THE WHALERS

A brief and colorful entry in the Remarkable World series, this history of whaling around the world includes early Inuit hunters, New England whalers in the 17th to 19th centuries, and modern whalers from Norway, Russia, and Japan. Chrisp (The Incas, 1994, not reviewed, etc.) describes life aboard a whaling vessel, the processes of capturing, killing, and butchering whales, products derived from them, and current efforts to protect them from hunting and extinction. Throughout, full-color photographs, historic drawings, and selections from the letters and diaries of whalers enliven the telling. The volume is especially valuable in that it conveys both an understanding of the harsh and dangerous life of the early whalers and a respect and appreciation for their prey. (chronology, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)