The Edge of the Sea [Paperback]

Rachel Carson (Author), Sue Hubbell (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998

"The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place." A book to be read for pleasure as well as a practical identification guide, The Edge of the Sea introduces a world of teeming life where the sea meets the land. A new generation of readers is discovering why Rachel Carson's books have become cornerstones of the environmental and conservation movements. New introduction by Sue Hubbell. (A Mariner Reissue)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A brilliantly written argument that changed the course of history." - Vice President Al Gore

"Catching the life breath of science on the still glass of poetry." Time Magazine

About the Author

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) spent most of her professional life as a marine biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. By the late 1950s, she had written three lyrical, popular books about the sea, including the best-selling The Sea Around Us, and had become the most respected science writer in America. She completed Silent Spring against formidable personal odds, and with it shaped a powerful social movement that has altered the course of history.

Sue Hubbell is the author of, among other works, A Country Year and A Book of Bees, which was selected as a New York Times Notable Book. She lives in Maine and Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395924960
• ISBN-13: 978-0395924969
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) spent most of her professional life as a marine biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. By the late 1950s, she had written three lyrical, popular books about the sea, including the bestselling The Sea Around Us, and had become the most respected science writer in America. She completed Silent Spring against formidable personal odds, and with it shaped a powerful social movement that has altered the course of history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative as a textbook, entertainment like a novel, March 8, 2002

By 

Currahee (South Mississippi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edge of the Sea (Paperback)

I just finished this and I can't wait to read the rest of the author's work. Carson has a gift for describing the world around her and a command of the language that few seem to appreciate today. This is basically a natural history book written as if it where a novel. In "Edge of the Sea" she describes seashores, the environment and how it defines the animals and plants that a visitor will see. She concentrates on America's East Coast. The text left me with a longing to be there. Where modern writers would use pictures, Carson uses words. This book would be good (4 stars) for anyone who enjoys written imagery. If you already love the sea then it deserves 5.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Beautiful, May 7, 2004

By 

Yang Shao-yun - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Edge of the Sea (Paperback)

Having never heard of Rachel Carson except in relation to "Silent Spring", I was pleasantly surprised on first reading her writing in this book by the masterly and near-poetic elegance of her prose. Written in the 1950s, before nature documentaries allowed most of us to see the wonders of marine life with our own eyes, Carson's ability to introduce those wonders to us through evocatively-written description alone (with occasional illustrations) remains truly amazing. The problem is that a generation raised on visual stimuli would probably find it quite difficult to sustain enough patience to go through the whole book, since it does make substantial demands on one's sense of imagination. I found myself struggling by the time I had finished two chapters - even though each chapter is generally about a different kind of seashore (rock, sand, or coral reef), trying to visualise one fascinating organism after another just got rather tedious and confusing. My recommendation to other readers would be to maximise your enjoyment of this book by reading it at the seaside, or in conjunction with a relevant documentary on the Discovery Channel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More relevant than ever in 2010, June 5, 2010

By 

Olde Hippie (DownEast Maine, Planet Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edge of the Sea (Paperback)

I have the 1955 edition of this book and it is on a small list of books that I read at least every 2 years. I live along the Maine Coast and I am an avid aquarium keeper. I began reading this time about a week before the big BP oil disaster in The Gulf Of Mexico and I wish that every person everywhere could read this book today. Some of the science is obviously a bit out of date - we've learned a lot in the past half century, but the beauty of Rachel's writings continues to thrill. When I see the images of oil drenched sea birds on TV, my heart also breaks for the hundreds of species whose micro world is known only to those who have taken the time to explore the magical mysteries that lie at the edge of the sea.