The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish

WINNER OF THE 2017 NASW SCIENCE IN SOCIETY JOURNALISM AWARD A FINALIST FOR THE 2017 PEN/E. O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE A LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR [A] curiously edifying book. The New York Times Book Review With the taut suspense of a spy novel, Voigt paints a vivid world of murder, black market deals, and habitat destruction surrounding a fish that's considered, ironically, to be a good-luck charm. Discover [An] immensely satisfying story, full of surprises and suspense....Things get weird fast. The Wall Street Journal An intrepid journalists quest to find a wild Asian arowanathe worlds most expensive aquarium fishtakes her on a global tour in this engaging tale of obsession and perseveranceand an enthralling look at the intersection of science, commercialism, and conservationism (Publishers Weekly, starred review). A young man is murdered for his pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York. With the taut suspense of a spy novel (Discover) The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana, or dragon fish, is a dramatic example of a modern paradox: the mass-produced endangered species. While hundreds of thousands are bred in captivity, the wild fish as become a near-mythical creature. From the South Bronx to Borneo and beyond, journalist Emily Voigt follows the trail of the arowana to learn its fate in nature. A fresh, lively look at an obsessive desire to own a piece of the wild (Kirkus Reviews), The Dragon Behind the Glass traces our fascination with aquarium fish back to the era of exploration when naturalists stood on the cutting edge of modern science. In an age when freshwater fish now comprise one of the most rapidly vanishing groups of animals, Voigt unearths a surprising truth behind the arowanas rise to fameone that calls into question how we protect the worlds rarest species. Not since Candace Millard published The River of Doubt has the world of the Amazon, Borneo, Myanmar, and other exotic locations been so colorfully portrayed as it is now in Emily Voigts The Dragon Behind the Glassa must-read (Library Journal, starred review).