The Sea Around Us [Hardcover]

Rachel L. Carson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195147014 | ISBN-13: 978-0195147018 | Publication Date: November 13, 2003

Published in 1951, The Sea Around Us was a phenomenal success. Rachel Carson's rare ability to combine scientific insight with moving, poetic prose catapulted her book to first place on The New York Times bestseller list, where it remained on top for thirty-one consecutive weeks. It stayed on the list for more than a year and a half and ultimately sold well over a million copies, has been translated into 28 languages, inspired an Academy Award-winning documentary, and won both the 1952 National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal.
This commemorative edition has over 130 beautiful, full color illustrations from all over the world--everything from breaching whales, Christmas Tree worms and phosphorescent shrimp, to fur seals, flashlight fish, and giant squid. The volume features a foreword by Carl Safina, a founder of the Blue Ocean Institute; an introduction by explorer Robert D. Ballard, renowned for his role in finding the Titanic as well as for his discovery of life around deep-sea hydrothermal vents; and an afterword by Brian J. Skinner, an eminent geologist and former president of the Geological Society of America.
The book itself remains as fresh today as when it first appeared. Carson's writing teems with stunning, memorable images--the newly formed Earth cooling beneath an endlessly overcast sky; the centuries of nonstop rain that created the oceans; incredibly powerful tides moving 100 billion tons of water daily in the Bay of Fundy. Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the ocean with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise.
For anyone who loves to wander the shore, sail the ocean, or ponder what lies beneath the waves, this illustrated special edition of The Sea Around Us will make a perfect gift.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A majestic edition, incorporating attractive photographs, a preface, foreword, introduction, and an excellent afterword by Brian J. Skinner. The pages are broad and smooth and heavy; turning them, you feel you are in the presence of greatness.... The prose is true and fluid and above all evocative, and delivers all the passion and wonder it did a half-century ago.... This book should be read first and foremost because it has permanent artistic value, because it is literature. And I mean literature in the best sense: popular, beautiful, deeply moving.... Carson's legacy is proof that science books matter, that good prose can change the world."--Anthony Doerr, The Boston Sunday Globe

"Her book remains fresh, in part because of her ability to convey scientific insight in vivid poetic language--but, perhaps more important, because what she has to say is still so relevant today."--Scientific American

"Magnificent--beautifully done, a real work of art. I'm enjoying reading Carson's book for the third time. Carl Safina's brief note summed it best--we read to remember her. What a wonderful writer."--Glenn Vanstrum, author of Saltwater Wilderness

"Perfect reading can be found in wonderfully oversized books.... In this new commemorative edition, readers who have never experienced Carson's sparkling prose or deep insight will have the opportunity to do so, with the added attraction of superlative color photos of everything from breaching whales to phosphorescent shrimp. There's also a new introduction by Robert Ballard, an afterward by Brian J. Skinner."--Dave Wood's Book Report

About the Author

Rachel Carson was named by Time magazine one of the top 100 Scientists and Thinkers of the twentieth century. A biologist, writer, and ecologist, she also wrote Under the Sea Wind and Silent Spring, one of the seminal books of the environmental movement in America. She was a charter member of the Ecology Hall of Fame.
Carl Safina is recipient of the Pew Scholars Award in Conservation and the Environment as well as a John Burroughs Medal. He is also a MacArthur Fellow.
Robert D. Ballard is best known for his discovery of deep-sea wrecks such as the Titanic. The president of the Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Connecticut, he led the 1977 expedition that first found life around hydrothermal vents in the sea floor, a major scientific discovery. He is Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society and the Director of the Institute of Archaeological Oceanography.
Brian J. Skinner is Professor of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University and a past president of the Geological Society of America. He co-edited The Oxford Companion to the Earth.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195147014
• ISBN-13: 978-0195147018
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Marine Life
  • #20 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Oceanography
  • #75 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Nature & Wildlife

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

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Says Science & Literature Can't Co-exist Under 1 Cover?, March 27, 2001

By 

J. GENIO (Earth) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sea Around Us, Special Edition (Paperback)

Wow!!! It is amazing that this book is over 50 years old. As a high school student, I had to read this book for Ecology. Rachel Carson's book is an eye-opener. It was some 50 years ago. And, it still is. "The Sea Around Us" is truly a classic. Carson gives us all an insight on what would happen if we mistreat the natural environment -- especially the oceans around us. Sadly, today, some of these prophecies are becoming a reality. I agree with a fellow reviewer. This book should be mandatory reading for all students. Maybe if more people read this book, we would all respect nature just a little better.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars still relevant after 50 years, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sea Around Us, Special Edition (Paperback)

Rachel Carson, a scientist by trade, writes beautifully about the ocean in this book; it was worthy of the National Book Award, which it won in 1951. Carson takes the time to describe generally what was known about the sea at the time of her writing, and is prophetic in her comments about human impact to the world's oceans. While providing the reader with a general scientific discussion of the sea, she also gives us some magical moments: questions about the lost continent of Atlantis, mysteries about the nature of the deepest ocean bottoms, descriptions of lumninescent creatures surfacing in the remotest areas of open ocean. This book is simultaneously great science and great literature, and is essential reading for anyone interested in marine biology or geology, even decades since its original publication.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for anyone who loves the beach, June 27, 2000

By 

Patricia Lavins - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sea Around Us, Special Edition (Paperback)

It is difficult to believe that this book is over 50 years old. The recommendations are still valid and elusive today. Only when the general public accepts the need to protect the environment will things change. That is why this book should be required reading for all students.