The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea [Hardcover]

Jacques-Yves Cousteau (Author), Philippe Cousteau (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd; Third Printing edition (October 26, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304936561
• ISBN-13: 978-0304936564
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,990,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old but great info, January 12, 2012

By 

music teacher - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea (Hardcover)

My daughter had several books from this series but was missing the shark edition. This is a great book and even though it is outdated, it still contains excellent information. Jacques Cousteau broke ground with his sea exploration and this is a good read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about Sharks., May 15, 2007

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea (Hardcover)

One of my proudest possessions is a personal letter from Jacques Cousteau which is framed and hangs on the wall of my study. Cousteau was more than just a great man and his books are a testament to his pioneering work involving so many different aspect of the sea and everything about the sea.

For many years the Shark was perceived as everything that was evil and frightening as far as the sea was concerned. No book about this splendid creature was complete without that section on Shark Attack. Not even the Lions from Africa plains or the North American Grizzly Bear got such a fearful press. Today, of course, the Shark is endangered and - suddenly!, we are all worried about the Great White and it's other equally magnificent cousins.

But take another look at this book's title. This book was fist published in 1970 and even then Jacques Cousteau referred to this creature as a "Splendid Savage." He uses those words in pretty much the same way as, say, a Victorian explorer might have described the people from a newly discovered tribe found deep in the Amazon jungle or wherever. That title is just another indication of how Cousteau's thinking was so far ahead of it's time.

The content is, therefore, relevant to the modern diver from the 21st Century. As with all the books in this series, it is a good read and I can only suggest all serious divers add a copy to their bookshelf before it finally becomes unavailable.

NM

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Description: from inside front dust cover, January 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea (Hardcover)

In this book scientific discovery underlines an exotic adventure that takes the reader into a world of beauty and danger. Many of the frequently asked questions regarding sharks are answered, such as how it feels to encounter large sharks with only a camera, or if there is any defense against a shark attack, or why do sharks die if taken from the sea.

Writes Phillipe Cousteau, "His (the shark's) entire form is fluid, weaving from side to side; his head moves slowly from left to right, right to left, timed to the rhythm of his speed through the water. Only the eye is fixed, focused on me, cricling withinn the orbit of the head, in order not to lose sight for a fraction of a second of his prey or, perhaps, his enemy... His silent circling is a ballet governed by untraceable mchansisms. The blue tranquility of his form surrounds me with the sensation of a web of muderous yet beautiful force."