Every so often, a new book comes along that when first seen causes me simply to stop and stare at it in awe with mouth agape. But never before has the mere picture of such a book caused me to do so – until today.
Following a tip from Kelly Brenner on Twitter, I sought out additional information on the new three volume set Fishes of the Salish Sea; Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca from University of Washington Press. Written by Theodore W. Pietsch and James Wilder Orr, and filled with breath-taking illustrations by renowned artist Joseph Tomelleri, this trio of books present the 260 species of the marine and anadromous fishes of Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca, including information on their ecology and life histories.
Bound as large hardcover editions and collected in a slipcase, this set of books is admittedly a bit expensive; however one look at the truly brilliant illustrations just by themselves will have most any ichthyophile saying to him or herself “food isn’t really all that important…”
See what I mean?
