The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea

“Unpredictable and amusing and informative and original, cavorting between biology, history, travel writing, and memoir.”

—Mark Kurlansky

The Whale by Philip Hoare is a enthralling and eye-opening literary leviathan swimming in similar bestselling waters as Cod and The Secret Life of Lobsters. Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction, The Whale is a lively travelogue through the history, literature, and lore of the king of the sea—the remarkable mammals that we human beings have long been fascinated with, from Moby Dick to Free Willy. Bestselling author and naturalist Bernd Heinrich calls it, “a moving and extraordinary book,” and Hoare’s sparkling account of swimming with these incredible behemoths will delight whale and wildlife aficionados, lovers of the sea and sea stories, as well as the socially and environmentally conscious reader.

From his childhood fascination with the gigantic Natural History Museum model of a blue whale to his adult encounters with the living animals in the Atlantic Ocean, the acclaimed writer Philip Hoare has been obsessed with whales. Journeying through human and natural history, The Whale is the result of his voyage of discovery into the heart of this obsession and the book that inspired it: Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.

Taking us deep into their domain, Hoare shows us these mysterious creatures as they have never been seen before. Following in Ishmael's footsteps, he explores the troubled history of man and whale; visits the historic whaling locales of New Bedford, Nantucket, and the Azores; and traces the whale's cultural history from Jonah to Free Willy. Winner of the prestigious BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, The Whale is an unforgettable and often moving attempt to explain why these strange and beautiful animals still exert such a powerful hold on our imagination.

“This is a deep book about the deep; an inspiring book about inspiring beings. . . . If you can’t board a ship this week, read this book instead.” - The Times (London)

“Scintillating. . . . Throughout the book, Hoare’s unbridled enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. . . . This thoroughly engaging, rigorously researched and often revelatory book is a joy to read and one which Melville, surely, would have appreciated.” - The Independent on Sunday

“So compelling and all-encompassing that it cast a spell on me that endured for days. . . . This is the book Hoare was born to write, a classic of its kind.” - The Observer

“You don’t have to love Moby Dick to love this book. But if you do, THE WHALE is probably one of the most sublime reading experiences you’ll have this year.” - NPR's All Things Considered

“Hoare is a splendid writer and a beguiling guide. I found the spell (he) casts powerful and difficult to shake.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Genius … THE WHALE (is) a rhapsodic mediation on all things cetacean. Hoare is always on the lookout for the revealing detail. He also has a finely tuned sense of perspective and pacing.” - Nathaniel Philbrick, New York Times Book Review

“This singular, magnificent book inspires both awe and shame—awe of the whales, shame of the human species that has tried to destroy them. In the end, Hoare’s virtuosic sympathy for his subject makes you believe in the better angels of our nature.” - Alex Ross, bestselling author of THE REST IS NOISE

“A wonderful read! And a wonder-full adventure that spans the centuries. Hoare magnificently weaves together his own experiences with stories about literary giants whose writings were inspired by whales—Melville, Hawthone, and Thoreau—and he captures the utter beauty, size, and power of the whale.” - Lynne Cox, author of GRAYSON

“A wonderful read!... Hoare magnificently weaves together his own experiences with stories about literary giants whose writings were inspired by whales—Melville, Hawthone, and Thoreau—and he captures the utter beauty, size, and power of the whale.” - Lynne Cox, author of GRAYSON

“[Hoare’s] work is rigorous, something every serious student of whales--and, more widely conceived, of the natural world--will want to have at hand.” - Washington Post

“A love letter to the ‘largest, loudest, oldest’ mammal ever to have existed, Brit biographer Hoare’s book romps through science, history and literature to chronicle his obsession with the mighty whale. Salted with astounding facts (the calls of blue whales were one mistaken for earthquakes), this is an exhilarating valentine.” - People

“A love letter to the ‘largest, loudest, oldest’ mammal ever to have existed....Salted with astounding facts...this is an exhilarating valentine.” - People

“A maginificent monster of a book, combining a huge wealth of whale lore, zoology, literature, history, and personal account. Written with great elegance, enthusiasm, and insight it takes us on an enthralling voyage.” - The Guardian

“Philip Hoare’s writing is quite untrammelled by convention and opens up astonishing views at every turn.” - W.G. Sebald

“Philip Hoare’s THE WHALE is everything you want from a book. It is unpredictable and amusing and informative and original, cavorting between biology, history, travel writing, and memoir with an engaging sense of the subject’s charisma. And the book is even handsome.” - Mark Kurlansky, author of SALT and COD

“THE WHALE is a moving and extraordinary book. Whales are the largest animal species that ever existed on the planet, and arguably also the most complex and more evolved even than we are. It is hard to swallow how we, a supposedly sentient species, have focused our ingenuity, energies, and industrial might to kill such superlative life and drive it to near extinction. Philip Hoare here brings them, their story, and our long relationship to whales, to life.” - Bernd Heinrich, bestselling author of SUMMER WORLD

“Anyone who loves the sea will love this book.. . . . A Sebald-esque triumph . . . it is one of the those books into which you can dip at random and find something interesting.” - Sunday Telegraph

“Successful as Hoare’s book is in expanding its encyclopedic sources, it also has a personal thread, detailing his own fascination with whales. . . . The author describes his experiences swimming with sperm whales off the Azores, and his prose rises admirably to the demands of the encounter.” - Financial Times