The Secret History of Sharks is a combination of shark definitions and personal shark stories. There are parts that are very interesting and other sections I scanned through. Fans of everything sharks will want to add this book to their collection.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

John Long’s The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean’s Most Fearsome Predators is a riveting exploration of the evolution and survival of one of the ocean’s most enigmatic creatures. From the ancient megalodons to the modern Great Whites, Long, a world-renowned paleontologist, takes readers on a journey through 500 million years of shark history.

Long’s expertise and passion for his subject shine through in every page of this comprehensive and engaging book. He masterfully combines scientific rigor with accessible storytelling, making complex concepts understandable and fascinating for readers of all backgrounds. The narrative is filled with discoveries and scientists unearthing mysteries.

One of the most compelling aspects of The Secret History of Sharks is its detailed account of the evolutionary milestones that have shaped sharks into the apex predators they are today. Long introduces readers to a host of astonishing prehistoric sharks, such as the thirty-foot-long creature with a saw blade of jagged teeth and the giant clams crusher. 

The book also addresses the current threats facing sharks, from overfishing to climate change, and underscores their importance to marine ecosystems. Long’s insights into how sharks contribute to medical advances and their sheer ability to survive and adapt is fascinating.

Long’s writing is both informative and captivating, with a narrative style that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. His ability to weave scientific facts with personal anecdotes and historical context makes for a compelling read. and the numerous photographs are stunningly beautiful.

The Secret History of Sharks is a must-read for anyone interested in marine biology, natural history, or simply looking for an engrossing non-fiction book. John Long has crafted a masterpiece that not only educates but also inspires awe and respect for these magnificent creatures. This book is a testament to the wonders of the natural world and the enduring legacy of sharks.

If you’re fascinated by the mysteries of the ocean and the incredible story of sharks’ survival, this book is for you. It’s perfect for science enthusiasts, nature lovers, and anyone who enjoys a well-told tale of discovery and adventure.

A very deep dive into the evolutionary history of sharks. It is written in an engaging way, with many personal stories from the author. However, due to the amount of very specific information, I think it will appeal mostly to hardcore fans of this fascinating species. It may be too dense for the average reader.

Thanks to the publisher, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

A wonderful book!! Very well written engaging and entertaining, I read it during Shark Week and that was just perfect. I highly recommend it!!!

The Secret History of Sharks was a great combination of textbook worthy material and effortless prose by John Long. I loved the personal stories interspersed throughout the book. This is a great book for any shark lover, and I highly recommend it!

The Secret History of Sharks covers sharks from their evolution until today. Professor Long’s writing is entertaining and factual. Paleontologist Long hooks readers by sharing anecdotes from his work of fossil discovery, as well as other scientists in his field, which leads the narrative to scientific facts. The book chronicles the evolution of sharks from their size, what they eat, the importance of shark species’ teeth, which allows the fish to survive. It also includes extinct sharks, which sharks are related and how they became what they are today, the impact sharks have on humans, and our impact on sharks' lives. Furthermore, the images and illustrations by the author and others based on their fossil finds clarify understanding. The scientific writing can be dense at times, but the writing is clear and not overwhelming for the average reader. Use the index, it is helpful. His writing makes learning about the evolution of sharks enjoyable.I read this on my e-reader and look forward to a physical book for my collection. The book is a fantastic read and perfect for any shark lover.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, and the author, John Long, for a copy of the eARC.

Published Date July 2, 2024

Sharks. 465 million years of history, which, as I must admit, until this book for me was something like: blah-blah-blah —> MEGALODON!!! —> whatever —> Sharkie mascot of San Jose Sharks.

Turns out, there’s quite a bit more there in the place of “blah-blah-blah” and whatever. The story of determined adaptable survivors equipped with shark superpowers - its absolutely fascinating, and John Long in The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean's Most Fearsome Predators does an excellent job sharing that excitement.

Sharks have gone though quite an evolutionary adventure to arrive to the “sharky shark” (thanks, Linnaeus!) idea of them that we love and fear now. They developed the terrifying teeth and acute olfactory sense and electroreception.

Oh, and did I mention TEETH?

As John Long nonchalantly states, “Teeth were a real game changer for sharks.”

This is by no means an easy read. It’s quite dense and full of detailed material, and yet told accessibly and with clear love and enthusiasm for the subject. It’s not a book to breeze through in a day or two but rather a book to spend some time with, like a fun textbook which is still educational. I tend to gulp science books down as a rule, and still I had to read it slowly — but it was worth it, and great photos and artwork added quite a bit to the experience.

The Megalodon chapter was what I was waiting for since I started the book, and I wasn’t disappointed, but the end of the book about great white sharks was the second unexpected highlight. And Long’s sincere concern about humans and human activity possibly being that ultimate threat that even the ultimate survivor sharks might not be able to overcome, bringing to the end the 465 million year history that survived multiple extinctions and even that asteroid that took down their old competitor mosasaurs — that was heartfelt and urgent.

“We need sharks today to keep our oceans vibrant and healthy. Sharks play a vital role in regulating our ocean’s food chains, transporting or recycling nutrients from one zone of the ocean to another, marshaling the correct balance in nature required for all life to thrive, from microscopic plankton to gigantic blue whales. Without sharks, our marine resources would diminish; our oceans would die.”

Sharks may be the perfect subject for terrifying movies (“Jaws” alone is responsible for quite a few casualties among poor sharks) since they seem so incredibly perfect for hitting our primal fears combined with terrified fascination, but the danger they face from us, humans, is out of all proportion to any threat we may imagine. They are necessary for the health of the oceans, and human greed needs to somehow be kept in check to allow creatures other than humans to thrive.

4.5 stars.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The secret history of sharks has a great deal of information about the evolution of the species and as an avid shark fanatic I found quite a few facts within that I was unaware of. Since sharks have only over recent decades gained a following as Anna favorite anima, having long been hunted and villainized as mindless eating and killing machines, I always enjoy reading from the perspective of anyone who is passionate about their conservation and the recovery of the species from shark fishing and finning practices. More sharks mean a healthy ocean which means a healthy ecosystem for all of us. I loved learning more about megalodon since Hollywood is determined to turn it into a horror movie monster.

This is so cool and educational. Great read. Love the history and the breakdown of the book and sections.

Okay, I’m that guy. You know the one I mean. The one who every year looks forward to Shark week, who watches every movie that features sharks. (Yes even most of those SyFy Chanels abominations. Yes, even Ghost Shark, lol.) I don’t know if it’s because I practically grew up by the ocean or because I saw Jaws when I was way too young, but I’ve always been fascinated by sea life and sharks in particular. So when I got the chance to read an advanced copy of The Secret History of Sharks, I jumped at it.

Let me tell you something, when John Long decided on this title he wasn’t kidding. He delivers on the history…nearly 500 millions years worth of shark history at that. Given the complexity of the subject matter, the history and evolution to modern day sharks and the many offshoots, I would say Long does a fantastic job of making the subject matter not only accessible but also very entertaining. This is an absolutely fascinating look at the ocean’s apex predator. And even though I was lucky enough to read an eArc of this one, I’m really looking forward to adding a hardcover copy to my ever-growing ‘shark shelf’. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Secret History of Sharks.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R8MMLBZBHS3M2/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I squealed with delight when I received the review copy for this book. I hardly get the time to read nonfiction, and this was one of the best. As a lover of the oceans, sharks, and prehistoric earth in particular this book was a delight, a freaking Turkish delight for me. The narration was so beautifully done without appearing snug or pretentious. Highly recommend to any and all wanting to read more nonfiction!

The Secret History of Sharks by Professor John Long was a fascinating read. As indicated in the title, this is primarily a review of the paleo history of sharks, from their first appearance in the Devonian Period to the rise of modern sharks.

I love how this is broken down. Readers are taken on a journey of discovery of prehistoric sharks and their evolution, described by time period and pivotal points in evolution or especially impactful paleontological discoveries. Also highlighted are major geographical events and extinction events, as well as the mention of other prehistoric species during the time period. After this 465 million year journey, we explore modern sharks and especially the impacts that humanity and climate change have on the species.

Each chapter contains subsections, with a short section at the end of each that briefly wraps up what we have learned and introduces the next focus, time period, or species. The artwork and photographs are fantastic, and I particularly love the diagrams included. There is a lot of information presented here, so it can feel dense at times, but the author does a fantastic job of keeping the reader engaged.

The author utilizes his own discoveries and experiences in the field, but also refers to the discoveries and accomplishments of many other paleontologists and shark experts with background information to explain who they are.

The Secret History of Sharks is now definitely one of my favorite paleo nonfiction books of all time, and I highly recommend it to any reader interested in sharks or paleontology. 5 stars - excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret History of Sharks is a layman accessible nonfiction book full of info about sharks and related species by Dr. John Long. Due out 2nd July 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 480 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The author has a knack for explaining long and complex historical events with engagement and aplomb. Sharks are endlessly fascinating and the success of media, movies, stories, and books attest to the near-universal appeal, and the author has both the enthusiasm and expertise to draw readers along with him.

The book is written and arranged logically, more or less chronologically, from the earliest prehistorical clues through to the modern day of habitat loss, changing climate, and pollution woes which threaten everyone's continued existence. Particularly sad for animals who have thrived, even dominated, their ecological niche for more than 420million years.

The book is full of stories from the author's field work, finding fossils which give a clue to the most distant past, his journey to becoming a paleontologist, experiences as an academic, and sharks, sharks (and more sharks), their ecological and biological importance, and some of the interdependence of all life on planet Earth.

It's lightly illustrated throughout, and there are a fair number of cool charts and photos of both sharks, fossils, and some of the academics of paleontology. It's not written in academically rigorous language, but it -is- well annotated throughout and with up-to-date resources and links which will provide readers with many hours of further enjoyment.

Five stars. Mostly aimed at adult readers, it would nevertheless be accessible to a keen youngster (12 year old me would've LOVED this book). The focus is more on the academics and field work than on actual living shark species, but a thorough read will provide loads of info about living and extinct species and the folks who have made them their life's work.

Definitely one for public or secondary school library acquisition, home use, or gifting.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

If you are into Sharks and their history you will love this book.
I read this book because my step daughter is all about sharks and protecting them. I know very little about sharks and I thought this would be a great book for me to read and learn. While it is a very interesting book, There was so much in depth history that I found went over my head and it was more than I ever needed to know about sharks.
Kudos to the author for all the research and excursions that went into writing this book. I can’t imagine how long it took to compile it into the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this expansive non-fiction book!
This book gives a comprehensive account of early sharks to the sharks of today.
This book is sprinkled with scientific facts along with the author's own paleontologist “fossil hunting” stories. There are also great images to go along with these side stories as well as fossils and artist renditions of the historic sharks based on the remains found.
We also get told descriptive action-packed stories about how certain shark remains have ended up in a certain pattern or placement. For example, how an attack happened, or how a mating ritual occurred to have the impressions left the way they are. There are also many other personal stories sprinkled between the facts of sharks that really gave the book a personal touch and voice to the writing.
It is a very informative book. As a reader, I could tell through the writing that this author cares deeply about his work as a paleontologist as well as teaching others about what he knows and also what is known as a scientific community.
For me personally, I found a couple things really interesting about Parts 1-3 but what I REALLY wanted was Part 4 and 5, where modern sharks started being involved in the conversation. I also will note that even with a very basic Earth Science understanding from college, a lot of the scientific terms floated over my head a bit. I had a little bit of a hard time keeping terms for sharks straight. It's definitely a book to take notes on if you want to fully ingrain the information presented.
I do believe this is a great book to learn how sharks have changed and also show the discoveries paleontologists have made and continue to work toward.
I'm a person who faithfully watches Shark Week on Discovery every summer. I often miss that not all the shows now are purely scientific and have started to lean more towards goofy entertainment. I think this book will hit that itch for others like me that want the education and research about sharks.
I learned a lot of really cool information from this book and recommend it to everyone! I also believe that if you are a homeschool parent, this is a great book for teens and up to go over together.

The Secret History of Sharks is an excellent popular science book. Its focus is the paleontology of the shark species, from the earliest protosharks up until today. Due to the age of the species, this becomes a walkthrough of Earth history from the Ordovician (465 million years ago) until today.

I had high (perhaps unfairly high) hopes for The Secret History of Sharks. I had hoped to read a popular science book that would be full of fun facts about sharks. Unfortunately that’s not really what this book is. This book is way farther on the academic side of the scale than one that I would feel comfortable recommending to a general audience.

There’s a really good XKCD cartoon, which I think illustrates the main problem I had with the book. It has two stick figure geologists speaking to each other and one of them says to the other “Silicate chemistry is second nature to us geochemists, so it's easy to forget that the average person probably only knows the formulas for olivine and one or two feldspars.” The caption below the panel says “Even when they're trying to compensate for it, experts in anything wildly overestimate the average person's familiarity with their field.” (Link https://xkcd.com/2501/) This book assumes you have a lot more familiarity with the evolutionary biology of sharks than I think most of the people who follow my reviews are going to have. And on the flip side of the same problem, it assumes you want to know everything about sharks and not just fun facts.

This book is at its best when the author is talking about the incredible cast of characters who have hunted and prepared and found the fossils that make up the evolutionary chain of shark evolution. I am sure that this author is a true expert in sharks, and this book would be a good introductory text for a scientist, but I do not think it has much to offer a lay reader.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for this honest review.

Will post and add links after the 25th

Thank you so much to netgalley and Random House for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to netgalley and Random House for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a nonfiction all about the history of sharks.

I love sharks so I was very excited to check out this book! I thought it was super interesting and had a lot of information. I learned a lot about sharks from reading this one.

I do feel like it was a bit dense at times and that is why I gave this one a 4 instead of a 5. I would still recommend to people looking for an interesting nonfiction read!

If you don't know paleo, you might not know that John Long is one of the most famous Fish Guys around, and also one of the most successful synthesizers of paleontological research into comprehensible books. That should be enough of a reason to read this book, although it is significantly more technical than most pop science books. He chronologically covers the entire course of shark evolution, highlighting the most interesting species and adding in some personal stories. The information is very dense, so I had to read it pretty slowly, but I really enjoyed it.

The Secret History of Sharks is a great mix of textbook worthy material interspersed with personal stories & discoveries from both the author as well as other people in the field. There’s tons of great new information to be read & also so many things still unknown. My personal favorite sections were all about the Megalodon & White sharks. This covers everything from the evolution of sharks, extinct species, the human impact on shark life, & the impact sharks have on humans. The medical discoveries & inventions that now exist because of sharks. They’re absolutely amazing creatures & this book is packed full of great info for any shark lover. I most definitely recommend it.
Thank you Random House for the advance copy.