Our ceph care book, Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefish for the Home Aquarium, has now been released and is starting to ship this week (Oct. 27) So here's some more information you might find interesting:
Who is the audience for this book?You, the members of TONMO.com, anyone considerering buying an octopus or cutttlefish, and anyone who is interested in having a book with outstanding ceph photos and some other interesting material.
Is this a scientific book?No, it's a popular book for aquarium hobbyists, but we aim to be as scientifically accurate as possible.
The emphasis of the book is on keeping cephs, and we provide as much information as a hobbyist needs about the various species, anatomy etc. But we also expect you to refer to other sources for more information.
What are some of the special features of this book?
No, as first time authors we took a lump sum payment.
How long did it take to write this book?
We first discussed writing a ceph book as early as 2002 and I even looked for a publisher, but there was little interest in cephs at that time. It seems like every year we had requests from TONMO.com members for such a book. Finally, after publishing articles in TFH magazine, we made a proposal to TFH for writing this book in the spring of 2007. They accepted our proposal. Deadline for submission of the manuscript was mid-April, 2008. We had a lot of editing, additions, checking and correcting to do from that date until July of 2008, when our book went off to printing. So, all in all, it's taken about a year and a half of fairly intensive work.
This thread is a good place to ask questions about the book and add comments!
Nancy (and Colin)
Who is the audience for this book?You, the members of TONMO.com, anyone considerering buying an octopus or cutttlefish, and anyone who is interested in having a book with outstanding ceph photos and some other interesting material.
Is this a scientific book?No, it's a popular book for aquarium hobbyists, but we aim to be as scientifically accurate as possible.
The emphasis of the book is on keeping cephs, and we provide as much information as a hobbyist needs about the various species, anatomy etc. But we also expect you to refer to other sources for more information.
What are some of the special features of this book?
- It is international in scope. For instance, the chapters on food are written so that no matter where you live, you'll be able to find a type of food for your octopus.
- There are many interesting and sometimes entertaining little paragraphs (known as sidebars). Ollie stories were included by popular request.
- We have included a chapter about situations you may encounter and how to respond (such as an octopus disappearing in your tank, or refusing to eat). This was drawn from problems we have seen over the years.
- There is also a special chapter on Ceph History and Culture. Look for cthulhu77's Cthulhu illustration there, as well as ancient coins featuring octopuses!
- You'll find excellent photos featuring hobbyist's cephs in their tanks as well as cephs in the wild. You'll see some of your favorites, such as Kalypso and Octane, as well many photos you've never seen before. We have a long list of contributors, but Roy Caldwell and Crissy Huffard had the most photos accepted.
No, as first time authors we took a lump sum payment.
How long did it take to write this book?
We first discussed writing a ceph book as early as 2002 and I even looked for a publisher, but there was little interest in cephs at that time. It seems like every year we had requests from TONMO.com members for such a book. Finally, after publishing articles in TFH magazine, we made a proposal to TFH for writing this book in the spring of 2007. They accepted our proposal. Deadline for submission of the manuscript was mid-April, 2008. We had a lot of editing, additions, checking and correcting to do from that date until July of 2008, when our book went off to printing. So, all in all, it's taken about a year and a half of fairly intensive work.
This thread is a good place to ask questions about the book and add comments!
Nancy (and Colin)