Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods. Staaf, D.. Lebanon, NH: ForeEdge (imprint of University Press of New England), 2017. 256 pp. ISBN: 9781611689235 (hardcover, $27.95), ISBN: 9781512601282 (E‐book, $ 22.99).

Octopus, Squid, and Cuttlefish: A Visual, Scientific Guide to the Oceans’ Most Advanced Invertebrates. Hanlon, R., Vecchione, M., & Allcock, L.. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018. 224 pp. ISBN: 9780226459561 (hardcover, $40), ISBN: 9780226459738 (E‐book, $24).

The new developments in the field of palaeontology regarding cephalopods are impressive. I was unaware of the complex and diverse history cephalopods have gone through in the last few epochs of our planet, and I can thank the first book—”Squid Empire”—for bringing me up to date. The author is clearly very passionate about marine life, specially cephalopods, and she has contacted the specialists in the field to convey, in a language accessible to the general public, all that we know about cephalopods in the far past. The book chapters divide this information into the important steps in the evolution of cephalopods, beginning from their emergence from the common ancestor of molluscs until today. This is a very captivating read (which I only interrupted when my eyes became too dry to go on) and feels very much like reading something by Bill Bryson. It was, however, sometimes difficult to pick up from the last session as the transition from one new vocabulary to the next is very fast (specifically at the anatomy level), terms that did not engrave into my mind for very long. The book has some (good) figures and references to the articles the author quotes. It was at times a bit difficult to navigate through the book to recheck figures presented in an earlier chapter (e.g. the family tree of cephalopods). The references, instead of appearing at the end of each chapter, are sequestered in a separate section at the end of the book, which may not be to everyone's taste.

The second book, “Octopus, Squid, and Cuttlefish”, is a perfect complement to the first. It is an aesthetically impressive visual guide to cephalopods. The book presents an outstanding collection of photographs that truly shows the beauty within this animal group. Beyond that, the information is conveyed in a scientific context, dissecting the information on cephalopods in separate chapters according to the field of biology. This is perfect for anyone starting into research or needing to refresh their knowledge in cephalopod science. Each chapter begins by elaborating on the overall rules or context of cephalopods in that field, followed by a catalogue of 2‐page examples of cephalopod profiles referenced or important for the respective chapter. Sometimes, however, the figures or diagrams could have provided more complex explanations (specifically anatomy). Moreover, certain topics that I was looking forward to (trophic ecology and biogeography as well as palaeontology) are not treated.