Complemented by historical and contemporary photos, a tribute to salmon by the best-selling author of Cod reveals how the survival of the species has become inextricably tied to the fate of the natural world. Illustrations. Tour. Bibliography. Index.
"Henry David Thoreau wrote, 'Who hears the fishes when they cry?' Maybe we need to go down to the river bank and try to listen."
In what he says is the most important piece of environmental writing in his long and award-winning career, Mark Kurlansky, best-selling author of Salt and Cod, The Big Oyster, 1968, and Milk, among many others, employs his signature multi-century storytelling and compelling attention to detail to chronicle the harrowing yet awe-inspiring life cycle of salmon.
During his research Kurlansky traveled widely and observed salmon and those who both pursue and protect them in the Pacific and the Atlantic, in Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Japan, and even the robust but not as frequently visited Kamchatka Peninsula. This world tour reveals an eras-long history of man’s misdirected attempts to manipulate salmon and its environments for his own benefit and gain, whether for entertainment or to harvest food.
In addition, Kurlansky’s research shows that all over the world these fish, uniquely connected to both marine and terrestrial ecology as well as fresh and salt water, are a natural barometer for the health of the planet. He documents that for centuries man’s greatest assaults on nature, from overfishing to dams, from hatcheries to fish farms, from industrial pollution to the ravages of climate change, are evidenced in the sensitive life cycle of salmon.
With stunning historical and contemporary photographs and illustrations throughout, Kurlansky’s insightful conclusion is that the only way to save salmon is to save the planet and, at the same time, the only way to save the planet is to save the mighty, heroic salmon.
A tribute to a magnificent species whose cycles of life are entwined with every aspect of nature -- freshwater, saltwater, and land -- and whose survival is inextricably tied to the survival of the planet.
Arvustused
"Mark Kurlansky is the maestro of metaphor. . . . In his new book, Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate, Kurlansky does something similar but, this time, also slightly different. As anybody who has bought king salmon at $30 a pound can tell you, salmon are not ordinary. They are glamorous. And as Kurlanksy demonstrates, the light they cast on the 21st century Earth is less wondrous than worrisome." -- San Francisco Chronicle Mark Kurlanskys Salmon makes the species an ecological poster child and a microcosm of the environmental challenges we face. Foreword Reviews In championing a critically important part of the natural world, Kurlansky sounds an urgent alarm that commands our attention. Kirkus Reviews "In more than 40 years of writing, this is the scariest thing I've ever learned. The oceans, especially the Northern Atlantic, are losing the ability to provide food. If the oceans can no longer feed the things that are supposed to live in it, then we're sunk." - Mark Kurlansky, from an interview on Maine Public Radio It is a beautiful book, spangled throughout with stunning color photographs of a lovely fish, of pristine streams and landscapes. Its a coffee-table book shrunk to shelf-size, but the images are pertinent and illuminating, and there is nothing throwaway about the text that surrounds them or about the recipes for salmon dishes from all over the world and past centuries." -- Wall Street Journal "...this is a very handsome book with fantastic images and illustrations that are worthy complements to the writing. For $30, a serious nature of angling aficionado can't find a better value. This is one of the best books I've read in recent years, and it remains a fixture on my writing desk." -- Trout Magazine "Salmon is rich in details, and a love story by one of the worlds foremost journalists." -- Tom Rosenbauer, Fly Fisherman Magazine "Even if you are unlikely to ever swing Sunray Shadows for these fish, this book deserves your attention, because Salmon is a clarion call. If we can cause this much ecosystem damage to just one family of fish, it puts into stark relief the damage we wreak on other species." - The Mission Fly Magazine "Attractive enough to reside on your coffee table but small enough to fit on a shelf, the book's 448 pages are filled with more than 150 photographs and illustrations that provide additional insight into the chronicle of these fish and their interaction with man. . . . In these pages, Kurlansky puts us on notice. The time to act is now." --the Virginia Sportsman
Muu info
Commended for Benjamin Franklin Award (Nature/Environment) 2021 and Benjamin Franklin Award (Cover Design (Large)) 2021.We have a robust marketing plan for this book:
Galleys will be available
Endorsements by influencers such as Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, James Prosek, Mark Bittman, E.O. Wilson, Robert Redford, etc.
Robust author tour -- at least 12 cities -- Patagonia stores, independent bookstores, natural history museums and aquariums, environmental organizations
Featured in at least 2 Patagonia catalogs
Social promotion through Patagonia (corporate), Patagonia Books, and Patagonia Provisions
Promote at fishing trade shows, such as iCast
Promote to environmental orgs such as World Trout
Submit to college/university First Reads programs
Submit to community reads programs
Mailing to college and university professors
Full pre-publication promotion
Promotion to environmental, fishing, natural history, and culinary magazines
Galleys available for reps
ARC Mailing to booksellers and librarians
submit for Premier Pick
IndieBound promotion
ARC program for Baker and Taylor
Distribute egalleys through Edelweiss or NetGalley
Galley giveaways at tradeshows
Solicit early blurbs from booksellers
Amazon Vine Program
Prologue A Tale of Two Fisheries |
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Chapter One A Family Matter |
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38 | (18) |
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Chapter Two A Hero's Life |
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56 | (28) |
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Chapter Three The Original Salmon |
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Chapter Four Old Ways in the New Land |
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114 | (26) |
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Chapter Five A Golden Fish Arrives in the East |
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Chapter Six When It Was Working |
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148 | (16) |
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Chapter Seven The White Man Comes |
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164 | (28) |
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Chapter Eight Nowhere to Run |
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192 | (14) |
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PART THREE The Problem with Solutions |
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Chapter Nine Why Not Make More? |
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206 | (32) |
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Chapter Eleven The Release |
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262 | (32) |
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PART FOUR The Dangerous Future |
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Chapter Twelve Elegy for the Atlantic |
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294 | (30) |
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Chapter Thirteen The Ballad of the Pacific |
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324 | (28) |
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Chapter Fourteen The Golden Fish Departs |
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352 | (20) |
Epilogue It Concerns Us |
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372 | (8) |
Endnotes |
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380 | (16) |
Appendix |
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396 | (34) |
Bibliography |
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430 | (6) |
Acknowledgments |
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436 | (4) |
Index |
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Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times bestselling author of Havana, Cod, Salt, Paper, The Basque History of the World, 1968, and The Big Oyster, among other titles. He has received the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Bon Appetit's Food Writer of the Year Award, the James Beard Award, and the Glenfiddich Award. His articles have appeared in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including The International Herald Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Miami Herald, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Partisan Review, Harpers, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Audubon Magazine, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and Parade. He lives in New York City. www.markkurlansky.com