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The Book of Eels

The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World (Bookshop|Amazon) by Patrik Svensson, translated by Agnes Broome won Sweden’s highest literary prize. Although Svensson himself has described this volume as a “strange and nerdy” book, it’s a fascinating combination of science, folklore, metaphysics, and personal memoir. But don’t go looking for information about electric eels, also known as Electrophorus electricus and knifefish. That’s an entirely different species. This is part of a complete episode.

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