The Ocean Reader

Comprising 71 percent of the planet, the oceans are undoubtedly multifaceted, as this rich collection demonstrates, further exploring how humans have interacted and changed this vast watery realm over time. Recommended. All readership levels. -- JB. Richardson III * Choice * The very breadth of the selections and some of the breeziness of some of the writing keeps things on an even keel. Extra credit for including a geek's delight that combines the absurd with a hint of the ominous: The story of how rubber duckies flung overboard in a storm proceeded to become pioneering conquerors of the Northwest Passage. The once-mythical trade route that swallowed up entire expeditions will soon become reality (and a potential trade war prize) thanks to global warming. -- T. E. Lyons * LEO Weekly * It's easy to pay lip service to the Ocean's vastness and its essential importance in human history. And yet, as Eric Paul Roorda notes, we still hold on to the conceit that only life on land really matters. This fabulous anthology-as deep as the Ocean itself-is a stunning compendium of materials that, for the landlubbers among us, opens up remarkably new understandings. -- Orin Starn, Professor of Cultural Anthropology and History, Duke University Eric Paul Roorda's selections for The Ocean Reader constitute an essential introduction to the wealth of writing-factual, fictional, and meditative; historical, experiential, and environmental-generated by people around the world throughout the course of recorded history. This volume is an essential companion for anyone interested in the story of our collective engagement with the world Ocean that touches us all. -- Lincoln Paine, author of * The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World *