Published Apr 13. 2006 - 17 years ago
Updated or edited Dec 13. 2023

Book review: Atlantic Salmon: An Illustrated Natural History

A beautiful large format book with some stunning illustrations of salmon. Very impressing.


Info
Author: 
Rod Sutterby & Malcolm Greenhalgh
Publisher: 
Merlin Unwin Books
Publishing year: 
2005
ISBN: 
1 87367 473 2
Pages: 
144
Price: 
25.00
UK£
Reviewed by: 

The subtitle for this book is "An illustrated natural history", and that is exactly what it is. Malcolm Greenhalgh's text is pure natural history with all the facts you ever wanted to know about the atlantic salmon plus a bit you didn't know you wanted to know. Rod Sutterby's illustrations are more than just illustrations. They are art and his beautiful paintings are what make this book special.
Sutterby's art is exquisite and his fishing pictures are amongst the best I've seen.

And they benefit this book immensely. Not that Greenhalgh's narrative isn't good, but the text is not immediately exiting or appealing in the same way as the images.
Greenhalgh is certainly both knowledgeable and a good writer, and once you have savoured the large and dominant illustrations and start reading, you will find that there is a lot to learn about salmon, and that the author does a very good job of teaching you.

The text tells about the basic biology of salmon, their migration and reproduction. It also deals with the distribution of the fish, its development (demise) and its future.
Greenhalgh quotes both older fishing literature as well as the latest scientific papers on this fascinating fish, and covers all the ground (or water) there is to cover. There is only little angling specific information in the book, but lots of facts, which are interesting to the angler. So even though it's not a fishing book, salmon-anglers and anglers with an interest in natural history will be both well entertained and well taught.


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