Close-up photo of shark

Shark books to sink your teeth into

We publish the world’s leading shark books, created by a team of international experts and covering in gorgeous detail the world’s full range of shark species, providing everything a shark-lover needs to identify and celebrate these magnificent creatures.

Sharks of the World is the essential illustrated guide for anyone interested in these magnificent creatures. Now fully revised and updated, it covers 536 of the world’s shark species and is packed with colour illustrations, colour photos and informative diagrams. This comprehensive, easy-to-use reference guide incorporates the latest taxonomic revisions of many shark families, featuring many species that were only described in recent years. It also includes a completely revised and expanded introduction and updated line drawings throughout.

A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World is the only field guide to identify, illustrate, and describe every known shark species. Its compact format makes it handy for many situations, including recognizing living species, fishery catches, or parts sold at markets. This expanded second edition presents lavish images, details on newly discovered species, and updated text throughout. The book contains useful sections on identifying shark teeth and the shark fins most commonly encountered in the fin trade, and takes a look at shark biology, ecology, and conservation. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World will be an essential resource and definitive reference for years to come.

The waters of the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea are home to an amazing variety of sharks, rays and chimaeras. This comprehensive and easy-to-use field guide covers all 146 species found in the Mediterranean, the waters of the European Atlantic and Iceland, along all the Scandinavian coasts, in the Black Sea and as far south as the Canary Islands. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, habitat, biology and status. Every species account comes with a colour distribution map, a depth guide, at-a-glance icons and colour illustrations. This must-have field guide also features illustrated key guides that enable you to accurately identify down to species, comparison plates of similar species, illustrations of eggcases where known and plates of teeth.

There are few marine creatures as spectacular as the Basking Shark. At up to 11 metres in length and seven tonnes in weight, this colossal, plankton-feeding fish is one of the largest in the world, second only to the whale shark. Historically, Basking Sharks were a familiar sight in the northern hemisphere—off the coasts of Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the USA, for example. In an 18th Century world without electricity, they became the focus of active hunting for their huge livers containing large amounts of valuable oil, primarily used in lamps.

Today, the Basking Shark is a much-loved cornerstone of our natural heritage. There are positive signs that the population has stabilised and may even be slowly recovering from the damage of the past, proving that timely conservation measures can be effective. Join us on a journey amidst wild seas, places, people and conservation history in the battle to protect this iconic creature—a true sea monster’s tale.

Sharks are the top predators in many marine ecosystems. But tales of the killer instincts and fearsomely sharp senses of these hunters can obscure their full life histories. In fact, sharks are characterful, exhibit surprisingly complex behaviors, and lead secretive lives full of interest in every type of marine habitat. The Lives of Sharks is a fascinating and beautifully illustrated guide to these iconic marine creatures from two world-renowned experts. This book explores shark physiology, anatomy, behavior, ecology, and evolution, as well as conservation and the impact of human activity on shark populations. With stunning photographs and illustrations, as well as profiles of selected species, this is a comprehensive, authoritative, and inviting introduction to global shark life today.

Available September 2023

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