Encyclopedia of the Sea [Hardcover]

Richard Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2000

From one of the world's leading experts on the sea comes this ocean-sized compendium of aquatic life and lore. Richard Ellis--who is also recognized as America's foremost painter of marine subjects--gives us a masterful synthesis of years of investigation and tens of thousands of disparate sources. The result is the first comprehensive, fully illustrated, and highly readable reference on almost everything that is known about the sea.

Ellis's research has taken him all over the world--from Nantucket to Patagonia, from Newfoundland to New Zealand. Now he leads us on a great journey: from the amazing diversity of the creatures of the oceans to the birds who inhabit the skies above them; from the little-known realms of marine geography to the men and women who have bravely explored them; from the fabulous legends the sea has inspired through the ages to the intriguing evolution of the tools of nautical navigation.

With more than 450 of the author's own drawings and paintings accompanying the text, Ellis reveals the many wonders of the oceans--abalone, zooxanthellae, and everything in between. We learn about the peculiar behavior of Vampyroteuthis infernalis (the "vampire squid from hell") and about Mocha Dick, the real sperm whale that may have inspired Melville's Moby-Dick; where the crown-of-thorns starfish gets its name and how the rare coelacanth, cousin to a species extinct for 70 million years--and one of the most mispronounced fish in the sea--was rediscovered. We visit lovely and exotic locations from Venice to Ni'ihau (Hawaii's "forbidden isle"), and consider both the fearsome kraken (a mythical sea monster often seen by Scandinavian clergymen) and the notorious real-life pirate Captain Kidd (whose hidden treasure was never found).

Exhaustive, concise, and entertaining, the Encyclopedia of the Sea is invaluable as an all-inclusive, one-volume source for anyone interested in the sea, its inhabitants, and man's exploration of its mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The world's oceans are vast, too vast for their components to be distilled comfortably into the pages of a single book. That said, Richard Ellis, a noted student of all matters pelagic, does an extraordinary job of gathering key points of the oceans' natural and human history in this fact-filled, desk-sized encyclopedia. Starting with abalone ("a large marine gastropod of the genus Haliotis, with a dishlike shell punctuated by a series of holes on the outer edge") and ending with zooxanthellae (a kind of pigmented protozoan that conducts photosynthesis), Ellis offers sparkling discussions on topics ranging from the red-footed booby (whose name, we learn, derives from the Spanish bobo and refers unflatteringly to the bird's apparent stupidity in not fleeing humans) to Captain William Kidd ("one of history's most notorious pirates," whose reputed buried treasures are still the objects of treasure hunters' dreams) and from the Hanseatic League (a seagoing, commercial federation of north German towns that once ruled the Baltic) to scrimshaw ("the carving done by American whalemen on whale bones and teeth or, less frequently, on the tusks of walruses").

Whether beachgoer or deep-sea explorer, if you have any interest at all in the ocean, you'll find this, like Ellis's many other books on sea life and lore, to be a useful and entertaining companion. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

Biologist Ellis's previous books (The Search for the Giant Squid, etc.) have made him America's foremost writer on marine research. His 10th is a mighty reference work, encompassing in thousands of alphabetical entries not just the fish, plants and invertebrates that populate the world's oceans, but also its geography, geology, human uses and colorful history. Ellis aims to produce both a catalogue of facts and definitions, and a volume for recreational browsers; though it won't supplant more specialized compendia, it succeeds on both counts. Those hungry for facts about the fish 'n' chips staple plaice will also learn on the same page that early bony fishAplacodermsAmight have grown to 30 feet long. Above these entries lies Pitcairn Island, the most isolated settlement in the world, whose fewer than 100 residents descend from the Bounty mutineers. Ellis doesn't get everything in: he's understandably strongest on biology, less comprehensive in history and the arts. There are Homer and Winslow Homer, but no Horatio Hornblower. There's aircraft carrier and Midway, Battle of, but no medieval battle of Lepanto, and no ancient battle of Actium. As for cuisine and sport, there's surfing, but no related termsAand no sushi. Data hunters might be disappointed that Ellis rarely offers references or further reading. But these complaints pale beside the great range of information Ellis has singlehandedly assembled, and the fun to be had as readers survey it. Eight pages of color paintings and 471 illustrations, all by Ellis, adorn the work. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (October 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375403744
• ISBN-13: 978-0375403743
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #510,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the price..., August 19, 2002

By 

Currahee (South Mississippi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of the Sea (Hardcover)

His previous work shows that Richard Ellis is certainly a man of artistic talent with a broad interest in all things aquatic. With Encyclopedia of the Sea he has tried to bring together as much information as he can about the ocean. Everyone should know that this can't be done in one book, especially of this size. I don't think that this was a serious attempt to produce the master treatise on the ocean. If that is what your looking for look elsewhere (it doesn't exist but good luck).

However, this book is good! Hard to put down even. I have curled up with it a few times randomly going from page to page appreciating the entries chosen and, as always, Ellis' illustrations. You can go from a description of a pirate vessel to a definition of a group of fishes. This book might have the most eclectic batch of information ever gathered in one binding. It should truly be a joy to any person who has a bit of the romantic in their own quest for information. Get it because you want it, not because you need an encyclopedia on the ocean.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must' purchase for any strong science library collection, April 29, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of the Sea (Hardcover)

Ellis is a leading world expert on aquatic life and ocean lore, and his Encyclopedia Of The Sea is an impressive compendium of facts and information gathers years of investigation from various sources to provide the first comprehensive illustrated reference on almost everything known about the sea. The A-Z reference will prove an invaluable guide and a 'must' purchase for any strong science library collection.

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great coffee table book, November 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Encyclopedia of the Sea (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful coffee table book. The pictures are just fabulous- like nothing I had ever seen before. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to look at unique and interesting books.