From his childhood fascination with the gigantic Natural History Museum model of a blue whale, to his abiding love of , to his adult encounters with the living animals in the Atlantic Ocean, the acclaimed writer Philip Hoare has been obsessed with whales. is his unforgettable and moving attempt to explain why these strange and beautiful animals exert such a powerful hold on our imagination. An enthralling and eye-opening literary leviathan swimming in similar bestselling waters as and . is a lively travelogue through the history, literature, and lore of the king of the sea—the remarkable mammals that we human beings have long been fascinated with, from to Bestselling author and naturalist Bernd Heinrich calls it, “a moving and extraordinary book,” and Hoare’s sparkling account of swimming with these incredible behemoths will delight whale and wildlife aficionados, lovers of the sea and sea stories, as well as the socially and environmentally conscious reader.