{"product_id":"the-book-of-eels-our-enduring-fascination-with-the-most-mysterious-creature-in-the-natural-world-isbn-9780062968821","title":"The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePart \u003cem\u003eH Is for Hawk\u003c\/em\u003e, part \u003cem\u003eThe Soul of an Octopus\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Eels\u003c\/em\u003e is both a meditation on the world’s most elusive fish—the eel—and a reflection on the human condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRemarkably little is known about the European eel, \u003cem\u003eAnguilla anguilla\u003c\/em\u003e. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has become known as the “eel question”: Where do eels come from? What are they? Are they fish or some other kind of creature altogether? Even today, in an age of advanced science, no one has ever seen eels mating or giving birth, and we still don’t understand what drives them, after living for decades in freshwater, to swim great distances back to the ocean at the end of their lives. They remain a mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on a breadth of research about eels in literature, history, and modern marine biology, as well as his own experience fishing for eels with his father, Patrik Svensson crafts a mesmerizing portrait of an unusual, utterly misunderstood, and completely captivating animal. In \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Eels, \u003c\/em\u003ewe meet renowned historical thinkers, from Aristotle to Sigmund Freud to Rachel Carson, for whom the eel was a singular obsession. And we meet the scientists who spearheaded the search for the eel’s point of origin, including Danish marine biologist Johannes Schmidt, who led research efforts in the early twentieth century, catching thousands upon thousands of eels, in the hopes of proving their birthing grounds in the Sargasso Sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlending memoir and nature writing at its best, Svensson’s journey to understand the eel becomes an exploration of the human condition that delves into overarching issues about our roots and destiny, both as humans and as animals, and, ultimately, how to handle the biggest question of all: death. The result is a gripping and slippery narrative that will surprise and enchant.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Inspires readers to see eels in a whole new way.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times, “21 New and Classic Books to Keep You in Touch with the Natural World”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Captivating . . . \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Eels\u003c\/em\u003e is, in the end, not really about eels but about life itself.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“As much a boon to my mental life as a blow to my social one. For weeks after reading I found myself cornering people at parties to obliterate them with a machine-gun spray of eel facts. But according to \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Eels\u003c\/em\u003e, I’m not alone in my eelmania. . . . If you don’t think of yourself as someone who might enjoy meditating on eel glory, well, I didn’t either, and here I am transcribing my encounter for publication.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An unusual and beguiling guide to an unusual and beguiling animal. . . . Svensson’s book, like its subject, is a strange beast: a creature of metamorphosis, a shape-shifter that moves among realms. It is a book of natural history, and a memoir about a son and his father. It is also an exploration of literature and religion and custom, and what it means to live in a world full of questions we can’t always answer.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Without a doubt, the most delicious natural history book of the decade. Svensson’s prose effortlessly undulates between his own personal experience and a thousand years of scientific inquiry. But it’s his call to conservation—not just of this noble eel but of our memories both personal and cultural—that truly elevates this remarkably poignant work.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMark Siddall, Curator and Professor, American Museum of Natural History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A wonderful read. The story of the eel is one of the most fascinating on the planet, but equally fascinating is the story Patrik Svensson tells so well here about the mysteries of being.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Enthralling.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eColorado Springs Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A masterful narrative that is part memoir and part scientific detective story.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmithsonian Magazine, “10 Best Science Books of the Year”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Svensson . . . melds the personal and scientific in this captivating look at the European eel. . . . Nature-loving readers will be enthralled by [his] fascinating zoological odyssey.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Poses questions about philosophy, the metaphysical, and the spiritual, as well as scientific issues, in a way that will stir readers. This beautifully crafted book challenges us not only to understand eels but our own selves. Highly recommended.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Captivating . . . shot through with electric current. The book’s deadpan title perhaps undercuts its depth and complexity. Yes, this is a book about eels, those uncanny creatures, but in Svensson’s capable hands it is also a book about obsession and mystery, about faith and science, and about the limits of knowledge . . . Like Annie Dillard and Rachel Carson, Svensson knows the best nature writing is done\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ewith emotion and drive.”\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat's Jordana Reading, Summer Reads\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Svensson has, quite stunningly, discovered in the natural and human history of the European eel a metaphor for his father’s life and a way to explore questions of knowledge, belief and faith.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A beguiling chronicle.”\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNautilus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With lyricism and sharp clarity, Patrik Svensson lets us in on the secret dream-like world of the eel. As we move deeper into a book that intertwines beautiful nature writing with a moving memoir of a quiet father and a loyal son—as well as healthy doses of philosophical thought from Aristotle to Freud—we get to know one of Earth's most unknowable creatures and revel in a life so different than our own.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Gessner, author of All the Wild That Remains\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What an amazing book.  About eels! — a haunting and extraordinary creature. When Eugenio Montale wanted a metaphor for the revival of Europe after World War II, he found it in a glimpse of a gold-brown eel in a muddy Ligurian stream and when Rachel Carson wanted to convey to her readers the intricacy of the relationship between salt and fresh water, she imagined the migration of eels. Patrik Svensson explores both their mystery and the science that has brought them into focus in the last few decades and made them seem a vivid indicator species for the health of our planet.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobert Hass, author of Summer Snow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“\u003c\/strong\u003eWhat an amazing book.  About eels! — a haunting and extraordinary creature.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ePatrik Svensson explores both their mystery and the science that has brought them into focus in the last few decades and made them seem a vivid indicator species for the health of our planet.\u003cstrong\u003e”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRobert Hass, author of Summer Snow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An account of the mysterious life of eels that also serves as a meditation on consciousness, faith, time, light and darkness, and life and death. . . . an intriguing natural history . . . that sheds as much light on humans as on eels.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Blending a wonderfully evocative and succinct timeline of scientific discoveries about eels with a memoir of his changing relationship with his father, Svensson has produced an extremely readable book on a fish that all have heard of but few (on our side of the pond) have actually seen.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Nature writing at its finest. Svensson's memories of eel fishing with his father speak to the intersection of life and science, and add to its heart.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889462898917,"sku":"NP9780062968821","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062968821.jpg?v=1730231309","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-book-of-eels-our-enduring-fascination-with-the-most-mysterious-creature-in-the-natural-world-isbn-9780062968821","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}