Close to Shore

The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916

Michael Capuzzo, Mike Capuzzo

$38.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Broadway Books
21 May 2002

History; History of the Americas; Wildlife: aquatic creatures; Local history

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 Shore recounts a breathtaking,

pivotal moment in American history with startling immediacy.

By: Michael Capuzzo, Mike Capuzzo
Imprint: Broadway Books
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 131mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 238g
ISBN: 9780767904148
ISBN 10: 0767904141
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 21 May 2002
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916

A remarkable read . . . a flash photo of the moment when our fascination with sharks transformed from awe into mortal dread. -- Entertainment Weekly The most perfect beach book ever. Better than Jaws -an amazing story, terrific writing, and the Gilded Age setting is fascinating. I loved it. -- Linda Marotta, Shakespeare & Company, New York City Popular history meets popular science in this thrilling shark story. As in Seabiscuit , the author interweaves social history with a suspenseful story told from different characters' points of view, including that most fascinating character of all: the shark itself. -- Arsen Kashkashian, Boulder Book Store, Boulder, Colorado This riveting book skillfully combines historical fact with shark science and lore. A first-rate thriller that's all the more spine-tingling because it really happened. -- Anne Edkins, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, California A riveting account of the terrorizing shark attacks [of 1916]. Meticulously researched, it provides fascinating information about the history of the great white shark as well as a social commentary of America during World War I. Informative, entertaining, enthralling. -- Tova Beiser, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, Rhode Island