Book Description

''Moving, intelligent and, in the best sense, literary. . . . Stephen Harrigan is anchored in reality; he knows that the environment he's describing is in serious jeopardy. At the same time, he has made this book sparkle with his remarkable ability to discuss the metaphysical and spiritual aspects of underwater exploration without ever sounding saccharine or murky.'' --New York Times Book Review''[Harrigan] tells us about the people who live on Grand Turk, or come there on business, and he is given to reflecting on the subtleties of the underwater experience, but his real virtue as a writer is his ability to convey, in precise, lucid, prose, the marvels of the sea bottom.'' --New Yorker''Harrigan . . . captures the peacefulness of being rocked by salty currents, the massive beauty of the reefs, the exhilaration of the sport, and the mental scramble to retain fast-fading memories of sights almost unimaginable on land. Fellow divers will relish his camaraderie, while those who prefer staying topside will feel as though they've taken the plunge themselves.'' --BooklistThis evocative account of the months Stephen Harrigan spent diving on the coral reefs off Grand Turk Island in the Caribbean was originally published by Houghton Mifflin in 1992. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Well worth your time
Great book, but I just couldn't give it 5 stars like many others did. I reserve 5 stars for truly monumental works. In this rating system, if you rate The Lord of the Rings, Les Misrables, Great Expectations, and The Grapes of Wrath 5 stars, can you honestly count this work with them?

A Must Read for Divers
This is the best book about scuba diving I've ever read and should be read by anyone and everyone that is interested in scuba diving. It does a fabulous job of describing the great things about scuba diving without telling you what you already know. That said, it is also a great story and would probably be enjoyed by non-scuba divers. This is a great gift idea for a diving inclined loved one.

One warning... one of the reviewers recommended reading this to get your diving fix when you aren't going to be able to get underwater for a while; NOT TRUE. I found the exact opposite, this book only heightened my desire to go diving to near pathological levels!

If you've read this, I'd also recommend reading Neutral Buoyancy by Tim Ecott which is another good book about diving. It has more history and straight information than this book.

Absorbing and enthralling
Stephen Harrigan has captured the most enjoyable account of his Diving adventures. I felt myself re-living the events and relating them to my own modest enoyable times spent in the Caribbean recently. Superbly written and hard to put down. Makes airplane flights disappear. Happily discovered we are in the same City too.

I found a soul mate. . . .
I was in tears by the end of the first chapter-- I thought I was one of a FEW who feels more at home underwater than on the surface. I don't get to dive very often (family, etc.) but whenever I need to "dive", I pull out this book & I'm in Heaven. Harrigan's descriptions of not only what he sees but what feelings these visions invoke move me beyond words, as I think they would anyone who feels the ocean in their blood.

The best book on diving
When people want to know what it's like to dive, I give them this book. Harrigan has captured the essence of scuba diving. He has nearly expressed the inexpressible. ... Read more

Book Description

A photographic celebration of the spectacular drama of exotic marine creatures' lives and the otherworldly beauty of the deep-sea ecosystems that shelter them.

Written and photographed by Emmy award-winning couple Michele and Howard Hall, Secrets of the Ocean Realm is more than just a collection of stunning photographs: it is a revelation of the sea creatures' complex and mysterious cycles and patterns of behavior. The reader is presented with striking images of all manner of marine life--sharks, opalescent squid, molting lobsters, dolphins, giant whales--engaged in the vital activities of mating, threat displays, hunting and feeding.

Based on a five-part series of public television specials, the remarkable photographs of Secrets of the Ocean Realm are complemented with fascinating and engaging stories that take the reader behind the scenes and reveal the state-of-the-art equipment and techniques used to capture these exquisite scenes of underwater life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A poetic underwater journey!
Stare at the beautiful underwater photographs. Sitback, relax and gently discover the Ocean Realm with the still images of Howard Hall and his wife Michele, images that, as Peter Benchley (Jaws, The Deep) writes in the foreword, are among the finest in the world. Dive. Wander through the Kelp forests of the northern Pacific. Get a close-up of sharks and squids in magic detail. Enjoy the vivid colors of the reef and watch lobsters and sea turtles, dolphins and whales in an exciting photographic journey! Since this book is not a reference work, you will also enjoy reading it slowly and in the direction of your choice, diving at pleasure through the light text that describes the Hall's adventures as filmmakers and marine photographers. And then you will also find some information about the sea-life captured in the images and poetic hints about scuba-diving and underwater photography. A nice dive, a pleasant reading and, at the price that Amazon.com is offering it, a real gift. Buy the book!

A Must Read for Fin Fans!
For those of us who read everything we can on underwater photography, this book provides an added dimension and delightful reprieve from the technical how-to's of most underwater photography books. This book is a series of fascinating stories about the adventures and mis-adventures Howard and Michelle and their staff encountered when shooting different subjects. A fascinating and stimulating book, it provides anecdotal insight into how they approach certain projects without dwelling on the technical "how to's" found in most underwater photography books. Everyone studying underwater photography or just enjoying the sport of diving should surface long enough to give themselves this present. It sure made me want to grab my fins and camera and head off to points all around the world. Thanks to Howard and Michelle for putting together such a compelling read. And of course, it has beautiful photographs. ... Read more

Book Description

Grab a pencil. Relax. Then take off on a mind-boggling journey to the ultimate frontier of math, mind, and meaning as acclaimed author Clifford Pickover, Dorothy, and Dr. Oz explore some of the oddest and quirkiest highways and byways of the numerically obsessed. The thought-provoking mysteries, puzzles, and problems range from zebra numbers and circular primes to Legion's number--a number so big that it makes a trillion pale in comparison. The strange mazes, bizarre consequences, and dizzying arrays of logic problems entertain readers at all levels of mathematical sophistication. The tests devised by enigmatic Dr. Oz to assess human intelligence will tease the brain of even the most avid puzzle fan. They feature a host of mathematical topics: geometry and mazes, sequences, series, sets, arrangements, probability and misdirection, number theory, arithmetic, and even several problems dealing with the physical world. With numerous illustrations, this is an original, fun-filled, and unusual introduction to numbers and their role in creativity, computers, games, practical research, and absurd adventures that teeter on the edge of logic and insanity. Clifford A. Pickover is the author of over twenty highly acclaimed books on such topics as computers and creativity, art, mathematics, black holes, human behavior and intelligence, time travel, alien life, and science fiction. Among his books are Computers, Pattern, Chaos, and Beauty (St. Martin's Press, 1990), Wonders of Numbers (Oxford University Press, 2000), Dreaming the Future (Prometheus, 2001), The Zen of Magic Squares, Circles, and Stars (Princeton University Press, 2001), The Stars of Heaven (Oxford University Press, 2001), The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience (Palgrave, 2002). A Ph.D. graduate of Yale University, he is a prolific inventor with dozens of patents, the associate editor for several journals, the author of colorful puzzle calendars, and puzzle contributor to adult and children's magazines. Pickover's computer graphics have been featured on the cover of many popular magazines and on T.V. shows. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

What is interesting and what solvable?
I prefer mathematical puzzles that have two features:
- they are interesting (i.e. they have that difficulty that make them worth trying to solve);
- they are solvable without developing a whole new theory and without writing program code.
In this book most problems that are interesting (very interesting and intriguing, I must admit) are not solvable in the foresaid sense, and most solvable ones are not interestin. Of course, a few are both. The picture sequences to be completed are very original, and sometimes difficult, examples of QI tests.
However, in spite of that slight flaw, I have really enjoyed reading it. It may depends on my appreciation of Oz novels and movie, and even if this book is not likely to mark the history of mathematical entertainment, it remains a worthy reading.

A true mathematical wonderland
This wonderful mathematical puzzle book has over 100 puzzles sure to delight readers -- from kids to adults. The problems include: mazes, sequences, probability, and more. Most puzzles are very clever and fun. I liked considering the yellow-brick road that crosses America. How many bricks would it take? I also liked the zebra numbers and circular primes. Legion's number is a number so big that it makes a a billion look puny.

Anyone who has pondered the vastness of our mathematical universe will love this book.

Math Puzzles from another Universe!
I found the puzzles and problems in this book to be original and varied, and with a wide range of difficulty levels. I enjoyed the fact that some puzzles might actually have more than one answer, which leaves room for healthy debate and for better understanding the way different people think. I think this book can be enjoyed by readers of different levels of mathematical sophistication. For example, a freshman in high school could skip the more difficult problems, like the one on Ramanujan Congruences, although this is one of the most interesting chapters. My favorite chapter is one that poses a statistics-like question, dealing with bones thrown into a pit. You have to figure out the ratio of the long piece to the short piece. Here's a sample of other chapters that I really enjoyed:

1. The Yellow-brick Road
2. An Experiment with Kansas
8. The Problem of the Bones
16. Omega Sphere
28. Legions' Number
29. The Problem of the Tombs
35. Prime-poor Equations
36. Number Satellite
43. Ramanujan Congruences and the Quest for Transcendence
49. The Jellyfish of Europa
99. A Connection Between Pi and e
103. The Scarecrow Formula
107. The Omega Crystal
108. Attack of the Undulating Undecamorphs

I've already spent hours reading and rereading the book, and showing it to friends, and I know I'll spend many hours more! ... Read more

Book Description

Humans are terrestrial animals, and our capacity to see and understand the importance and vulnerability of life in the sea has trailed our growing ability to harm it. While conservation biologists are working to address environmental problems humans have created on land, loss of marine biodiversity, including extinctions and habitat degradation, has received much less attention. At the same time, marine sciences such as oceanography and fisheries biology have largely ignored issues of conservation.

Marine Conservation Biology brings together for the first time in a single volume leading experts from around the world to apply the lessons and thinking of conservation biology to marine issues. Contributors including James M. Acheson, Louis W. Botsford, James T. Carlton, Kristina Gjerde, Selina S. Heppell, Ransom A. Myers, Julia K. Parrish, Stephen R. Palumbi, and Daniel Pauly offer penetrating insights on the nature of marine biodiversity, what threatens it, and what humans can and must do to recover the biological integrity of the world's estuaries, coastal seas, and oceans.

Sections examine: distinctive aspects of marine populations and ecosystems; threats to marine biological diversity, singly and in combination; place-based management of marine ecosystems; the often-neglected human dimensions of marine conservation.

Marine Conservation Biology breaks new ground by creating the conceptual framework for the new field of marine conservation biology -- the science of protecting, recovering, and sustainably using the living sea. It synthesizes the latest knowledge and ideas from leading thinkers in disciplines ranging from larval biology to sociology, making it a must-read for research and teaching faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate and advanced undergraduate students.

Book Description

Reviews (6)

Cut to the Chase
This book reads quickly. It's a collection of newspaper articles. Although I was hoping the book would talk more about the size and behavior of the attacking sharks, the wording is quick, much like the attacks.

A VERY DISTURBING READ
A great book for shark fans like myself. There is not really any info on sharks but on there victems. A truly frighting read for you here the victems words of "let me die" or "help, shark." Just to let you know the book is not a novel but newspaper summeries. Still its a great read on the terror of shark attack victems.

Not the best book about this subject matter
although i am sure Mr. MacCormick went through a painstaking research period to compile the stories for this book, it adds up to only sensationalize on the darker side of the oceans' greatest predator. If you are looking to learn about sharks, go elsewhere.

great book featuring great whites
A good fast reading book. Lots of details of the attacks. Any one who likes skarks should read this book.

Only a newspapers info summary
I expected a more comments-supported summary of shark attacks all over the world. It is not included the famous attack on Albert Kogler, San Francisco, 1959. Only a collection of newspaper notes. ... Read more

Book Description

The remarkable characters who color surfing's past and present. This portrait, in lavish photographs and fascinating stories, chronicles a pantheon of living surf maestros from the historic and contemporary surfing communities: * surf champions * master board builders * underground cult figures This photographic surf journey led from La Jolla to the North Shore; from Malibu to Oregon; and from Noosa Heads to Windan Sea -- led by a popular surf personality and a leg endary celebrity photographer. ... Read more

Book Description

A richly illustrated guide to the world's oceans and seas.

Guide to the Oceans is a handy reference that provides comprehensive information about every aspect of the world's oceans and seas. The book features vibrant color photographs, maps, artwork and well organized data.

This book includes seven sections: - The beginnings, evolution and current characteristics of the world's oceans - Famous oceanic quests from the earliest voyages to contemporary scientific oceanography - Recreational activities such as yachting, scuba diving, surfing and fishing - A comprehensive study of the ocean's interconnected diversity of flora and fauna from plankton to whales - Worldwide distribution and management of oil and gas, fish and mineral resources - Shapes of the ocean basins, their patterns of circulation and unique characteristics - Catalogue and identification of the main families of ocean organisms in a comprehensive ready reference to ocean flora and fauna.

Guide to the Oceans is an ideal reference for anyone with an interest in the sea. ... Read more

Book Description

Using photos and illustrations, this book is a valuable resource on the fishing line, rods, reels, knots, terminal tackle, and lures used in saltwater fishing. Other subjects include information on where to fish, the techniques and conditions that affect fishing, the best ways to fish both on land and from a boat, and tips on catching different species on fish. ... Read more

Book Description

"[An] absorbing survey of oceanography . . . [this] elegant study is an excellent resource."­­Publishers Weekly

A fascinating examination of the earth's oceans

This exhaustive overview of oceanography captures the excitement of discovery in the making. The Oceans opens up the world of ocean science to the general reader and raises significant questions about the future of the ancient, nurturing ocean itself.

The oceans cover more than 70 percent of the globe, yet less than 5 percent of that expanse has been explored. But, as Drs. Prager and Earle show in this vivid survey of ocean research, our knowledge is suddenly accelerating: various dives, soundings, computer analyses, and other probes are uncovering amazing facts about the 142 million square miles beneath the seas.

Reviews (9)

I've changed my mind
I have already written a review. I think I may have been sort of mean. Now that I have read the entire book I feel like I should write a new review. I did enjoy the book. The mistakes I refered to in my previous review did not continue throughout the book. I read it to my son at night and he enjoyed it. Overall it was a pretty decent read. So, I've changed my mind.

Riddled with mistakes
Although this is an enjoyable read the book is absolutely riddled with unacceptable mistakes. Carbon dioxide once dissolved in the sea forms the carbonate ion which combines with calcium (not carbonate) to form calcium carbonate (p.12). P.67- the cape of good hope is at the tip of AFrica not South AMerica. And lastly (I have only read to page 80!) the positive charge of the water molecule is on the hydrogen not oxygen (negative on oxygen), and the hydrogens in water don't bind to one another-like charges repel each other , not attract. The hydrogens (+) bind to the oxygens (-) to adjacent molecules!!!!!!!!!! Ugh!!!!!!!!

The Oceans
I bought about 5 books at the same time and this is the 3rd book that I have read. It is full of lots of information but I am finding it a little slow to read. Kind of text book reading. None the less full of useful information regarding the Ocean from the beginning of time! I think it is a good building block for someone like myself trying to delve into the Science of the Ocean.

Oceans teaching ocean formation, tectonics and u/w volcanic
I enjoyed this book because Dr. Prager makes it so easily understood by the lay naturalist or reader for that matter. UI have been lucky to have the best to study with including JMC, Scott Frier, Tom Ordway, and Chris Newbert. I give lectures to intermediate students adn this book gave me a better understanding of the oceans bottom and topography. It's an interesting book and will draw the reader into the ocean and keep them there, in fascination of the evidence. I enjoyed it and hope that you do too.

Great Book
"The Oceans" creates a rich background for reading other books dealing with the subjects discused in the book. Comprehensible charts aid in understanding the concepts. Anyone interested in the oceans should read this book, although, the last chapter dealing with ocean deterioration is quite sad. Prager writes elequently and clearly and overall one of my favorite books about the oceans. ... Read more

Book Description

Christian Riese Lassen's stunning paintings have become icons of the beauty of the world's oceans. They depict the magical creatures of the deep and the flora and fauna of tropical islands. Some of his works capture tender moments between a mother dolphin and her offspring. Others provide a split vision of a lush shoreline and the teeming sea beneath. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

All Life Springs From The Ocean
Living in Southern California, I've always had a deep appreciation and love for the ocean and all the creatures that inhabit its waters. I'm also fascinated with the vast wonders of timeless space and am in constant awe of the moon and the stars and the clouds and the sun.

Christian Riese Lassen is a brilliant artist and he incorporates all those things in which I adore (although he has a popular motif for having whales and dolphins in his work), breathing life into the beautiful, mystical paintings. As I peruse this book, which I do quite often, it's as if I'm being pulled into the pictures. They're surreal yet familiar, like something from a distant dream, and ever so gorgeous.

I find it nearly impossible to choose a favorite among the 65 images provided here for my viewing pleasure but "Temple Of Light" seems to captivate me the most, causing me to stare the longest as I touch every inch with my seeking eyes, wishing I could step into the vibrant colors and live in the tranquil peace it exudes. But then I admire them all; especially how the full moon looks behind some thin pink clouds on "Home From The Sea" and how the intermingling of the cosmic universe and the majestic blue on "Whale Star" seem to go hand in hand, as if they belong together, which is used for the cover. There are also several pages of Christian talking about his passion for the sea and how it became the source of his art. A couple pictures are also included of him surfing and painting.

I tend to be mesmerized with fantasy art so I love how Lassen expresses that through reality with metaphysical standpoints and he's quickly become high in the ranks with some of my other favorite artists, such as Amy Brown, Brian Froud, David Delamare, and Josephine's Wall.

Oceanic Masterpiece
I love Lassen's work, and this book shows why. He is a master at beautiful scenic paintings. The colors are brilliant and keeps me wondering on how he gets his paintings to look like that. Although I think Wyland is the master when it comes to painting whales, Lassen is the master at painting dolphins. A must have to any art collector who loves oceanic art.

A LIFE OF VISION CONTINUALLY REVEALING!
"LASSEN ISLAND" IS A MUST OWN! It includes "sixty-five of Lassen's most evocative works...[and Lassen] captures the romantic allure of the Hawaiian Islands where he makes his home and pays tribute to the sea's great and endangered mammals."[commentator] His work spans from 1983-1997. My (newest) favorites are: "GALAXY OF LIFE", "COSMIC VOYAGERS", "WHALE STAR", "OUR PLANET", "SERENITY", "SEA OF TRANQUILITY", "PARADISE", "ANCIENT MYSTERIES" and "TEMPLE OF LIGHT". (Just to name a few!)

Also included is a fascinating essay writen by Christian himself about "THE SEA AS THE SOURCE OF MY ART", "NATURE ENERGIZES ME AND MY ART", "THE HIGHLY DEVELOPED MAMMALS OF THE OCEAN", and "OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE FUTURE." Christian writes with such sensitivity and style that even if you already have all of his art (books) this essay alone gives you a reason to buy this.

"LASSEN ISLAND" is the culmination to date of Christian's expertise. I never thought he could get any better but I was wrong! He has taken his art to the outermost level that I can imagine. "The images I paint are no longer simply representations of the forms of animals but the representations of their spirit" Lassen states in his essay.

"Ranked the number nine surfer in the world, Lassen is intimately acquainted with the mother ocean's ever-changing moods and awesome power." [commentator] Christian is one-in-a-million; not to be compared with anyone else. That is what a true artist is; in a class by himself.

A beautiful book
88 pages may seem small, but there is a color illustration on just about every page. The only problem I could think of is that there are no descriptions about any of the paintings, just the title. A small section in the back tells of how the ocean has inspired the artist. (It also says this book was originally published in Japan and was a bestseller there). The paintings often include ocean waves, sea life, or space. All are rendered in beautiful color. They are similar to the works of Jim Warren or Wyland. I recommend this book to anyone who is even slightly interested in art or the ocean.

hidden treasures
treat yourself...feast your eyes upon visually stunning undersea landscapes and creatures...browsing through this book feels like an underwater adventure. ... Read more

Book Description

In this tribute to the Texas coast, conservationist and lawyer Jim Blackburn has teamed with photographer Jim Olive to give us the most intimate portrait yet of Texas bays and of those who work fortheir wise use and preservation.

While giving life and sustenance to plants, animals, and people, the bays and estuaries of Texas have other stories to tell--about freshwater inflows, deep port construction, disappearing oyster beds,beach resorts, industrial pollution, and more. Each story bringsopposing forces into the courtroom for vigorous debates on the future of some of our most valuable and irreplaceable resources.

The Book of Texas Bays is a personal account of legal battles won and lost, but it is also a work of natural history by someone with a deep spiritual connection to the Texas coast and all it has to offer. Jim Olive's photographs present us with a dramatic perspective of our relationship with the Gulf and remind us of both the grandness and the fragility of our coastal treasures. ... Read more

Book Description

A remarkable scientific meditation on and spiritual exploration of one of our least appreciated natural resources—the Atlantic Ocean. Not since Rachel Carson has a writer been able to give voice so compellingly to the ocean—its mythic history and its precarious future. In the course of an ocean voyage, Deborah Cramer weaves the details of the history and science of the Atlantic into a brilliant tapestry that documents our many-faceted reliance on the sea, our betrayal of that bond, the changing landscape of the ocean floor, and the threatened life of its inhabitants. Bringing together the scientific research of physical oceanographers, geologists, biologists, and chemists from both sides of the Atlantic, Cramer presents a devastating report of the environmental damage inflicted on these waters. From the decks of her sailing vessel she describes with vivid passion the intricate and fragile web of marine life, the visible disappearance of schools of fish plundered by the competitive fishing industry, and the changing rhythms of the Atlantic from the rough, chilly Gulf of Maine to the calm, weedy currents of the Sargasso Sea. 20 line b/w drawings, maps. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An Elegant Update of the "Sea Around Us" and More
In "Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage" Deborah Cramer not only takes the reader along on an ocean trip from Woods Hole, Massachusetts to Barbados, she explains the ecology and history of the Atlantic in the process. In doing so, she brings Rachael Carson's classic "The Sea Around Us" up to date and gives the reader a solid grounding in ocean biology and physical oceanography. After reading "The Empty Ocean" I was delighted to find this book, one that takes a broader look at a smaller area- Atlantic, as Cramer likes to characterize the great ocean.

Unfortunately both recent books give the same, often bleak, picture of what is happening to the oceans as humans over-fish the once huge fisheries and dump more garbage, human and animal waste, toxic chemicals and remains of machines into what is becoming a global "land fill." We have also refused to take serious steps to reduce global warming at the same time evidence for our complicity in carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere is mounting. Unfortunately for us Atlantic and the others oceans of the planet are starting to return the favor both in lower fish catches and altering ocean circulation that may well cost us way beyond the value of the fish we extracted.

Yet there is some glimmer of hope. Humans may yet wake up, if a bit late, to the damage they are doing. There are still nearly pristine beaches and walking alone along a beach with sea birds crying is still possible over much of the planet. I hope it always remains possible. Read this book, if you are not already convinced of our lack of foresight, you will be!

Eloquent and provocative
Why should we care about the oceans of the earth? This meticulously researched book poses a convincing argument: the physical and chemical cycles and life webs of the sea are under siege from humans, with consequences to reefs, plankton and whales, as well as to our weather, health and livelihood. The threat goes way beyond global warming. Cramer effectively illuminates the problems and consequences while showing how we are all accountable for protecting the great waters -- whether we live in coastal communities or in cities far inland that dump pollutants into waterways that eventually enter the sea.

Poetic Science
Ms. Cramer has achomplished the incredible here--a historic, scientific and poetic tribute to one of our great masses of water.
This book, while inspiring and "novelesque" in scope, also presents
the alarming ecological state of our planet's seas . . . yet not without springs of hope. I love what Cramer has done for all of us.
Good for anyone who gets excited about the sea and/or science!

The Ocean Revealed!
This is an incredible book! It manages to take the last 30 years of ocean science and craft it into a compelling, readable, and eloquent story of the Atlantic and our dependence on it. The science is first rate and up to date; there have been few examples of natural history and environment writing so well done....

A Great Book!!
This is a wonderful book. A great read with incredible facts and a lyrical view. Deborah Cramer brings real journalism to the story of the Atlantic. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Lots of Mistakes
I agree with the reviewer who complained about errors & contradictions. Although this is a fun book, it does have some silly mistakes. For example, the authors claim on page 342 that, at 26,000 species, crustaceans are the largest class of arthropods. Well, everbody knows that insects are arthropods. At 900,000+ species, insects are the largest class of arthropods and crustaceans are but a small fraction. Encyclopedia of the Sea by Richard Ellis is far Better.

The Handy Ocean Answer Book
Sections of this very simply written book are just STUFFED with misinformation and inaccuracies! I wrote to the publisher regarding the contradictory and incorrect information in the sections on birds....and was ignored. Some of the information in this little tome may be just fine...but, read with caution and double-check the facts because the mistakes, although significant, aren't obvious and a naive reader might be easily misled.

Recommended for readers of all ages.
A 'handy answer book' by Thomas Svarney & Patricia Barnes-Svarney using question-and-answer formats normally reserved for younger audiences to great effectiveness for adult readers, Ocean Answer Book surveys beaches, fish discoveries, and ocean exploration programs alike and is packed with facts, presented in a lively format for leisure browsing. ... Read more

Book Description

For Dr. Walter Dudley tsunamis are "not just about devastation and destruction, they are about men, women, and children." Dr. Dudley's work has expanded our knowledge of these waves and has helped us to better understand and prepare for these unpredictable, yet ever present, dangers. In Tsunami Man young readers are given an inside look at the life of a working scientist who uses his knowledge for the common good and serves as an exciting role model for future scientists. Filled with dramatic photographs and accounts of tsunami survivors, the book also addresses the "how" and "why" of tsunamis, their impact on human lives, and the ways in which information about these "killer waves" is shared throughout the world. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Most Important Book on Saving our Fisheries and Oceans!
If you are looking on how to improve your fishing methods or where-to-go fishing, Stephen Sloan's Ocean Bankruptcy is not the book. Steve has taken the pulse of our oceans repeatedly through the years, and let me tell you something: this book is not only for anglers, but for everyone on earth who is concerned about our fisheries, our environment, our oceans, our earth.
Every decade a book comes along that alerts us to various problems that face our world.
Ocean Bankruptcy is the environmental book for the present decade. Compares with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in importance.
With the tremendous demand for seafood around the world, huge commercial longline boats are raping our oceans for quick profits. Unless something is done, and done quickly, our oceans may never recover.
Sloan is not afraid to duke it out with wealthy individuals, influential friends, powerful lobbies and he even takes on countries themselves. He names names. I've never read a more gutsy environmental book; Steve is lucky to be alive! There is mystery, intrigue, deception, tension so the book is a real page turner, but, more importantly, it is absolutely necessary reading if we are to save our oceans.
Sloan is one of our best, most versatile anglers today. He has done it all. Fished everywhere. H e could enjoy fishing the world's best places for the rest of his life; instead he is greatly concerned about the future of the oceans and devotes most of his time, energies and resources to help save our fisheries.
CNN, 60 Minutes, Dateline and PBS would do well to interview Sloan regarding Ocean Bankruptcy.
Buy this book immediately... if not sooner.

Eye Opening View of World Fisheries
This fast paced book about the destruction of our world fisheries reads like a Clancy novel, the intrigue alone will amaze you. Best of all Sloan actually comes up with easy solutions to these problems. This is a must read whether you like to fish, eat fish, or are concerned about the environment. ... Read more

Book Description

Oceans 2020 presents a comprehensive assessment of the most important science and societal issues that are likely to arise in marine science and ocean management in the next twenty years. Sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), and the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), the book brings together the world's leading ocean scientists and researchers to analyze the state of marine science and technology, identify key scientific issues for sustainable development, and evaluate the capability of scientists, governments, and private-sector stakeholders to respond to those issues. Topics include:

• basic ocean sciences
• pressures on the coastal zone
• climate change and the ocean
• fisheries and fishery science in their search for sustainability
• offshore industries including oil drilling, carbon sequestration, and manganese nodule mining
• marine information for shipping and defense

Oceans 2020 suggests what can be done about major marine environmental issues through the better development and application of marine science and technology, focusing on the issues that are most closely related to human and sustainable development. It will help guide countries in developing their marine science and technology strategies and priorities and is an essential source of information for policymakers, government officials, resource managers, scientists, the media, and all those concerned with the current and future health of the oceans. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very highly recommended scholarly survey
Oceans 2020: Science, Trends, And The Challenge Of Sustainability, collaboratively written by John G. Field (Professor of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa), Gotthilf Hempel Professor Emeritus, university of Kiel and Science Advisor to the Senate of Fremen, Germany), and Colin P. Summerhayes (Director, GOOS Project Office at the IOC, Paris, France) is an extensively researched study of the science and social issues regarding ocean management for the next twenty years. Individual chapters address the issues of climate change, the problem of overfishing and the questionable sustainability of the fishing industry, oceanographic technologies, and much, much more. A very highly recommended scholarly survey and analysis (which is also available in hardcover), Oceans 2020 is a vitally important and seminal contribution to Marine Science and Environmental Studies reference collections and reading lists. ... Read more

Book Description

A fascinating weave of science and memoir by a naturalist who draws inspiration from life among the coastal islands of Virginia.

Join naturalist Curtis J. Badger as he explores the last unspoiled barrier island ecosystem in the eastern United States. Badger's own ancestral roots in the region reach back into the 1600s, a legacy that fuels his passion and appreciation for this fragile confluence of land and sea. A beaded chain of 18 islands separates the inland shore from the Atlantic, and in this zone of protected waters lives a startling array of plants and animals. As he writes about looking for milky ribbon worms in the mudflats or paddling through spartina on a tidal creek, Badger gracefully weaves together personal history and natural science with insight and intelligence. 20 black & white illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I love this book!
This book was extremly enjoyable to read. Cutis Badger opens his heart in several chapters, speaking of his love for his son and his love for the land he was raised on. The illistrations are also amazing, and offer a lot of emotional feeling. This book is also informative, and includes interesting knowledge about the marshes and creeks enjoys. ... Read more

Book Description

A vivid, up-to-date tour of the Earth's last frontier, a remote and mysterious realm that nonetheless lies close to the heart of even the most land-locked reader. The sea covers seven-tenths of the Earth, but we have mapped only a small percentage of it. The sea contains millions of species of animals and plants, but we have identified only a few thousand of them. The sea controls our planet's climate, but we do not really understand how. The sea is still the frontier, and yet it seems so familiar that we sometimes forget how little we know about it. Just as we are poised on the verge of exploiting the sea on an unprecedented scale-mining it, fertilizing it, fishing it out-this book reminds us of how much we have yet to learn. More than that, it chronicles the knowledge explosion that has transformed our view of the sea in just the past few decades, and made it a far more interesting and accessible place. From the Big Bang to that far-off future time, two billion years from now, when our planet will be a waterless rock; from the lush crowds of life at seafloor hot springs to the invisible, jewel-like plants that float at the sea surface; from the restless shifting of the tectonic plates to the majestic sweep of the ocean currents, Kunzig's clear and lyrical prose transports us to the ends of the Earth. 8 pages of color, 20 black-and-white illustrations. Originally published in hardcover as The Restless Sea. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Ocean Science for the common man
This book in question, i.e., Mapping the Deep: The Extraordinary Story of Ocean Science by Robert Kunzig, explains oceans science in ways that even the common man can understand. Recommended.

Ocean Science for the Casual Oceanographer
A wonderful and easy to read book about the history of Oceanography. When I first received the book as a Christamas gift from my wife, one of my first thoughts was "I hope it's not to dull." What a delightful surprise, Mr. Kunzig has woven a story of the ocean that is very entertaining and easily held my attention. His book includes chapters on the early explorers, their theories, their findings and their misunderstandings and their conflicts. He discusses the role that microscopic organism of the oceans play in the climate of our earth and our connection to them. I highly recommend this book.

Exploring the oceans
Exploration is sexier than understanding. That's probably why we say Newton discovered the laws of motion, rather than understood the relationship between mass, force and velocity. Amongst the many disciplines of science, perhaps none is so dominated by exploration as oceanography.

In this book, Robert Kunzig takes us on a tour of the exploratory deeds of ocean scientists that has lead us to our present knowledge of ocean science. From young scientists camped on coral cays, to biologists in deep-sea submersibles, and geologists climbing South American mountains, this is an exciting and fascinating read.

I would recommend this book for anyone wishing to learn about oceanography in an easy to read format. But really, this book is for people who want to get excited about oceanography. Perhaps you are considering a career in oceanography, or you are a professional oceanography, or just like science? No matter. I think you will come away feeling inspired by the deeds of marine scientists, and the ocean itself.

If I felt one dissappointment, it was that the issue of global climate change, and the role of ocean scientists in this critical science, was not given their due. I think we understand more about the climate than Kunzig gave us credit for. But this is a book about exploration, and climate change, sadly, is for the future.

Great Book
I bought this book thinking it was a follow up to the authors previous book, 'the restless sea'. However it is the same, now with pictures. If you have a choice between the two I recommend the new one. The pictures and illustrations are a great. Instead of imagining what he is talking about you can see it for yourself. I hope he does eventually have a follow up book.

A Great Book!
I ought this book this book in Britain over he summer (before it was released in America) and it kept me reading it the whole way back to America. It has just about everything you could ever want about oceanography. It covers biology, geology and so many things I can't really name. I suggest to anyone, even if you don't know about oceanography or don't care to know, this is the perfect book for anyones collection. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lavish and informative
"Canada: The Land and Its People" is a lavish and informative volume.

Pierre Berton examines Canda's past through the stories of twenty-five diverse historical characters.

Berton also presents thecountry's vast and often stunning geography through the lenses of overthirty Canadian photographers.

Just a few of the excellentpictures/stories include a modern diesel-powered train making its waythrough a Rocky Mountain stretch of track that was first envisioned by19th-century railway pathfinder, Walter Mosberly; the East Block of theParliament Buildings, where Prime Minister John A. MacDonald (a"likeable rogue") had his office in the 1870s; and the rusticthough beautiful Yukon cabin of poet Robert Service.

There are over 125color and b/w photos and illustrations in this mammoth work. ... Read more

Book Description

Zane Grey is best known as fishing writer for the wild adventures of catching world record giants in the oceans around the world. He published collections of stories about particular places and species of fish. "Tales of Fishes" is a wonderful collection of stories that range over the most sought after species of salt water fishing-tarpon, bonefish, sailfish, marlin, swordfish, and tuna. It's a perfect sampler to whet the appetite of every armchair angler. Zane Grey was one of America's most prolific and beloved writers. While best known for his Western novels, he actually spent as many as 300 days a year fishing. ... Read more