Close to Shore

The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century, Science & Nature, Nature, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo, Crown/Archetype
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Capuzzo ISBN: 9780767912549
Publisher: Crown/Archetype Publication: June 25, 2002
Imprint: Broadway Books Language: English
Author: Michael Capuzzo
ISBN: 9780767912549
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Publication: June 25, 2002
Imprint: Broadway Books
Language: English

Combining rich historical detail and a harrowing, pulse-pounding narrative, Close to Shore brilliantly re-creates the summer of 1916, when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore, triggering mass hysteria and launching the most extensive shark hunt in history.

In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake--and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland--the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history.

Capuzzo interweaves a vivid portrait of the era and meticulously drawn characters with chilling accounts of the shark's five attacks and the frenzied hunt that ensued. From the unnerving inevitability of the first attack on the esteemed son of a prosperous Philadelphia physician to the spine-tingling moment when a farm boy swimming in Matawan Creek feels the sandpaper-like skin of the passing shark, Close to Shore is an undeniably gripping saga.

Heightening the drama are stories of the resulting panic in the citizenry, press and politicians, and of colorful personalities such as Herman Oelrichs, a flamboyant millionaire who made a bet that a shark was no match for a man (and set out to prove it); Museum of Natural History ichthyologist John Treadwell Nichols, faced with the challenge of stopping a mythic sea creature about which little was known; and, most memorable, the rogue Great White itself moving through a world that couldn't conceive of either its destructive power or its moral right to destroy.

Scrupulously researched and superbly written, Close to Shore brings to life a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history. Masterfully written and suffused with fascinating period detail and insights into the science and behavior of sharks, Close to Shorerecounts a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Combining rich historical detail and a harrowing, pulse-pounding narrative, Close to Shore brilliantly re-creates the summer of 1916, when a rogue Great White shark attacked swimmers along the New Jersey shore, triggering mass hysteria and launching the most extensive shark hunt in history.

In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake--and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland--the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history.

Capuzzo interweaves a vivid portrait of the era and meticulously drawn characters with chilling accounts of the shark's five attacks and the frenzied hunt that ensued. From the unnerving inevitability of the first attack on the esteemed son of a prosperous Philadelphia physician to the spine-tingling moment when a farm boy swimming in Matawan Creek feels the sandpaper-like skin of the passing shark, Close to Shore is an undeniably gripping saga.

Heightening the drama are stories of the resulting panic in the citizenry, press and politicians, and of colorful personalities such as Herman Oelrichs, a flamboyant millionaire who made a bet that a shark was no match for a man (and set out to prove it); Museum of Natural History ichthyologist John Treadwell Nichols, faced with the challenge of stopping a mythic sea creature about which little was known; and, most memorable, the rogue Great White itself moving through a world that couldn't conceive of either its destructive power or its moral right to destroy.

Scrupulously researched and superbly written, Close to Shore brings to life a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history. Masterfully written and suffused with fascinating period detail and insights into the science and behavior of sharks, Close to Shorerecounts a breathtaking, pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.

More books from Social Science

Cover of the book Indias Silicon Plateau: Development of Information and Communication Technology in Bangalore by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book In Defense of the Founders Republic by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Chinas Position im System der internationalen Beziehungen - Auf dem Weg zur Weltmacht? by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Women in Old Norse Society by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Manchester by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Premodern Japan by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Egyptian Revolutions by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book The Circumstances Leading to the Underdevelopment of Liberia After More Than One Hundred Sixty Years of Independence by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Safe City by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Failing to Protect by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Civil Resistance by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book The Triumph of Sociobiology by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Reformdebatten im House of Commons by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book Abolitionists Remember by Michael Capuzzo
Cover of the book East Harlem Remembered by Michael Capuzzo
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy