Unlike other books that offer factual material on one or more species of sharks, Gourley deals with the nature of the beast and its relationship to humans. Divided into four sections, the book details the discovery of a prehistoric species of shark, recounts several mythological/spiritual tales of shark-people from the Hawaiian and Solomon Islands, has short literary excerpts relating attacks on sharks by men, and presents several instances of shark attacks and sightings. Each story, excerpt, or myth is prefaced by an introduction. Full-color photos and paintings appear throughout; many of them feature the species mentioned in the text.