Harpoon: Into the heart of whaling

Andrew Darby's credentials as an Australian environmental journalist are in evidence here - Harpoon is not only well-researched but is also a joy to read. It begins with accounts of early colonial whaling in Australia as the first settlers hunted right whales. Reviews of Australian sperm and humpback whaling are also given. However the most valuable part of the book for me was learning about more recent activity - particularly the incredible and illegal efforts of the Soviets. An effect of the Cold War previously unknown to me was that the Soviets felt they had the right to strip the oceans of whales to get ahead economically. Then comes the current situation of Japanese whaling and the politicking of the IWC, many meetings of which Andrew has attended personally. As an Australian marine mammal scientist, I found the book to be an excellent primer on the issue of whaling; full of facts on history, culture, science, conservation, politics and whaling methodology. Its a shame the role of whales as ocean fertilizers was not mentioned - perhaps that area of research is too recent. This book may put off some readers with its Australian focus, however I am surprised some other reviewers only gave 2 stars simply because the book was not what they were expecting. Harpoon serves as both historical review and heart-breaking saga, and shall remain on my bookshelf for future reference. Highly recommended.