Recommended Reading!

Here are three timeless books about the ocean and tides, volumes that should be in every library on the coast of America!

The Sea Around Us

by Rachel Carson

Originally published in 1951, this book is one of the most remarkably successful books ever written about the natural world, and this classic work remains as fresh today as when it first appeared.  Known for her very best seller, Silent Spring, Ms. Carson’s writing teems with stunning and memorable images of our oceans; how they were created, how they grew, how the tides work, etc.  Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the oceans with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise.  Five+ stars.

The Oceans

by Ellen J. Prager

The inside front flap of this book says it all: “The ocean covers nearly three-quarters of our planet’s surface, provides 97 percent of its living space, and from its ancient waters were born the seeds for all life on Earth.  Yet despite centuries of study, exploration, and our unceasing fascination with the sea, much of the ocean remains a great mystery.  In just the last century, spectacular scientific discoveries and revelations have yielded enormous progress toward understanding the nature of the ocean, yet some 95 percent of is watery realm remains to be seen.  Simply put, the ocean is our final frontier.”  This book reveals the nature and science of everything from waves, tides and sea level changes, to hurricanes, El Nino, and global warming, along with myriad other items which populate the ocean.  Five+ stars.

Against The Tide

by Cornelia Dean

This is one of Cliff’s favorite books.  The front flap says, “Americans love their beaches.  But when storms threaten, coastal construction – homes and businesses – takes precedence over the coastal environment.  We rescue buildings, even if it means damaging the beach.  Dean begins the story with the deadliest natural ever in the United States, the devastating hurricane that killed 6,000 people in Galveston, Texas, in 1900.  (See Also Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson, another great book about that hurricane!)  Residents constructed a wall to protect their city, not realizing how it would interfere with the natural movement of sand onto and off of their beach.  In the end, the wall destroyed the very beach it was meant to protect.”  Ms. Dean gives many examples of how man trying to change his ocean-side environment has only wrought disaster.  A must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the battle for America’s beaches.  Five+ stars.