For many years, brief encounters between sharks and humans could leave the latter with a vivid memory of the much-maligned fish but no convenient means of identifying it more specifically. With the publication of "The Sharks of North American Waters" in 1983, everyone from the experienced ichthyologist to the weekend angler had access to concise descriptions and accurate, detailed drawings in this handy field guide to more than one hundred species.
All species that have been reported within five hundred nautical miles of U.S. and Canadian shores (plus a few deep-water species from...