The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature

by Richard Ellis

Book Overview

The most mysterious and elusive of all sea creatures, the giant squid--at least sixty feet long and weighing nearly a ton--is also one of the largest. Yet for all its magnificent size and threatening... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140286764
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.4" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Nice General Work....but needs updating

My copy of the work is somewhat of a novelty, as I bought it at the giftshop of the Smithsonian literally minutes after viewing their giant squid.The book itself was entertaining and I liked it. Anyone interested in cryptozoology should enjoy this. However the work has one flaw; it constantly refers to the fact that no living giant squid has been seen in its natural habitat. This is no lnger true, as the Japenese have captured the creature, in its natural habitat, on film for all to see. However, since this is a relatively new revelation, it should not be held against Ellis or his work.

Excellent Fact Based Research

Richard Ellis has written several books about "creatures of the deep" and all of them are excellent. He does an amazing job of maintaining the mystery and fascination of these creatures while remaining firmly grounded in the realm of science. Ellis is unlike other authors who some on the one hand sensationalize the subject matter, or on the other hand are too dry and technical. In my opinion, if you are seriously interested in learning the facts about giant squid, you cannot go wrong with this book.

a modern marvel and masterpiece!!!

this is quit easily one of the best books ever written! squids! what more can be said! smashingly brilliant! a must read. if you love squids as much as me (and i know you do), then you must purchase several copies of this magnificient tome.

Excellent writing on a bizarre subject

I read this book after seeing a Discovery Channel special on the Giant Squid. I know nothing about science, but I am a huge history enthusiast, as well as someone who loves the ocean. Ellis' book is amazing - not too heavy with biology or science in general. He focuses on the history of human encounters with "sea monsters," which he attributes to rogue giant squid, as well as with dead or dying specimens of the Architeuthis itself. As a work of history, this book is fantastic. Ellis' synthesis of what is actually known about the Giant Squid is also excellent. He presents the multiple theories about the animal's behavior, locomotion, feeding habits, and reproduction. He also dispels many of the rumors about the squid, including those concerning its true maximum size (although his final anecdote leaves the question excitingly unanswered). I recommend this book for anyone interested in scientific history in general, and that concerning the beasts of the ocean in particular.

Informative, accessible, the ultimate giant squid book!

Richard Ellis takes us on a voyage of wonder and discovery in this book that is as big as the giant squid. His passion for this creature, unknown to science and a monster of folklore until recently, certainly issues from each page. Ellis's gathering of rare and old images of this beast is worth the reference nature of the work itself, but his text just makes it all that more valuable. Being a cryptozoologist myself, I highly recommend this volume as a vital and necessary addition to every public library, all students of natural history, and the cryptozoologists around the world. You will not be disappointed.