Is there more to life than just a simple, biological existence? Do we have a greater purpose? Is there a God? What happens when we die? Why is there pain and suffering? Collectively, this is known as the 'ultimate question.' One answer is that the universe was created by a supernatural God, for reasons only He knows. Owing our existence to this God, our purpose would be to worship Him. This view includes the belief that there is an immortal soul that continues after death. This afterlife is either one of a blissful existence in "Heaven" or one of perpetual torture in "Hell." Which place awaits us depends on how well we devote ourselves to worshiping God. Another possibility is that there is no God, no supernatural force. Under this concept, everything can be explained through biology and science. Thus, there is no life after death. Naturally, this view is at odds with the supernatural one. If everything can be explained through science, then there is no "higher purpose" to our lives or the universe. We are born. We live for a while. Then we die. Over fifty years ago, as a young boy, I wanted to know if my life was driven by biology or spiritual purpose. I wanted to know if my life was worth living. As soon as I asked the question, I knew that I wouldn't be satisfied with a choice between the opposing views. Being of two minds, one logical and rational and one spiritual, I knew that I was seeking more than a simple choice between the two. I felt compelled to begin a quest to discover if there was a key to understanding the universe that reconciled both points of view. I wanted to find a way to unify them into a comprehensive, rational, yet spiritual understanding of everything. What I discovered, through mysticism, serendipity and research, changed everything that I had believed in. I came to realize that the key to unifying both views was an understanding that there were a few, fundamental principles that literally made up the fabric of the universe. They were rooted in divine origin, yet satisfied scientific criteria. By understanding these rules, you could understand everything from both points of view. The result of my quest was not what I had wanted or expected. In the end, I discovered something so beautiful, so profound and so exquisite, that I knew it was the truth. My life had been worth living.

The Fishes of the Western North Atlantic series, which began publication in the 1940s by Yale University's Sears Foundation for Marine Research, was from its beginnings conceived to synthesize and make accessible the wealth of information in widely scattered published accounts of the fish fauna of the region for both the layman and the specialist, presenting critical reviews rather than compilations. These reference works are still considered valuable and of interest today to both general audiences and the academic community. As described in the Preface to the first volume, the series was "written on the premise that it should be useful to those in many walks of life-to those casually ... interested ..., to the sportsman ..., to the fisherman ..., as well as to the amateur ichthyologist and the professional scientist." These books remain authoritative studies of the anadromous, estuarine, and marine fishes of the waters of the western North Atlantic from Hudson Bay southward to the Amazon, ranking as primary references for both amateurs and professionals interested in fishes, and as significant working tools for students of the sea.