“This fascinating history of the guppy, from its discovery to its early status in the aquarium world, is an introduction to people and places, errors and events, firsts and favorites. The original collectors of the guppy in the wild and the scientists involved varied from the adventurous, to the great, to the eccentric – all, however, were personalities worth knowing for more than just their names. It will be a surprise to many, for example, to learn that one of them served as an expert witness on the validity of the theory of evolution at the famous Scopes trial in Tennessee!

The problems encountered in transporting the first shipments of the guppy to aquarists were daunting, and the hobby took decidedly different twists and turns as the introductions took place over time in Great Britain, Germany, and the United States. In America, for example, for over twenty years guppies took a back seat to the mollies, platies and swordtails of the day, and sometimes were never even mentioned in the ads!

For the first time ever, aquarists have an opportunity to see images of those scientists and aquarists who played an important part in this history, as well as pictures of original guppy habitats, and drawings and descriptions of strains that date back to the early 1930’s. Meet a pioneer guppy developer who later turned his fish conservatory into a mouse house, visit the question of just how many guppy species there are, learn just how show standards evolved, and enjoy a laugh or two viewing guppy cartoons drawn by the author almost fifty years ago that still tickle “the finny bone.” This is a good read not only for guppy fanciers, but also for any aquarist who enjoys having an important slice of aquarium history brought to life in words and pictures.”

Copies of the book are available at $15.00 plus $2.50 for Media Rate postage. (For multiple copies add .50 cents per extra book for additional postage.) This is for U.S. shipment only. For out of U.S. rates, please inquire. Rhode Island residents must add 7% Sales Tax. Checks or money orders can be sent to the address at the top of this page. Master-Card and Visa are also accepted – please inquire.

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