Customer Reviews

The Sea Around Us, Special Edition

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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.

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.

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.

Rachel Carson's work is still a great place to get insights on the workings of the ocean. Even with the advancement of oceanography and marine biology, the ocean is still a source of wonder and mystery, and still in need of our protection from abuse. Vast as the oceans are, their ecosystems can still be altered by human activity.

This Special Edition features a new chapter [afterward] written by Jeffrey Levinton, a leading expert in marine ecology, who brings the scientific sede of The Sea Around Us completely up to date [1989]. Levington incorporates the most recent thinking on continental drift, coral reefs, the spread of the ocean floor, the deterioration of the oceans, mass extinction of sea life, and many other topics. In addition, acclaimed nature writer Ann Zwinger has contributed a brief forward. [This information copied from the back cover.]

This book should be required reading in every high school in this country. It is fascinting reading of how our eathwas made and what evolved thorugh the centuries. It answered so many quetions I had on how the earth was formed and when. The descriptions are wonderful and so graphic. I have a whole new perspective on our oceans from reading this book.

I know it's written by Rachel Carson, so I'll probably get panned for this review.

Before purchasing this book, it's important to figure out what one's goal is for reading it. Of course, reading Rachel Carson is interesting because she is a brilliant writer and had insight into human impact on the environment before it became more fashionable. So, the book is relevant if one is reading for the sake of reading Rachel Carson or for reading history of science or for reading literature.

However, I purchased this book for an introductory course on oceanography and was somewhat disappointed because much of the science is outdated (the book was written about 60 years ago). For the purpose of learning about the oceans, I would have preferred a book that is up-to-date on it's science and with more illustrations.

Hope this helps.

I'll note first that I read recently "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson, on my sister's fortunate recommendation; I read this book as a teen and was not able to sufficiently appreciate it; like so many other wonderful books it has to be re-read later in life. It is stellar, and as someone who turned 50 this year, I just think it is of incalcuable importance, and important for everyone to read. I truly think that Rachel Carson launched, or at least really launched into overdrive, the environmental movement with this book.
So, also on my sister's recommendation, I read The Sea Around Us - by this book, I was just blown away with delight. Learning about our oceans is mind-boggling and I realize that they are mysterious as outer space, yet right here on our earth.
I have gleaned an understanding from my reading of Rachel Carson's books (and from another beloved author, Wallace Stegner) that trying to help and protect the environment, and the earth, is the most important and urgent thing for everyone to try to do. I am grateful to such wonderful writers.

This is a brilliantly informative book for children which they will enjoy and remember throughout their lives. It is well illustrated with easily understood text, making an ideal gift for my twin grandsons.

Scientist Rachel Carson (1907-1964) writes lovingly about the sea in this award-winning 1951 effort. Carson describes what we knew about the sea at that time, and makes the underwater world come alive with her heartfelt descriptions. She mentions the threats to the environment (particularly from pesticides), and readers may want to become preservation minded merely from the author's descriptions. Sadly, much environmental damage has occurred since she penned these pages. Some say this book is a combination of literature and science; others find her style a bit thick. Either way, these words come from the heart, and this book should be of great interest to students of marine and/or environmental biology. Carson also wrote two more best-sellers on the sea (Edge of the Sea, The Sea Wind) plus Silent Spring, which spurred the ban on DDT.