Welcome to the MOTPHS Library!

MOTPHS, the Marineland of the Pacific Historical Society, is pleased to provide promotional information regarding the following books in its collection. 

We thank the authors and publishers for their ongoing support for allowing the society to keep their works in the public eye.  If you would like copies of these books, please drop a line in the guestbook, and we would be pleased to help you locate copies.  

The late Dr. Kenneth S. Norris was Marineland of the Pacific's first curator.  Hired in 1953, his career blossomed with his work with dolphins and porpoises.  Dolphin Days - The Life and Times of the Spinner Dolphin was published in 1991 by W.W. Norton & Company in New York.   "Focusing on the spinner dolphins off Hawaii, Norris carries us through his earliest contacts with these graceful animals, his attempts with teams of students to learn about their complex lives in the sea, and finally to the tragic dolphin kill in the yellowfin tuna industry."

Dolphin Societies - Discoveries and Puzzles, edited by Karen Pryor and Ken Norris. Published in 1991 by the University of California Press.  "The book is a fascinating, stimulating collection by active investigators of dolphin behavior.  Including both field and laboratory studies, it conveys insight and an understanding of the process of learning about the social behavior of these complex, long-lived mammals whose brains are approximately the same size as our own...Pryor and Norris skillfully illustrate the roles of patience and ingenuity in the study of dolphin societies."

Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, edited by Ken Norris.  Published in 1966 by the University of California Press.  "This book, a representative cross section of the science of cetology, is the result of a unique meeting of physical scientists and biologists whose research into a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including systematics, fisheries management, zoogeography, natural history, anatomy, physiology, hydrodynamics, acoustics, linguistics, and behavior has brought them to share a common interest in the most recent advances in cetology. 

The Porpoise Watcher by Kenneth S. Norris, published in 1976 by John Murray, Albermarle Street, London.  "Not many of us have the opportunity to see them; all the more delight, then, when a man of Kenneth Norris's calibre devotes his time to studying their ways and has such a telling way of describing them. In his life as Curator of Marineland of the Pacific, the famous oceanarium, he has had a unique opportunity."

A Fascination for Fish - Adventures of an Underwater Pioneer by David C. Powell, published in 2001 by the Regents of the University of California, University of California Press.  Dave Powell joined Marineland of the Pacific in 1958, following "a phone call to curator Ken Norris" and secured his first job as a professional aquarist.  As Dr. Sylvia Earle writes in the book's forward: "In this long-awaited memior...David Powell echoes the spirit of writer John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts, with a special brand of understated humor and matter-of-fact flair that friends will recognize as 100 percent Powell." 

Wonders of an Oceanarium, by Lou Jacobs, Jr.  Published in 1965 by Golden Gate Junior Books in San Carlos, California.  Photo-journalist Lou Jacobs, Jr. superbly documents and photographs the "inside view of how an oceanarium operates."  Completed entirely at Marineland of the Pacific, the book illustrates how the collection of animals is cared for, how the animals are collected and how they are trained.  Many spirited candid shots are included of the collection interacting with their trainers and the public. 

Cyra-Nose the Sea Elephant, by Lou Jacobs, Jr.  Published in 1973 by Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises, Inc.  "Describes the life of an elephant seal on a Pacific Island and his ultimate capture and new life at Los Angeles' Marineland."  Lou Jacobs, Jr. provides excellent photo images of one of Marineland's more famous elephant seals, including the trials and tribulations of getting this large animal to perform.   

Duncan the Dolphin, by Lou Jacob's Jr.  Published in 1966 by Follet Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois.  "This book tells how Duncan [a Pacific White-sided Dolphin] was caught and carried back to Marineland, how he gradually adjusted to his new home, and how he learned the many tricks that were taught to him and became a star performer in the Marineland shows." 

Four Walruses from Arctic to Oceanarium, by Lou Jacobs, Jr. Published in 1968 by Young Scott Books, New York.  Marineland's own walruses are showcased here in Lou Jacobs' book on the arrival of Priscilla, Petula, Woofy and Farouk to Marineland from Alaska.  They eventually move into their new exhibit, the "Walrus Waldorf".  The four walruses "are the first young walruses to have been kept alive under domesticated conditions for a long period of time."  Full of excellent photographs that show "particularly well the individuality of the four walruses and the appeal of walruses in general."

Marineland Diver, by Jake Jacobs as told to Sylvia Jacobs.  Published in 1960 by Dodd, Mead & Company, New York.  "A commercial deep-sea diver - a man who earns his living under water - tells his story.  Jake Jacobs is now chief diver of Marineland of the Pacific...and describes the operation of that man-made ocean, and his experiences with its inhabitants - among them Bubbles, a coquettish whale [short-fin pilot whale] and Zippy, a porpoise who discovered that humans can be taught tricks. 

In Search of a Whale, by Allan W. Eckert.  Published in 1970 by Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York.  This book is based on the original story of the capture of Bubbles the Whale in 1957 by Marineland's collecting boat the Geronimo.  Bubbles was the first whale to be captured for public display, and was also the first whale to be successfully trained.  "This book is based on an original story developed for an episode of the internationally known television series Wild Kingdom.  Illustrations are by Joseph Cellini.

The Story of Bubbles the Whale, by Don Hackett.  Published in 1963 by The Saalfield Publishing Company, New York.  First generation childrens' book on the capture and arrival of Marineland's own Bubbles the Whale.  Children will enjoy the whimsical and colorful illustrations by Dorothy Grider.   

Marineland of the Pacific Treasure Hunt Coloring Book, copyright 1955 by Oceanarium, Inc., and designed and produced by Western Printing and Lithographing Company.  A 48 page coloring book for children.  The book is approximately 10" x 12", and follows the adventures of Jimmy and Wendy as they spend a day at Marineland.  Animals featured include Frankie the dolphin, Sam the Pelican, Miss San Felipe - the Green Sea Turtle, and Sam the Sea Lion.  The back page is of Marineland's collecting boat, the Geronimo.  Book was sold in the main gift shop for 85 cents.   

Bubbles the Whale, copyright 1959 by Alice M. Johnson.  Published by Vantage Press, Inc., New York.  A childrens' book that tells the story of the collection of Bubbles the Whale by Marineland's collection boat the "Geronimo".  Alice Johnson elects to use actual photographs of the collection. As Johnson states in the acknowledgement:  "I am also grateful to those who encouraged me to use photographs for illustrations..." which truly brings a connection to the reader of the wonder of this wonderous pilot whale.  Other childrens' books followed, but this is the original.  The end-leafs of the book include an original song of Bubbles in 3/4 time.

The Walrus, copyright 1986 by Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford.  Published by Crestwood House, Mankato, MN.  A small, 46-page book concerning the description and habitat of walruses in the wild.  Chapter V is titled "The Walrus in Captivity" and deals with the collecting and transport of Marineland's four original walrus calves from Alaska in 1961.  It further describes the walruses' adjustment to captivity, as well as the first calf ever born in captivity in 1975 to Petula.