The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession,

The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish

A FINALIST FOR THE 2017 PEN/E. O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE
A LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR

â€œ[A] curiously edifying book.â€ â€”The New York Times Book Review

â€œWith the taut suspense of a spy novel, Voigt paints a vivid world of murder, black market deals, and habitat destruction surrounding a fish that's considered, ironically, to be a good-luck charm.â€ â€”Discover

â€œ[An] immensely satisfying story, full of surprises and suspense....Things get weird fast.â€ â€”The Wall Street Journal

An intrepid journalistâ€™s quest to find a wild Asian arowanaâ€”the worldâ€™s most expensive aquarium fishâ€”takes her on a global tour in this â€œengaging tale of obsession and perseveranceâ€¦and an enthralling look at the intersection of science, commercialism, and conservationismâ€ (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

A young man is murdered for his pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York. With â€œthe taut suspense of a spy novelâ€ (Discover) The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana, or â€œdragon fish,â€ is a dramatic example of a modern paradox: the mass-produced endangered species. While hundreds of thousands are bred in captivity, the wild fish as become a near-mythical creature. From the South Bronx to Borneo and beyond, journalist Emily Voigt follows the trail of the arowana to learn its fate in nature.

â€œA fresh, lively look at an obsessive desire to own a piece of the wildâ€ (Kirkus Reviews), The Dragon Behind the Glass traces our fascination with aquarium fish back to the era of exploration when naturalists stood on the cutting edge of modern science. In an age when freshwater fish now comprise one of the most rapidly vanishing groups of animals, Voigt unearths a surprising truth behind the arowanaâ€™s rise to fameâ€”one that calls into question how we protect the worldâ€™s rarest species. â€œNot since Candace Millard published The River of Doubt has the world of the Amazon, Borneo, Myanmar, and other exotic locations been so colorfully portrayed as it is now in Emily Voigtâ€™s The Dragon Behind the Glassâ€¦a must-readâ€ (Library Journal, starred review).
Country USA
Manufacturer Scribner
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2016-05-24
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Scribner
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2016-05-24
Format	Kindle eBook

The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish

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