Description
Over the course of the twentieth century, our understanding of and relationship to whales underwent astonishing changes. With The Sounding of the Whale, D. Graham Burnett tells the fascinating story of the transformation of cetaceans from grotesque monsters, useful only as wallowing kegs of fat and fertilizer, to playful friends of humanity, bellwethers of environmental devastation, and, finally, totems of the counterculture in the Age of Aquarius. A sweeping history, grounded in nearly a decade of research, The Sounding of the Whale tells a remarkable tale of how science, politics, and simple human wonder interwined to transform the way we see these behemoths from below.
About the Author
D. Graham Burnett is professor of history and history of science at Princeton University, where he teaches in the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities and directs graduate studies in the Program in History of Science. He is an editor at Cabinet magazine and the author of four books.
Reviews
"A remarkable book, an astounding piece of research." (David Blackburn, Guardian) "By questioning the very nature of our scientific interest in the whale, Burnett has set the tone for a new century of discovery-and, one hopes, recovery." (Nature) "In other hands it might have yielded a story as dry as dust, but this historian has an eye for small, telling details, resulting in an intriguing book full of paradoxes and unlikely heroes." (Tim Flannery, New York Review of Books) "A very good book." (Larry McMurtry, Harper's) "A sweeping, important study of cetacean science and policy.... A gifted and often very funny writer, D. Graham Burnett bristles at the restrictions of academic rigor but does not abandon them.... His greatest service is to tell a story that helps us understand the present-day political obstacles to addressing key environmental questions." (New York Times Book Review)"
Book Information
ISBN 9780226100579
Author D. Graham Burnett
Format Paperback
Page Count 824
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 1106g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 15mm * 5mm
About the Author
D. Graham Burnett is professor of history and history of science at Princeton University, where he teaches in the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities and directs graduate studies in the Program in History of Science. He is an editor at Cabinet magazine and the author of four books.
Reviews
"A remarkable book, an astounding piece of research." (David Blackburn, Guardian) "By questioning the very nature of our scientific interest in the whale, Burnett has set the tone for a new century of discovery-and, one hopes, recovery." (Nature) "In other hands it might have yielded a story as dry as dust, but this historian has an eye for small, telling details, resulting in an intriguing book full of paradoxes and unlikely heroes." (Tim Flannery, New York Review of Books) "A very good book." (Larry McMurtry, Harper's) "A sweeping, important study of cetacean science and policy.... A gifted and often very funny writer, D. Graham Burnett bristles at the restrictions of academic rigor but does not abandon them.... His greatest service is to tell a story that helps us understand the present-day political obstacles to addressing key environmental questions." (New York Times Book Review)"
Book Information
ISBN 9780226100579
Author D. Graham Burnett
Format Paperback
Page Count 824
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 1106g
Dimensions(mm) 23mm * 15mm * 5mm
