Atlantic
Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms,and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories
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3.7 • 7 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
"Variably genial, cautionary, lyrical, admonitory, terrifying, horrifying and inspiring…A lifetime of thought, travel, reading, imagination and memory inform this affecting account." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Blending history and anecdote, geography and reminiscence, science and exposition, New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester tells the breathtaking saga of the Atlantic Ocean in a masterful work of narrative nonfiction. A gifted storyteller and consummate historian, Winchester sets the great blue sea's epic narrative against the backdrop of mankind's history of exploration and intellectual evolution, telling not only the story of an ocean, but the story of civilization. Fans of Winchester's Krakatoa, The Man Who Loved China, and The Professor and the Madman will love this masterful, penetrating, and resonant tale of humanity finding its way across the ocean of history.
How did a sea once seen as an impassable barrier become the cradle of Western civilization?
A Biography of an Ocean: Follow the Atlantic from its violent geological birth millions of years ago, through its vibrant middle age, to its predicted eventual demise.Maritime History: Discover the human story—from exploration and trade to piracy and warfare—told through the unique framework of Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man.Science and Storytelling: Journey with Winchester as he blends personal anecdote from his own sea voyages with deep scientific and historical research.The Story of Civilization: Understand how this single body of water became the fulcrum for the modern world, connecting continents and shaping empires.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Winchester, bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman, returns to the natural world with his epic new book, a "biography" of the Atlantic Ocean, from its origins 370 million years ago through the population of its shores by humanity and their interactions with it. He sees the Atlantic as the vital ingredient in the blooming of Western civilization. He scrutinizes the early explorations from the Vikings and Norsemen through Columbus, detailing the perils of the open sea. With his excellent research and engrossing anecdotes about the ocean as "a living thing," Winchester spotlights its inspiration on poets, painters, and writers in its majestic beauty. Although he does not neglect the chief tragedies of the Atlantic, like the slave trade and the maritime battles, Winchester occasionally flits beelike from scene to scene, and the facts become lost in a blur. Maybe this is the price for such a monumental undertaking. Nevertheless, Winchester's sea saga is necessary reading for those who want to understand the planet better, even as, he notes, our waters are rapidly changing from pollution, overfishing, and climate change. 44 b&w illus.; 4 maps.
Customer Reviews
Great Book
Awesome work on the history of the Atlantic. Written in an engaging and fun style! Good read!