Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them

by Donovan Hohn

Overview

A compulsively readable narrative of whimsy and curiosity- "adventurous, inquisitive, and brightly illuminating" (Janet Maslin, The New York Times).

When the writer Donovan Hohn heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away. Hohn's accidental odyssey pulls him into the secretive arena of shipping conglomerates, the daring work of Arctic researchers, the lunatic risks of maverick sailors, and the shadowy world of Chinese toy factories. Moby-Duck is a journey into the heart of the sea and an adventure through science, myth, the global economy, and some of the worst weather imaginable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143120506
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/28/2012
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	120,416
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Donovan Hohn is a journalist whose work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, The New York Times Magazine and Outside. He is currently the features editor at GQ. Moby-Duck was nominated as the runner-up for for the 2011 PEN/ E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Hohn lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

…adventurous, inquisitive and brightly illuminating…a book that works as a lively travelogue as well as a voyage of discovery and a philosophical inquiry of sorts…
—The New York Times

Janet Maslin

…dazzling…Moby-Duck succeeds as harebrained adventure, as a cautionary environmental tale, as a deconstruction of consumer demand, and as a meditation on wilderness and imagination…Hohn seems to have it all: deep intelligence, a strikingly original voice, humility and a hunger to suss out everything a yellow duck may literally or metaphorically touch. Naturally, he can't, but the chase is, after all, the thing.
—The New York Times Book Review

Elizabeth Royte