Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: The Whale

The Whale: in search of the giants of the sea by Philip Hoare 2010

Philip Hoare hasn’t just researched whales, he has swum beside them; such is his interest and deep respect for whales. This book is a cultural history of the whale which includes the whaling industry, accounts of Melville, and stories of whales from sea to sea. He includes the fine examples of scrimshaw, the terrible fights of giant squids and whales, how whale fat was turned into candle wax in 1748 in Nantucket, and Henry Benston’s account of whales; he referred to them not as animals, but as nations. Philip Hoare is the winner of the prestigious BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction.