Tim Dietz's introduction to Tales of Whales discusses his lifelong passion for those great beasts of the sea. Reading it, I felt I'd found a kindred spirit who shared my love of whales and was endlessly fascinated by their biology and culture.

I was disappointed, then, to discover that Tales of Whales deals mostly with the culture of whaling, not whales. There are lots of stories here about the slaughter of cetaceans, along with some accidental deaths not directly caused by man. There's little to celebrate the wonder and mystery of these massive, long-lived mammals of the sea.

Dietz tells interesting stories, and he tells them well. While I wish the book had lived up to its title -- more tales of whales, rather than tales of whalers -- that may reflect more on my expectations than his execution of the book.