know more." Kirkus Reviews Cogent, compassionate ... Brilliant at pursuing seemingly unrelated trails back down the blowhole, Kelsey illuminates the "humanity" of whales. Publishers Weekly "Engaging portrayal of the lives and culture of whales." The Economist "Charming... Will be of interest to all whale and dolphin watchers." Choice

ISBN: 9780520261587

Dimensions: 203mm x 152mm x 15mm

Weight: 363g

214 pages