Book of Whales [Paperback]

Richard Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 1985

The Book of Whales celebrates the beauty, the grandeur, the fascination, of this planet's thirty-three species of whale -- from the legendary humpback, sperm, and blue varieties to the equally alluring but lesser-known ginkgo-toothed, goosebeak, and scamperdown.

With 102 black-and-white illustrations and 24 pages in color

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The Book of Whales celebrates the beauty, the grandeur, the fascination, of this planet's thirty-three species of whale -- from the legendary humpback, sperm, and blue varieties to the equally alluring but lesser-known ginkgo-toothed, goosebeak, and scamperdown.

With 102 black-and-white illustrations and 24 pages in color

About the Author

Richard Ellis is America's premier marine artist, the ocean-addicted naturalist whose paintings and drawings transport us to another world. Ellis's writing on sea creatures is as diverting as it is instructive; his insatiable curiosity about their habits and habitats has carried him to the ends of the earth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (February 12, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394733711
• ISBN-13: 978-0394733715
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.7 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the whales..., May 4, 2000

By 

Alan R. Holyoak - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book of Whales (Paperback)

Ellis' book on sharks is probably better known than this book on whales, but both are great. The cornerstone of the book are his numerous paintings of a variety of whales.

Ellis also puts forth a good effort in describing what is know about this group of marine mammals. He addresses aspects of the biology, ecology, and behavior of whales.

Though lacking references to the professional scientific literature, Ellis does a good job in introducing this group to the non-technical crowd. If you or a child of yours is interested in whales, this is a great book to have around.

A highly recommended introduction to the whales.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to cetology!, October 12, 2007

By 

M. Menefee "farm boy" (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Book of Whales (Paperback)

I first recieved this book for X-mas in the early 80's. I was 10 and in love with whales (I still am). Great book with many details of all the species. The paintings/illustrations are very good, although may be out of date in portraying the true profile of whales.
I've the 1st edition hardback (1982) and since that time the knowledge has greatly grown about whales. However; Ellis goes into great detail with the historic (whaling era)/ scietific literature of the day.
For what it's worth - this is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in whales. There is also the Book of Dolphins and Porpoises which is equally as fine as the Book of Whales.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Children of older ages, January 9, 2008

By 

You can call me Goddess ";)" (Mt. Olympus, Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book of Whales (Paperback)

As far as the content of the book goes, it unfortunately is not appropriate for small children and there are limited pictures of whales. As a matter of fact there are no photographs of whales at all, only drawings. I was not aware of this at the time of purchase. I am sure the content will be more interesting when said child grows old enough to enjoy the numerous pages of information about various whales, I only hope he is still interested in them. The drawings are beautiful and descriptive though.