[Jacques and Philippe Cousteau] recently (1967–68) spent about a year studying sharks at point-blank range in the Red Sea and in the western Indian Ocean, and it is probable that they (and their colleagues) now know more about that almost ubiquitous marine predator than anybody else in the world. This magnificently illustrated book ["The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea"] (a hundred and twenty-four eerie, deep-sea color photographs and many drawings, diagrams, and maps) is a stirring narrative account of their highly specialized education. The authors, who speak to us in turn, acknowledge that the shark is still very largely a mystery, and their observations, though interesting, are few…. For the most part, the Cousteaus simply show us what they saw and let us conclude as we wish. It is a fascinating experience. (pp. 182, 184)

A review of "The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea," in The New Yorker, Vol...