Table of Contents

Introduction 1 A Lineage of Uncertainty 2 Toxic but Fascinating 3 Floats, Eyes and Combs 4 The Illustrator's Nightmare 5 Jellyfish Culture 6 Light, Death and Immortality 7 World Domination Timeline Appendix 1: A Brief Description of Individual Species of Jellyfish Mentioned in the Text Appendix 2: Where to see Jellyfish in Captivity References Select Bibliography Associations, Websites and Apps Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

About the Author

Peter Williams, who lives in Oxford, has a life-long interest in natural history and the contribution animals make to our culture. He is author of Snail (2009) in the Animal series.

Reviews

"Combing through history, art, and science, Williams tells stories proving that these graceful watery creatures deserve our appreciation even while they elude our understanding."--Mary P. Winsor, IHPST, University of Toronto "Economist"
"Engaging and handsomely illustrated. . . . Enduring they may be; endearing they are not. Toy jellyfish, after all, are few and far between. 'Octopuses, yes, ' Williams ruefully acknowledges, but 'very, very few jellyfish.' They are too toxic and they look too weird. But, he argues persuasively, if they are ineligible for affection, they at least deserve humanity's respect."-- "Economist"