Penguin Random House

The Search for the Giant Squid

From $16.29, Amazon

Ever since the earliest mariners first set out to conquer Earth’s vast oceans, there have been stories of monstrous tentacled creatures pulling careless sailors beneath the waves. While the reality of the giant squid has ultimately proven to be somewhat less dramatic, they still stand out as one of the most iconic cryptids of the sea.

The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World’s Most Elusive Sea Creature, by the biologist Richard Ellis, is still the best read on the subject. In the years since it was first published, humans have finally managed to capture live giant squid on camera, and our knowledge of them grows every year. But for anyone looking for a thorough primer on these mysterious creatures, this 1998 book remains essential.

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