Narwhals

April 15, 2013
In the Middle Ages, every terrestrial animal was believed to have a marine counterpart, thus the narwhalâa mysterious, one-tusked Arctic whaleâwas used to bolster the case for unicorns, and their tusks were sold for vast sums as unicorn horns. Though real, narwhals are poorly understood; research on the species has been slow and difficult, in part because the narwhal spends most of its life deep beneath dense ice. McLeish (Basking with Humpbacks), an amateur narwhal enthusiast, through his ardor and meticulous journalism profiles a fascinating creature physiologically adapted to extreme cold, deep diving, and darkness (narwhals rely on hearing much more than sight). The zoological portions of the book are balanced by human interest: McLeish adeptly describes the strange, small communities of people who live above the Arctic Circle. He is treated to narwhal blubber, an Inuit delicacy, and narwhal steak, while a large group of narwhal hunters and their wives watch closely for his reaction. He also delves into a hot controversy surrounding the potential purposes of the narwhal's "horn". McLeish is a careful narrator, prone to describing Arctic flora, but the book is a rewarding treatise on a fascinating animal. 12 illus.

October 1, 2013

Having since childhood been in love with Narwhals (the males of which have one horn, giving them a magical aura), author McLeish (public information officer, Univ. of Rhode Island; Basking with Humpbacks) spent years pondering their oddities, grace, lore, and biological reality. Finally taking an opportunity to join a team of researchers in Canada and visiting an Inuit hunting camp in Greenland, he had the chance to transform his boyhood fantasies into the stuff of real life. Unlike some other biological/journalistic stories, McLeish's book is not cluttered with distracting detail or a confusing, jumpy narrative but instead is a tightly written piece that richly and ably tells the past and present--and hints of the future--of these marvelous, endangered, long-toothed animals. VERDICT Although lacking in the more formal documentation of a scientific work (there is a bibliography but no further reading recommendations or notes), this will nonetheless be a good title for academic as well as public libraries. The clarity and strong narrative will well serve both students and enthusiasts of biological studies, ecological concepts, marine life, conservation, and similar topics.--Susan E. Brazer, Salisbury Univ. Lib., MA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2013
Narwhals stand out as a marine mammal of singular mystery, long linked to the unicorn myth and now tracked by scientists eager to learn about migration and breeding behaviors and the purpose behind their distinctive tusk. McLeish first relates his childhood discovery of the animal via World Book Encyclopedia, then brings us to the Canadian Arctic and Greenland as he recounts time spent on the water among Native hunters and international groups of researchers. As McLeish tries to form a picture of the narwhal's place in the modern world, he quickly discovers there is little consensus on most aspects of the narwhal's existence from current population figures to the impact of global warming on its future (it is likely as imperiled as the polar bear) to the ubiquitous tusk whose monetary value threatens its very existence. After consulting logbooks of nineteenth-century explorers and experiencing narwhal encounters in the frigid north, McLeish provides a broad view of the narwhal's history and legend, remaining awestruck and deeply concerned for a species that remains a miraculous creation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)