This is a brief list of interesting and informative books and guides to help in better understanding whales, dolphins, porpoises and their marine environment. This list is by no means exhaustive, but rather meant to be helpful for school work, hobbies, further reading or to add to your whale watching experience! We hope you enjoy these books. Feel free to contact us if you have any suggestions of your own that you have found to be good sources.



National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales, and Dolphins.
"A concise, portable guide featuring full color plates and short descriptions".
Caldwell, David K. (1995).
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises.
"A fantastic full color guide covering most species with great illustrations and information. One of the best books out there for whale watching".
Carwardine, Mark. (1995).
New York: DK Publishing, Inc.

Humpback Whales.
"Focusing on just Humpbacks, this book has full color, informative photographs and covers all of the basic information. Features well-known Gulf of Maine humpback whales, Salt and Thalassa".
Clapham, Phil. (1996).
Minnesota: Voyageur Press.

The Lives of Whales and Dolphins.
"An in-depth look at cetaceans put out by the American Museum of Natural History".
Connor, Richard C. (1994).
New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

Sea Change.
"A first person account of a Scientist's life exploring the ocean. A great book about the state of the world's oceans and conservation efforts".
Earle, Sylvia A. (1995).
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Seabirds: An Identification Guide.
"An in-depth field guide featuring the seabirds of the world. Full color illustrations".
Harrison, Peter. (1985).
New York:Houghton Mifflin Company.

A Field Guide to Whales, Porpoises and Seals
"Spotlighting species found from Cape Cod to Newfoundland, this is a great guide. Includes good chapters on Basking Sharks, Mola Molas, Leatherback Turtles, and Seals".
Katona, S., Rough, V. and Richardson, D. (1993).
Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins.
"With beautiful color plates by Larry Foster and supplemental photographs, this is wonderful field guide to familiar and exotic cetacean species".
Leatherwood, Stephen and Randall Reeves. (1983).
Singapore: Tien Wah Press.

Ocean Realm (Periodical).
"A beautiful glossy magazine published every other month that has great information of current conservation issues every issue. Often times focuses on cetaceans in feature articles".
Friends of the Sea, Inc.
Texas: DeJori, C. and Scharp, C. (Editors).

Peterson Field Guides, Eastern Birds.
"The best field guide to the bird species encountered in the Eastern United States. Text and illustrations by Roger Tory Peterson, Maps by Virginia Marie Peterson".
Peterson, Roger Tory. (1980)
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Stellwagen Bank.
"A must-read for anyone who frequents Stellwagen Bank. Easy to understand, this book covers all aspects of daily life above and below the surface. Includes the geologic make-up of the bank".
Ward, Nathalie. (1995)
Maine: DownEast Books.

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