Jellyfish

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.

• Introduction1 A Lineage of Uncertainty2 Toxic but Fascinating3 Floats, Eyes and Combs4 The Illustrator's Nightmare5 Jellyfish Culture6 Light, Death and Immortality7 World DominationTimelineAppendix 1: A Brief Description of Individual Species of Jellyfish Mentioned in the TextAppendix 2: Where to see Jellyfish in CaptivityReferencesSelect BibliographyAssociations, Websites and AppsAcknowledgementsPhoto AcknowledgementsIndex

Combing through history, art, and science, Peter Williams tells stories proving that these graceful watery creatures deserve our appreciation even while they elude our understanding. - Mary P. Winsor, Professor Emeritus of the IHPST, University of TorontoNeither fish nor jelly and rather more like slime, jellyfish puzzled Aristotle. Were they animals or plants? Even the father of taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, was stumped. In fact, Peter Williams writes in his engaging and handsomely illustrated book, they are animals of surprising sophistication, with an ingenious portfolio of stratagems . . . his book is an ambivalent experience itself. The reader is by turns wary, repulsed and fascinated by these creatures . . . Mr Williams argues persuasively, if they are ineligible for affection, they at least deserve humanity's respect. - The Economist