Whales are the largest animals ever to have lived on the earth: the longest ever recorded was over 33 metres (110 feet) long, the heaviest more than 171,000 kgs (190 tons); a large Blue Whale's tongue alone can weigh more than an elephant. Whales can stay underwater for more than an hour, live to 200 years, and are among the most intelligent and compelling animals known to humanity. Whale presents the cultural and natural history of these extraordinary mammals, long persecuted and now celebrated throughout the world. From the tales of Jonah and Brendan the Navigator to Moby Dick and recent discoveries of cetacean songs and culture, Joseph Roman looks at the role of the whale in human history, mythology, art, literature, commerce, and science. Illustrated with Stone Age carvings, Medieval broadsheets, and full-colour underwater photographs, Whale shows how our perception of these animals has changed over the centuries: a hundred years ago, a stranded whale was usually greeted with flensing knives; now people bring boats and harnesses to return a wayward subject to the sea. Beyond cultural history, the author also recounts the whale's evolutionary and ecological history. Written by an author with vast experience of the subject, Whale will appeal to all those interested in whales and the conservation of the oceans, as well as anyone studying cultural history and the natural sciences.