Shark: Stories of Life and Death from the World's Most Dangerous Waters (Adrenaline)
Last summer, the media fueled a shark attack scare when in fact  the number of incidents was below average. This year seems  primed to be the "Summer of the Shark Book," in which authors  interested in the predatory fish capitalize on last summer's  hype just in time for this summer's beach crowd. Shark is an  anthology of excerpts from previously published books and  articles, including Peter Benchley's Jaws, Eugenie Clark's Lady  with a Spear, Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, and  Jean-Michel Cousteau's Cousteau's Great White Shark. The only  apparent common thread is that the selections feature people  being attacked by sharks or sharks being attacked by people. The  fact that this is part of the "Adrenaline Book" series is a good  clue as to the nature of this volume.  Benchley's Shark Trouble is intended more as an argument against  the hype than more fuel for it. The author's introduction  emphasizes how much has been learned since he wrote Jaws in 1974  and that sharks, including the most fearsome ones, are in much  more danger from humans than humans from sharks. A chapter  called "The Summer of Hype" sets the record straight on last  year's media hysteria. Other chapters discuss the real dangers  of swimming in the ocean (e.g., tides, rips, and other currents)  and how to avoid getting caught. Some personal shark anecdotes  add excitement as well. Benchley's solid and informative book is  recommended for public and school libraries, especially where  there is an interest in the ocean and scuba diving. Shark is not  recommended; libraries would do better to purchase the  publications that it highlights, plus a few other classic shark  books, such as Thomas H. Lineaweaver's The Natural History of  the Shark. [John A. Musick and Beverly McMillan's The Shark  Chronicles: A Scientist Tracks the Consummate Predator is coming  in September from Holt. Ed.] Margaret A. Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib.,  Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., M.- Margaret A. Rioux, MBL/WHOI Lib.,  Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., MACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.