The Sea Around Us [Kindle Edition]

Rachel Carson (Author), Ann H. Zwinger (Foreword), Jeffrey S. Levinton (Afterword)

Book Description

Rachel Carson’s National Book Award–winning classic effortlessly mingles detailed fieldwork and inspiring prose to reveal a deep understanding of the earth’s most precious, mysterious resource—the ocean

 

With more than one million copies sold, Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us became a cultural phenomenon when first published in 1951 and cemented Carson’s status as the preeminent natural history writer of her time. Her inspiring, intimate writing plumbs the depths of an enigmatic world—a place of hidden lands, islands newly risen from the earth’s crust, fish that pour through the water, and the unyielding, epic battle for survival.

 

Firmly based in the scientific discoveries of the time, The Sea Around Us masterfully presents Carson’s commitment to a healthy planet and a fully realized sense of wonder.

 

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Rachel Carson including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Carson has] a rare gift for transmuting scientific fact into lucid, lyrical language.”—Time

 

“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

 

“As stimulating as a breeze from the oceans about which she writes; an invigorating and exciting book.” —Boston Herald

About the Author

The late Rachel Carson was for many years a marine biologist and then editor-in-chief of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. She was also the author of Silent Spring, Under the Sea Wind, and At the Edge of the Sea. Jeffrey Levinton teaches at the State University f New York at Stony Brook and is the author of Marine Ecology. Ann Zwinger is the author of A Desert Country Near the Sea, Beyond the Aspen Grove, and Run, River, Run.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1328 KB
• Print Length: 288 pages
• Publisher: Open Road Media (March 29, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004TC14F0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,784 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Outdoors & Nature > Reference
  • #21 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas
  • #37 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Oceanography

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 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

Format: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.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful

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

By A Customer

Format: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.

21 of 23 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

Format: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.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful work by R. Carson August 6, 2005

By P. W. Duggan

Format:Hardcover

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.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars on the SPECIAL EDITION of this title. December 19, 2006

By K. ThrasherThrasher Books

Format:Paperback

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.]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Important, Interesting Look at Marine Environment. October 12, 2010

By K.A.Goldberg

Format:Hardcover

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must REad January 24, 2010

By Raymond J. Adams

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rachel Carson shows the depth and beauty of the Sea Around Us May 12, 2013

By eddie.calendula

Format:Paperback

The Sea Around Us made me think about the ocean in ways I never had before. Rachel Carson's topics flow from underwater topography to swirling seaweed ecosystems of the Sargasso to the effect of ocean currents on climate and more.

Carson finds so much awe in the sea and turns her findings into prose that rises and falls as naturally as the tide. Her style is concise, enthusiastic, and unpretentious.

This book first appeared in 1950, so Carson's data requires an update. But it lays a foundation for understanding the ocean and its relationship with all of the earth's cycles. In fact it is particularly relevant today as humanity struggles to anticipate and adapt to climatic changes.

The depth and beauty of this book has affected me more than I had expected.

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.