The Search for the Giant Squid [Hardcover]

Richard Ellis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558216898 | ISBN-13: 978-1558216891 | Publication Date: September 1, 1998 | Edition: 1st

The most mysterious and elusive of all sea creatures, the giant squid -- at least sixty feet long and weighing nearly a ton -- is also one of the largest. Yet for all its magnificent size and threatening undersea presence, Architeuthis has remained a mystery. Until now.

In this marvelous and beautifully illustrated book, marine biologist, explorer, and artist Richard Ellis presents all that is known about the giant squid. Delving into myth, literature, popular culture, and science, he brings readers face to face with this remarkable creature. He also provides a thorough, compelling study of what is known and what is still to be discovered about this exotic animal that has never been studied alive. Interweaving his engrossing narrative with a wealth of fascinating illustrations and photographs, Ellis gives us the first comprehensive history of the only living creature that can truly be called a "sea monster."

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The sea contains many mysteries, and among the most enduring of them are giant squids of the genus Architeuthis. About this squid, known as the "kraken" in classical mythology, we know little, except, oceanographic writer Richard Ellis notes, that "it occasionally washes ashore--and when that happens, we don't know why." Some of these odd creatures, Ellis notes, are 60 feet long, cannibalistic, and patently fierce, with the largest eyes of any animal on the planet (useful for seeing in the inky darkness of the deep sea). They're not the kind of thing you'd want to encounter on a benthic shelf, as Ian Fleming made clear in Doctor No, in which superspy James Bond had one such unpleasant meeting. But, thanks to Ellis's well-researched account, they make the perfect subject for armchair sleuthing, and he tells you just about everything you'd want to know about the giant squid, from the biologists and explorers and cryptozoologists who have hunted for it over the centuries, and much more. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

It is surpassingly strange that, as Ellis writes, "no one has ever seen a living, healthy giant squid"?for, judging from the evidence, comprised mostly of carcasses and the remains found in sperm whales, there are a multitude of the beasts out there, growing up to 60 feet long, albeit usually, it's thought, at a depth of several hundred feet. But it's not at all strange that, from the meager evidence about Architeuthis, Ellis?author of such fine books as Imagining Atlantis (Forecasts, May 25) and Monsters of the Sea (1995; portions of this newest Ellis book first appeared there)?has fashioned an absorbing work of natural history and a classic of cryptozoology. Some of the appeal of this book is visual, as it presents 30 b&w photographs and 35 line drawings, many historical, several of the drawings by Ellis himself. It's the author's elegant, informative, passionate text that ultimately carries the day, however, as this marine scientist reports on every aspect of the giant squid and its study, covering its biology and behavior, its taxonomy, historical records of its appearances, its treatment in literature, film and museum models, and more. And Ellis not only reports on but sifts through the record, challenging several previous "sightings," most notably those of Jacques Cousteau. At times, the book has a kitchen-sink-and-all feel, as if Ellis aims to cram in every known bit of data about the giant squid; even dedicated monster-lovers may find more here than they want to know. Still, the giant squid may be Earth's last great unknown animal; certainly it is one of nature's enduring mysteries. In this authoritative book, Ellis vivifies and celebrates that mystery with erudition and consummate skill. Newbridge Natural Science Book Club main selection; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1st edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558216898
• ISBN-13: 978-1558216891
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not enough known to fill a book for the general public, December 4, 1999

By 

John McWhorter (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature (Paperback)

This is a disappointing book, even though I have been fascinated with giant squids all my life. Did those reviewers designating it so exciting on the cover and frontispiece actually read the book? There simply is not enough known about this animal to fill a book for the general public, and thus Ellis has to fill it out with exhaustive accounts of every carcass found, technical information on other squid genera that is only of interest to other squid specialists, and a chapter on squid display models which, well researched though it is, really is not the kind of thing one buys a book to learn about at such length. Ellis also needed a better editor -- there is a little too much repetition. Ellis' MONSTERS OF THE SEA was great, but there really isn't enough more here about Architeuthis to justify a separate book, and one cannot help suspecting that this one is designed to take advantage of the particular market value of this marvelous creature. Ellis did us a great service with the previous book; this one, however, really is not worth it unless you are a teuthologist.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I said tentacles, not...", September 25, 2002

By 

Thomas Dignazio - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature (Paperback)

A well done and impassioned piece of pop science. Upon completing this you can honestly claim to know more about the giant squid than your friends. There is something of a problem with the book in that, so little is known about Archeteuthis, it's tough to fill a book with something more than marine biology. This is evident in the "naming of the squid" chapter and the exceedingly dull chapter on giant squid models.

However, the subject matter and transparent excitement of the author win out. You know Ellis admires this beast, he shows it, but it does not detract from the science. Very worthwhile.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing on a bizarre subject, January 18, 2002

By 

"dcdre" (Medford, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature (Paperback)

I read this book after seeing a Discovery Channel special on the Giant Squid. I know nothing about science, but I am a huge history enthusiast, as well as someone who loves the ocean.

Ellis' book is amazing - not too heavy with biology or science in general. He focuses on the history of human encounters with "sea monsters," which he attributes to rogue giant squid, as well as with dead or dying specimens of the Architeuthis itself. As a work of history, this book is fantastic.

Ellis' synthesis of what is actually known about the Giant Squid is also excellent. He presents the multiple theories about the animal's behavior, locomotion, feeding habits, and reproduction. He also dispels many of the rumors about the squid, including those concerning its true maximum size (although his final anecdote leaves the question excitingly unanswered).

I recommend this book for anyone interested in scientific history in general, and that concerning the beasts of the ocean in particular.