Call number
Publication
New York, N.Y. : Penguin Books, 1999.
Pages
321
Description
The most mysterious and elusive of all sea creatures, the giant squid -at least sixty feet long and weighing more than a ton- is also one of the largest. With two whip-like tentacles, eight arms studded with toothed suckers, and two lidless eyes the size of dinner plates, Architeurthishas inspired myths and movies, nightmares and religious conversions. Yet it has never been studies while alive. Marin biologist, explorer, and artist Richard Ellis delves into myth, literature, and science to bring readers face-to-face with this remarkable creature as it terrifies sailors ad fishermen throughout history and battles for its life against the great sperm whale. Ellis continues his exploration into the modern era, when scientists rush to study a rare carcass, and the giant squid is a staple on the big screen. Interweaving his narrative with a wealth of illustrations and photographs, Ellis gives us the first scientific and cultural history of the only living creature that can still truly be called a sea monster.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
321 p.; 8.4 inches
ISBN
0140286764 / 9780140286762
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User reviews
LibraryThing member melannen
This is an excellent and comprehensive overview of the giant squid - meticulously researched, well-cited, with every reference traced back to the original source, and engagingly written. Unfortunately, at ten years old, it's already notably out-of-date, predating both the aquisition of video
Unfortunately, a large portion of this book (around a hundred pages!) duplicates the information, and in parts even the wording, of the section on kraken in Ellis' earlier cryptozoology book [Monsters of the Sea]. Possibly as a result, this book often feels oddly patched-together: information is unecessarily duplicated, transitions are awkward, and the organization is inconsistent. If you're primarily interested in the cryptozoological aspects, Monsters will probably give you all you need.
That said, I love some of the new sections, especially the last chapter, which gave an exhaustive history and catalog of life-size giant squid models through the past several centuries. I originally got interested in Architeuthis as a child, through reading about the preparation of the giant squid that's on display at NMNH, and this chapter both fed back in to that early interest and was in its own right a fascinating case study in early museums and the Victorian trade in curiosities. Ellis mentions that this chapter was largely unintentional, as he tried to find models of the squid to use as photographic illustrations and as a side effect discovered their sometimes baroque histories.
Also one of the models resides at the Dildo Interpretation Center in Newfoundland. (I mention this because my sense of humor is around twelve years old.)
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footage of live Architeuthis and the kraken that ate Jack Sparrow -- this is an exciting time for teuthologists. However, as a state-of-the-art in 1998, it's great, and as shown by several new accounts added after the book was sent to the publisher, Ellis acknowledges that rapid rate of discovery.Unfortunately, a large portion of this book (around a hundred pages!) duplicates the information, and in parts even the wording, of the section on kraken in Ellis' earlier cryptozoology book [Monsters of the Sea]. Possibly as a result, this book often feels oddly patched-together: information is unecessarily duplicated, transitions are awkward, and the organization is inconsistent. If you're primarily interested in the cryptozoological aspects, Monsters will probably give you all you need.
That said, I love some of the new sections, especially the last chapter, which gave an exhaustive history and catalog of life-size giant squid models through the past several centuries. I originally got interested in Architeuthis as a child, through reading about the preparation of the giant squid that's on display at NMNH, and this chapter both fed back in to that early interest and was in its own right a fascinating case study in early museums and the Victorian trade in curiosities. Ellis mentions that this chapter was largely unintentional, as he tried to find models of the squid to use as photographic illustrations and as a side effect discovered their sometimes baroque histories.
Also one of the models resides at the Dildo Interpretation Center in Newfoundland. (I mention this because my sense of humor is around twelve years old.)
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LibraryThing member Bridgey
After reading Peter Benchley’s Beast I starting getting more and more interested in Giant Squid. With this in mind I bought ‘The search for the Giant squid’.
To be totally honest I was hoping for more tales of encounters and the mythology surrounding the squid. Instead the book ran like an
A whole chapter is dedicated to why the squid is called so many different things by different people… yawn!
A lot of the book I just scanned picking out the various interesting bits of data. A lot of what is covered has been long outdated or just proven wrong. If you want a quick and interesting read give this a miss and have a quick look on wiki, also saving a few quid in the process.
To be totally honest I was hoping for more tales of encounters and the mythology surrounding the squid. Instead the book ran like an
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encyclopaedia with whole paragraphs being dedicated to just figures and statistics. A whole chapter is dedicated to why the squid is called so many different things by different people… yawn!
A lot of the book I just scanned picking out the various interesting bits of data. A lot of what is covered has been long outdated or just proven wrong. If you want a quick and interesting read give this a miss and have a quick look on wiki, also saving a few quid in the process.
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LibraryThing member Daumari
At the time of publication, this was one of the most definitive compilations on Architeuthis. Alas, that was 1998, and this book is now showing its age, but it's still a very good survey of the historical and cultural accounts of the giant squid. I checked this out shortly after the Discovery
Besides the obvious change from no live sightings until last year, the other science/technological difference I noticed is that while discussing how many species there could possibly be within Architeuthis, gene sequencing was never mentioned as a tool. All proposed species were based on morphology, and even then those could be variations between indivduals, life stages, etc... but now that we have the power of sequencers, could we check out preserved specimens and discern patterns? Probably, and that's probably been written about elsewhere but I haven't gotten to it yet.
The species now known as the colossal squid is also mentioned, but not by that name- Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was the only one given, no common name at that point, only known by Antarctic carcasses. Another interesting thing- Architeuthis sightings and carcasses mentioned are predominantly in the Atlantic, with some in New Zealand but only a handful mentioned in the northern Pacific (which is where footage of live giants have been obtained).
Still, a very interesting read, especially for the historical and mythological contexts of monstrously large cephalopod sightings and then-speculation as to what the living creature might actually be like.
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special aired January 27th, 2013 because I was curious about previous information in deadtree edition. Also swore to actually finish an Ellis book because I frequently check them out, but never get to them in time. Besides the obvious change from no live sightings until last year, the other science/technological difference I noticed is that while discussing how many species there could possibly be within Architeuthis, gene sequencing was never mentioned as a tool. All proposed species were based on morphology, and even then those could be variations between indivduals, life stages, etc... but now that we have the power of sequencers, could we check out preserved specimens and discern patterns? Probably, and that's probably been written about elsewhere but I haven't gotten to it yet.
The species now known as the colossal squid is also mentioned, but not by that name- Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was the only one given, no common name at that point, only known by Antarctic carcasses. Another interesting thing- Architeuthis sightings and carcasses mentioned are predominantly in the Atlantic, with some in New Zealand but only a handful mentioned in the northern Pacific (which is where footage of live giants have been obtained).
Still, a very interesting read, especially for the historical and mythological contexts of monstrously large cephalopod sightings and then-speculation as to what the living creature might actually be like.
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LibraryThing member Anome
Sadly, by the time I got hold of this book, it was already out of date. The giant squid had been surpassed by the Colossal Squid, and the ideas on the giant squid's behaviour had been shattered by footage from underwater cameras.
Still, the book provides some interesting background on research into,
Still, the book provides some interesting background on research into,
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and the hunt for living specimens of, what was until recently virtually unknown. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sr_Moreno
I approached this completely ignorant of the subject, but came away not feeling any more informed. There is a plethora of accounts of sightings throughout the book, but they are all much the same and the feeling of deja-vu soon came over me. The subject itself is fascinating, but the lack of
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definitive knowledge means the book degenerates into a literature review. Extremely disappointing. Show Less
LibraryThing member robrod1
An excellent book for those interested in the giant monsters of the sea. They are real. It covers the search for specimens, proper Linnean Binomial classification, biology, myths and much more. Enjoy!
LibraryThing member Mrs_McGreevy
When this book was published, no one had ever seen a living giant squid in its natural habitat. Much like the Colossal Squid today, we'd seen dead and dying ones and remnants in predator's stomachs, but never the real thing. Ellis's book paints a fascinating picture of this elusive creature and its
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understudied deep ocean habitat. Show Less