The Presence of Whales: Contemporary Writings on the Whale

Patrick Colgan is the executive director of the Canadian Museum of
Nature in Ottawa.

This book gathers together scientific and nature writing on whales by
such authors as Diane Ackerman, Kenneth Brower, Barry Lopez, and Farley
Mowat. The book’s five sections (Sharing the World with Giants, Songs
from the Deep, Sightings of the Leviathan, Death at Sea and on the
Shore, and Splendid but Uncertain Company) cover a wide range of
subjects: zoology and ecology, genetics and song dialects, animal
behavior and mental life, social history and bioethics, adventuring and
exploitation, natural wonder and vital significance. The illustrations
are, surprisingly, limited to low-contrast black-and-white photographs;
given the visual and auditory grandeur of whales, one might have
expected color and sound recording. Nevertheless, for those seeking a
compendium of superior writing on whales, this book is an excellent
choice.