A review of "Cephalopods from the Scientific Expeditions of Prince Albert I of Monaco"
I admit that I only glanced through this obscure book very quickly. It's
another Smithsonian institution special. The book is a translation of a part of
a more extensive work, written by Albert I, the prince of Monaco. Apparently,
the prince was a keen supporter of scientific endeavors and something of a
scientist himself. This particular work deals with cephalopods (squids) caught
during several scientific expeditions. It only contains a few plates, and the
text seems to deal mostly with the caught specimens, rather than the species to
which they belong. Sometimes, the poor squids were caught without a head or
tentacles! This work is obviously of interest only to very specialized
researchers, although a crazy royalist admirer of the autocratic prince Albert
might perhaps also find it interesting as a collectors' item.
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