# The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World - Hardcover

by **Patrik Svensson** (Author)

**Part _H Is for Hawk_, part _The Soul of an Octopus_, _The Book of Eels_ is both a meditation on the world's most elusive fish--the eel--and a reflection on the human condition**

Remarkably little is known about the European eel, _Anguilla anguilla_. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has become known as the "eel question" Where do eels come from? What are they? Are they fish or some other kind of creature altogether? Even today, in an age of advanced science, no one has ever seen eels mating or giving birth, and we still don't understand what drives them, after living for decades in freshwater, to swim great distances back to the ocean at the end of their lives. They remain a mystery.

Drawing on a breadth of research about eels in literature, history, and modern marine biology, as well as his own experience fishing for eels with his father, Patrik Svensson crafts a mesmerizing portrait of an unusual, utterly misunderstood, and completely captivating animal. In _The Book of Eels,_ we meet renowned historical thinkers, from Aristotle to Sigmund Freud to Rachel Carson, for whom the eel was a singular obsession. And we meet the scientists who spearheaded the search for the eel's point of origin, including Danish marine biologist Johannes Schmidt, who led research efforts in the early twentieth century, catching thousands upon thousands of eels, in the hopes of proving their birthing grounds in the Sargasso Sea.

Blending memoir and nature writing at its best, Svensson's journey to understand the eel becomes an exploration of the human condition that delves into overarching issues about our roots and destiny, both as humans and as animals, and, ultimately, how to handle the biggest question of all: death. The result is a gripping and slippery narrative that will surprise and enchant.

**A Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize**

**National Bestseller**

**Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award**

**Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction**

**A _New York Times_ Notable Book**

**One of TIME's 100 Must Read Books of the Year**

**One of _The Washington Post_'s 50 Notable Nonfiction Books of the Year**

**One of _Smithsonian Magazine_'s 10 Best Science Books of the Year**

One of **_Publishers Weekly_'s Best Nonfiction Books of the Year**

**A _New York Times_ Editor's Choice**

**Number of Pages:** 256

**Dimensions:** 1.1 x 8.3 x 5.8 IN

**Publication Date:** May 26, 2020

## Details

- **Price:** 28.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World - Hardcover

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