In Search of Moby Dick, by Tim Severin (Abacus, £8.99 in UK)

Whale hunters armed with home-made harpoons leap from boats on to the back of their prey and sing of hunger to persuade the whale, their ancestor, to die. Tim Severin, of Brendan voyage fame, comes across this almost spiritual approach to whale-hunting on his quest to discover the truth behind Melville's Moby Dick. Did Melville invent his tale of the great white whale? Do they still exist? These fascinating, moving descriptions of aboriginal whale-hunting make Severin a new Melville - with modern-day sensibilities.