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The Edge of the Sea
Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, writes this book focusing on the plants and invertebrates surviving in the Atlantic zones between the lowest and the highest tides, between Newfoundland and the Florida keys. It's Appendix and Index make it a great reference tool for those interested in plant and animal life around tidepools.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
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About the author
Rachel Carson
55 books1,789 followersRachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.
Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award, recognition as a gifted writer, and financial security. Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the reissued version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.
Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. The result was Silent Spring (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people. Although Silent Spring was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy, which led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides, and it inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A variety of groups ranging from government institutions to environmental and conservation organizations to scholarly societies have celebrated Carson's life and work since her death. Perhaps most significantly, on June 9, 1980, Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. A 17¢ Great Americans series postage stamp was issued in her honor the following year; several other countries have since issued Carson postage as well.
Carson's birthplace and childhood home in Springdale, Pennsylvania — now known as the Rachel Carson Homestead—became a National Register of Historic Places site, and the nonprofit Rachel Carson Homestead Association was created in 1975 to manage it. Her home in Colesville, Maryland where she wrote Silent Spring was named a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Near Pittsburgh, a 35.7 miles (57 km) hiking trail, maintained by the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy, was dedicated to Carson in 1975. A Pittsburgh bridge was also renamed in Carson's honor as the Rachel Carson Bridge. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection State Office Building in Harrisburg is named in her honor. Elementary schools in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland, Sammamish, Washington and San Jose, California were named in her honor, as were middle schools in Beaverton, Oregon and Herndon, Virginia (Rachel Carson Middle School), and a high school in Brooklyn, New York.
Between 1964 and 1990, 650 acres (3 km2) near Brookeville in Montgomery County, Maryland were acquired and set aside as the Rachel Carson Conservation Park, administered by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In 1969, the Coastal Maine National Wildlife Refuge became the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge; expansions will bring the size of the refuge to about 9,125 acres (37 km2). In 1985, North Carolina renamed one of its estuarine reserves in honor of Carson, in Beaufort.
Carson is also a frequent namesake for prizes awarded by philanthropic, educational and scholarly institutions. The Rachel Carson Prize, founded in Stavanger, Norway in 1991, is awarded to women who have made a contribution in the field of environmental protection. The American Society for Environmental History has awarded the Rachel Carson Prize for Best Dissertation since 1993. Since 1998, the Society for Social Studies of Science has awarded an annual Rachel Carson Book Prize for "a book length work of social or political relevance in the area of science and technology studies."
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_C...
Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award, recognition as a gifted writer, and financial security. Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the reissued version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.
Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. The result was Silent Spring (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people. Although Silent Spring was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy, which led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides, and it inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A variety of groups ranging from government institutions to environmental and conservation organizations to scholarly societies have celebrated Carson's life and work since her death. Perhaps most significantly, on June 9, 1980, Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. A 17¢ Great Americans series postage stamp was issued in her honor the following year; several other countries have since issued Carson postage as well.
Carson's birthplace and childhood home in Springdale, Pennsylvania — now known as the Rachel Carson Homestead—became a National Register of Historic Places site, and the nonprofit Rachel Carson Homestead Association was created in 1975 to manage it. Her home in Colesville, Maryland where she wrote Silent Spring was named a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Near Pittsburgh, a 35.7 miles (57 km) hiking trail, maintained by the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy, was dedicated to Carson in 1975. A Pittsburgh bridge was also renamed in Carson's honor as the Rachel Carson Bridge. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection State Office Building in Harrisburg is named in her honor. Elementary schools in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland, Sammamish, Washington and San Jose, California were named in her honor, as were middle schools in Beaverton, Oregon and Herndon, Virginia (Rachel Carson Middle School), and a high school in Brooklyn, New York.
Between 1964 and 1990, 650 acres (3 km2) near Brookeville in Montgomery County, Maryland were acquired and set aside as the Rachel Carson Conservation Park, administered by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In 1969, the Coastal Maine National Wildlife Refuge became the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge; expansions will bring the size of the refuge to about 9,125 acres (37 km2). In 1985, North Carolina renamed one of its estuarine reserves in honor of Carson, in Beaufort.
Carson is also a frequent namesake for prizes awarded by philanthropic, educational and scholarly institutions. The Rachel Carson Prize, founded in Stavanger, Norway in 1991, is awarded to women who have made a contribution in the field of environmental protection. The American Society for Environmental History has awarded the Rachel Carson Prize for Best Dissertation since 1993. Since 1998, the Society for Social Studies of Science has awarded an annual Rachel Carson Book Prize for "a book length work of social or political relevance in the area of science and technology studies."
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_C...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
June 27, 2018
Poetic Science
I still live where I grew up. When I was a kid, I could walk down to the end of the street and descend to the rocks by the Atlantic. Though throwing rocks at anything and everything used to occupy most of the time, or else fishing unsuccessfully, I could also investigate the tidal pools left at low tides. There I would find several kinds of snail, starfish, sea urchins, anemones, crabs of various sizes, tiny shrimp, a number of sea insects, and of course, many varieties of seaweed. It was an amazing world. Today, mainly thanks to runoff of herbicides and pesticides from the lawns of our increased population, almost none of these creatures and plants survive. Natural poverty caused by human wealth.
"Nowhere on the shore is the relation of a creature to its surroundings a matter of a single cause and effect; each living thing is bound to its world by many threads, weaving the intricate design of the fabric of life." (p.20)
We have severed most of those threads, but Rachel Carson in this book from 1955, describes in a most beautiful, poetic manner the vast web of connections amongst all the denizens of the seashore and the sea itself. She gives a warning about climate change back then in the early '50s!
Was anyone listening? Yeah, right. She connects the sea and its life with the Mystery of Life itself. Why is Life so prolific? How can we not understand that? No doubt, after the great destruction wrought by Man, in some unfathomably distant future, the earth will return to a more balanced existence, forever changing, until our star expands and dies out.
More prosaically, THE EDGE OF THE SEA is a description of many of the life forms that inhabit the coasts of New England and Florida. Tidal pools, shipworms, barnacles, snails, sea urchins, seaweed, and the interlinking of all of them. She looks at the life found on beaches (but not on blankets) and around the rocks, reefs, and mangrove swamps at "the edge of the sea". Her book is full of color, sounds, light, and many unsolved mysteries circa 1955. Due to the density of detail and description, it's not easy to absorb everything. You wonder, 63 years on, how all these creatures are faring in the ever-rising tide of plastic, pollution, and pesticides. I look at the end of my street and fear the worst. If you want to know what it WAS at least, you ought to take a look at THE EDGE OF THE SEA. Perhaps it's already a history.
I still live where I grew up. When I was a kid, I could walk down to the end of the street and descend to the rocks by the Atlantic. Though throwing rocks at anything and everything used to occupy most of the time, or else fishing unsuccessfully, I could also investigate the tidal pools left at low tides. There I would find several kinds of snail, starfish, sea urchins, anemones, crabs of various sizes, tiny shrimp, a number of sea insects, and of course, many varieties of seaweed. It was an amazing world. Today, mainly thanks to runoff of herbicides and pesticides from the lawns of our increased population, almost none of these creatures and plants survive. Natural poverty caused by human wealth.
"Nowhere on the shore is the relation of a creature to its surroundings a matter of a single cause and effect; each living thing is bound to its world by many threads, weaving the intricate design of the fabric of life." (p.20)
We have severed most of those threads, but Rachel Carson in this book from 1955, describes in a most beautiful, poetic manner the vast web of connections amongst all the denizens of the seashore and the sea itself. She gives a warning about climate change back then in the early '50s!
Was anyone listening? Yeah, right. She connects the sea and its life with the Mystery of Life itself. Why is Life so prolific? How can we not understand that? No doubt, after the great destruction wrought by Man, in some unfathomably distant future, the earth will return to a more balanced existence, forever changing, until our star expands and dies out.
More prosaically, THE EDGE OF THE SEA is a description of many of the life forms that inhabit the coasts of New England and Florida. Tidal pools, shipworms, barnacles, snails, sea urchins, seaweed, and the interlinking of all of them. She looks at the life found on beaches (but not on blankets) and around the rocks, reefs, and mangrove swamps at "the edge of the sea". Her book is full of color, sounds, light, and many unsolved mysteries circa 1955. Due to the density of detail and description, it's not easy to absorb everything. You wonder, 63 years on, how all these creatures are faring in the ever-rising tide of plastic, pollution, and pesticides. I look at the end of my street and fear the worst. If you want to know what it WAS at least, you ought to take a look at THE EDGE OF THE SEA. Perhaps it's already a history.
May 25, 2015
Rachel Carson was undoubtedly a spectacular writer, but this is essentially just a collection of descriptions, and no matter how precisely and beautifully written those descriptions are, I can only take so much before my eyes start to glaze over. Maybe I had the wrong expectations for this book going into it. I was expecting something more like Loren Eiseley's The Immense Journey, which I had just finished and loved, and which expertly combines natural description with historical trivia, personal anecdotes and metaphysical rambling. The Edge of the Sea is essentially natural description only, and while some of these descriptions are remarkable and awe-inspiring, I didn't really need to read 300 pages of them.
July 16, 2009
Rachel Carson would be cause for serious regrets re: my career if she didn't write in such a damned inspirational way. You don't need to be a marine biologist to do and see the things she does, you just need to love nature and hang out by the sea. Barring that, all you need is free time to read and an open canvas of a mind for her words to paint on.
I was with a girl digging up Coquina Clams a week or two ago, and realized how little time I'd spent by the water. That, plus finishing Carson's book, is plenty of reason to walk the tide line and dig my toes in the sand.
I was with a girl digging up Coquina Clams a week or two ago, and realized how little time I'd spent by the water. That, plus finishing Carson's book, is plenty of reason to walk the tide line and dig my toes in the sand.
June 3, 2015
If there was ever a reason to fight for keep the oceans clean and free of oil, pesticides, or hidden poisons, this book ( however outdated) is an absolute must. This should renew your desire, set a fire under your lazy arse, or raise the volume of your ecologically minded soul to do SOMETHING to save this planet..
This was written so many decades ago and you can imagine how much worse things have gotten since this first was published. The powers that be have all but destroyed our way of life. Carson warned us decades ago. No one listened.
What are we going to do about this now. The entire north east coastline has changed, in the last 50 years....Think about it!
This was written so many decades ago and you can imagine how much worse things have gotten since this first was published. The powers that be have all but destroyed our way of life. Carson warned us decades ago. No one listened.
What are we going to do about this now. The entire north east coastline has changed, in the last 50 years....Think about it!
July 19, 2024
Rachel Carson ist heute wohl am bekanntesten als Pionierin des Umweltschutzes und als Verfasserin von "Der stumme Frühling", das schon 1962 vor den üblen Auswirkungen von Pestiziden gewarnt hat. Die größte Leidenschaft der Biologin galt allerdings dem Ökosystem Meer, dem sie sich in mehreren Büchern gewidmet hat. Leider habe ich von diesem Buch hier keine aktuelle deutsche Ausgabe gefunden.
Das Original wird aber glücklicherweise nach wie vor aufgelegt und ist auch fast 70 Jahre nach Erscheinen noch äußerst lesenswert. Der Titel "The Edge of the Sea" ist Programm. Rachel Carson widmet sich hier den verschiedenen Küstenformen und den damit verbundenen Lebensräumen entlang der US-amerikanischen Ostküste: Felsküsten im Norden, die südlich anschließenden Sandstrände und schließlich die Korallenriffe, die die Meereslandschaft der Florida Keys ausmachen. Mit viel Liebe zum Detail beschreibt sie die geologische Entstehung der Landschaften und das ewige Auf und Ab der Gezeiten und die von Ebbe und Flut geprägten Lebensräume zwischen Land und Meer mit all ihren faszinierenden Bewohnern. Mit Krabben, Korallen und Muscheln rechnet man natürlich, aber mindestens genauso interessant fand ich all die Schnecken, Würmer, Schwämme, Algen und andere Wasserpflanzen, die über die verrücktesten Eigenschaften und Anpassungen verfügen.
Man spürt in jeder Zeile, wie hingerissen Rachel Carson von den Gezeitenzonen und ihren Bewohnern ist, die sie immer wieder auch selbst erforscht. Sie schreibt sehr lebendig und manchmal schon fast etwas poetisch, ohne aber schwülstig zu werden, und vermittelt dabei eine Unmenge an Wissen. Aufgrund der hohen Faktendichte habe ich für das nicht allzu dicke Buch dann auch recht lange gebraucht, was aber gar nicht negativ gemeint ist. Beim nächsten Abstecher ans Meer werde ich noch viel genauer hinschauen, was bei Ebbe am Strand los ist oder was sich alles in den kleinen Tümpeln tummelt, die beim Ablaufen der Flut auf den Felsen zurückbleiben.
Meine Ausgabe ist ergänzt durch ein informatives Vorwort und viele wunderschöne, detaillierte Zeichnungen von Bob Hines, so dass man sich die beschriebenen Lebewesen besser vorstellen kann. Eine ganz dicke Empfehlung für Meeresliebhaber und alle, die Nature Writing mögen.
Das Original wird aber glücklicherweise nach wie vor aufgelegt und ist auch fast 70 Jahre nach Erscheinen noch äußerst lesenswert. Der Titel "The Edge of the Sea" ist Programm. Rachel Carson widmet sich hier den verschiedenen Küstenformen und den damit verbundenen Lebensräumen entlang der US-amerikanischen Ostküste: Felsküsten im Norden, die südlich anschließenden Sandstrände und schließlich die Korallenriffe, die die Meereslandschaft der Florida Keys ausmachen. Mit viel Liebe zum Detail beschreibt sie die geologische Entstehung der Landschaften und das ewige Auf und Ab der Gezeiten und die von Ebbe und Flut geprägten Lebensräume zwischen Land und Meer mit all ihren faszinierenden Bewohnern. Mit Krabben, Korallen und Muscheln rechnet man natürlich, aber mindestens genauso interessant fand ich all die Schnecken, Würmer, Schwämme, Algen und andere Wasserpflanzen, die über die verrücktesten Eigenschaften und Anpassungen verfügen.
Man spürt in jeder Zeile, wie hingerissen Rachel Carson von den Gezeitenzonen und ihren Bewohnern ist, die sie immer wieder auch selbst erforscht. Sie schreibt sehr lebendig und manchmal schon fast etwas poetisch, ohne aber schwülstig zu werden, und vermittelt dabei eine Unmenge an Wissen. Aufgrund der hohen Faktendichte habe ich für das nicht allzu dicke Buch dann auch recht lange gebraucht, was aber gar nicht negativ gemeint ist. Beim nächsten Abstecher ans Meer werde ich noch viel genauer hinschauen, was bei Ebbe am Strand los ist oder was sich alles in den kleinen Tümpeln tummelt, die beim Ablaufen der Flut auf den Felsen zurückbleiben.
Meine Ausgabe ist ergänzt durch ein informatives Vorwort und viele wunderschöne, detaillierte Zeichnungen von Bob Hines, so dass man sich die beschriebenen Lebewesen besser vorstellen kann. Eine ganz dicke Empfehlung für Meeresliebhaber und alle, die Nature Writing mögen.
October 8, 2015
Rachel Carson is a trained marine biologist, but this book is much more than a scientific study regarding the flora and fauna at "The Edge of the Sea". It resonates with a poignant and reverential awareness of the life force and life cycles that colonize our world. It never retreats from a sense of awe at that same life force which eventually produced the human race, and which is still the heart of a mystery. The details of individual life cycles are portrayed for a multitude of species, and also the interdependence of those species, as in how one species typically provides food for another. To survive, the species needs to produce larvae in numbers that far exceed the actual number of mature adults that survive. The life force not only uses this over-calculation of larvae to perpetuate itself against the impact of predators, but also as a means to further extend the species by colonization across oceans. This ever-reaching depiction of the life force is certainly a trait of the human species, and may be what Goethe captured as the striving force in Faust.
This book certainly draws you into a reverential frame of mind, and at times mesmerizes. It's interesting to extrapolate and compare some of the tendencies of these simpler life forms onto the human race. One large and noticeable difference is in the value that the human species generally has put on any individual human life with its construction of morality. For the simpler species, the production of extreme numbers presume that many will not survive and will be sacrificed. Its also interesting to note that this devaluation of the individual life resurfaces for the human species in its perpetuation of war and tribal clashes.
Finally, I guarantee that when you go to the shore for the first time after reading this book, you will not look at it the same way that you once did.
This book certainly draws you into a reverential frame of mind, and at times mesmerizes. It's interesting to extrapolate and compare some of the tendencies of these simpler life forms onto the human race. One large and noticeable difference is in the value that the human species generally has put on any individual human life with its construction of morality. For the simpler species, the production of extreme numbers presume that many will not survive and will be sacrificed. Its also interesting to note that this devaluation of the individual life resurfaces for the human species in its perpetuation of war and tribal clashes.
Finally, I guarantee that when you go to the shore for the first time after reading this book, you will not look at it the same way that you once did.
August 9, 2018
I bought this book while waiting for a ferry to take me back to the mainland from Cape Lookout. I had just spent the night camping on the beach and woke up early to explore the island. While browsing the small gift shop at the ranger station this book caught my eye. I’ve known about Rachel Carson for sometime now because of Silent Spring and her influence on the environmental movement. Not having much knowledge beyond that I was intrigued to learn that she was a specialist in marine biology, something that I have adored since my childhood.
The Edge of the Sea is an absolutely charming book. Rachel Carson aptly and poetically describes and walks her readers through three different shores along the Atlantic coastline: rocky, sand, and coral all while describing the multitude of life that lives on, in, and beneath the water. Carson has the skill for describing the interactions of all of this plethora of life and how all of it interacts with one another.
I read the lion share of this book while strolling up and down the beaches of Ocracoke Island. Carson’s words vividly brought to life all that was going on around me. From the shells beneath my feet, to the different crabs frantically scuttling around the beaches at night. Addressing very technical topics, Carson still manages to make them accessible and enjoyable to read about. For anyone who loves the beach and wishes to have a deeper understanding of all of its beauty, this book is a must.
The Edge of the Sea is an absolutely charming book. Rachel Carson aptly and poetically describes and walks her readers through three different shores along the Atlantic coastline: rocky, sand, and coral all while describing the multitude of life that lives on, in, and beneath the water. Carson has the skill for describing the interactions of all of this plethora of life and how all of it interacts with one another.
I read the lion share of this book while strolling up and down the beaches of Ocracoke Island. Carson’s words vividly brought to life all that was going on around me. From the shells beneath my feet, to the different crabs frantically scuttling around the beaches at night. Addressing very technical topics, Carson still manages to make them accessible and enjoyable to read about. For anyone who loves the beach and wishes to have a deeper understanding of all of its beauty, this book is a must.
March 27, 2020
I'm not sure what to make of this book. It's been described as poetic, flowing, lyrical- I don't agree.
Whilst there are flashes of literary brilliance throughout and sumptuous descriptions of shore-dwelling life, these are pretty limited.
Overall I found the book dry and wooden, like reading a zoology/botany/biology textbook. Obviously there is information aplenty, but it tends to be repetitive and tedious.
I was expecting a lot more from this writer. Have to say I was sorely disappointed.
Whilst there are flashes of literary brilliance throughout and sumptuous descriptions of shore-dwelling life, these are pretty limited.
Overall I found the book dry and wooden, like reading a zoology/botany/biology textbook. Obviously there is information aplenty, but it tends to be repetitive and tedious.
I was expecting a lot more from this writer. Have to say I was sorely disappointed.
November 13, 2018
The Dewey Decimal system puts this in the 500's - hard science. Sure, yeah, I guess. It struck me more as Carson's love letter to the several ecosystems on the American Atlantic coast.
And Carson shows her love by enumerating and describing in grad-student field-notes-level detail all the species found there.
It's all important, and good, stuff, but came across as several laundry lists to me.
And Carson shows her love by enumerating and describing in grad-student field-notes-level detail all the species found there.
It's all important, and good, stuff, but came across as several laundry lists to me.
February 23, 2024
it was a bit punishing to get through i have to be honest. I liked the descriptions but at times they were repetitive. structure was hard to get behind. some nice fun facts.
April 22, 2025
i love science! i love the earth!
February 9, 2023
La pressione crescente che imponiamo alle coste con gli stabilimenti balneari, le case a bordo costa e con concerti a tutto volume sta letteralmente spianando la maggior parte delle forme di vita che abitano l'interfaccia tra la terra e il mare. Le persone più giovani, come anche io prima di leggere questo libro, potrebbero pensare che sulle spiagge o tra gli scogli non ci sia poi niente di così importante da vedere.
Niente di più sbagliato!
Al pari di tanti altri ecosistemi molto più conosciuti, le rive del mare sono degli ambienti dinamici caratterizzati da animali unici del loro genere: molluschi, vermi predatori, granchi talpa, stelle marine... A ogni livello della costa corrisponde un microbioma diverso che varia anche in base alla granulometria del sedimento.
Non sarà un ambiente brillante di colore come la barriera corallina, ma l'ecosistema della battigia è essenziale per la conservazione sia dell'ambiente terrestre che di quello marino.
Il lavoro straordinario di Rachel Carson racconta con passione e dovizia di particolari uno degli ambienti meno conosciuti e purtroppo anche meno protetti. Analizzando tre tipi diversi di costa ne descrive i biomi e la loro importanza ecologica con una prosa accattivante che le fa vedere con occhi completamenti diversi. Ho sempre pensato che il bello delle Scienze Naturali fosse imparare a leggere la natura e il mondo attorno a noi come fossero un libro e questo Saggio può essere un ottimo punto di partenza per chi è appassionato di questi temi.
L'edizione italiana inoltre è dotata di illustrazioni molto suggestive con i nomi delle specie citate e di un'appendice molto approfondita sui vari phyla di animali. Il catalogo di Aboca Edizioni mi sta dando un sacco di gioie in questo periodo!
Niente di più sbagliato!
Al pari di tanti altri ecosistemi molto più conosciuti, le rive del mare sono degli ambienti dinamici caratterizzati da animali unici del loro genere: molluschi, vermi predatori, granchi talpa, stelle marine... A ogni livello della costa corrisponde un microbioma diverso che varia anche in base alla granulometria del sedimento.
Non sarà un ambiente brillante di colore come la barriera corallina, ma l'ecosistema della battigia è essenziale per la conservazione sia dell'ambiente terrestre che di quello marino.
Il lavoro straordinario di Rachel Carson racconta con passione e dovizia di particolari uno degli ambienti meno conosciuti e purtroppo anche meno protetti. Analizzando tre tipi diversi di costa ne descrive i biomi e la loro importanza ecologica con una prosa accattivante che le fa vedere con occhi completamenti diversi. Ho sempre pensato che il bello delle Scienze Naturali fosse imparare a leggere la natura e il mondo attorno a noi come fossero un libro e questo Saggio può essere un ottimo punto di partenza per chi è appassionato di questi temi.
L'edizione italiana inoltre è dotata di illustrazioni molto suggestive con i nomi delle specie citate e di un'appendice molto approfondita sui vari phyla di animali. Il catalogo di Aboca Edizioni mi sta dando un sacco di gioie in questo periodo!
June 24, 2020
This is not actually the copy I read, I read this as part of a compendium, but it needs it's own review so here we go...
Rachel Carson is a legend, one of the early female scientists, unsung and by many unheard of, she worked as an aquatic biologist / marine biologist in the USA in the very early 1900's. She quit this job to become a full time writer in the 1950's but those two personal details are the ones that make her writing unique. In this book Rachel takes us on a long, detailed journey of the inhabitatins of the shores of America, mostly between Newfoundland and the Florida Keys. Her extensive biology background is used to give us a detailed, itemised list of the plants and invertebrates (mostly invertrebrates) surviving in the Atlantic zones between the lowest and the highest tides. Her exceptionally beautiful writing skills make this a journey of delight and personal discovery with heart melting poetic descritions of the shores she knew so well and quite obviously loved.
That said, it was still not my favourite of her books. I feel that the descriptions of the shores inhabitants has a hint of lists in a textbook at times. Now, that is ok, I actually enjoy reading biology and ecology textbooks. But there are a lot of inhabitants of these shores and in the chapter 'The Rocky Shore' especially, I felt she was struggling to make it through the entire list of inhabitants (there are a lot of them, on those shores) while still personalising them. The first couple of chapters where she discusses the ecology and the stresses of the shore zones, that was great and I enjoyed them a lot. The chapter 'The Coral Coast' was for me the weakest, first of all, it felt to me like this was the coast that the author knew the least, while it is the type of coast I know the best.
As marine science and biology have advanced a great deal since this was written some elements are quite wrong. That never distracts from the beauty of the writing, nor from the enthusiasm Rachel brings to her topics, a lot of the classifications are still sound. But, not quite all of them and if you are reading this book without having prior knowledge of the topic, that is really worth bearing in mind.
All in all though, still a magical book about the point at which the land meets the sea. Written about how those seas were, almost a century ago. I am not sure that they are still near as pristine and magical as they were when Rachel studied them and loved them, but the magic still comes through.
Rachel Carson is a legend, one of the early female scientists, unsung and by many unheard of, she worked as an aquatic biologist / marine biologist in the USA in the very early 1900's. She quit this job to become a full time writer in the 1950's but those two personal details are the ones that make her writing unique. In this book Rachel takes us on a long, detailed journey of the inhabitatins of the shores of America, mostly between Newfoundland and the Florida Keys. Her extensive biology background is used to give us a detailed, itemised list of the plants and invertebrates (mostly invertrebrates) surviving in the Atlantic zones between the lowest and the highest tides. Her exceptionally beautiful writing skills make this a journey of delight and personal discovery with heart melting poetic descritions of the shores she knew so well and quite obviously loved.
That said, it was still not my favourite of her books. I feel that the descriptions of the shores inhabitants has a hint of lists in a textbook at times. Now, that is ok, I actually enjoy reading biology and ecology textbooks. But there are a lot of inhabitants of these shores and in the chapter 'The Rocky Shore' especially, I felt she was struggling to make it through the entire list of inhabitants (there are a lot of them, on those shores) while still personalising them. The first couple of chapters where she discusses the ecology and the stresses of the shore zones, that was great and I enjoyed them a lot. The chapter 'The Coral Coast' was for me the weakest, first of all, it felt to me like this was the coast that the author knew the least, while it is the type of coast I know the best.
As marine science and biology have advanced a great deal since this was written some elements are quite wrong. That never distracts from the beauty of the writing, nor from the enthusiasm Rachel brings to her topics, a lot of the classifications are still sound. But, not quite all of them and if you are reading this book without having prior knowledge of the topic, that is really worth bearing in mind.
All in all though, still a magical book about the point at which the land meets the sea. Written about how those seas were, almost a century ago. I am not sure that they are still near as pristine and magical as they were when Rachel studied them and loved them, but the magic still comes through.
February 8, 2016
This book was a gift from my son during a trip to Acadia, USA. It was a wake-up call. Though we loved hiking in the rocky areas, we did not really explore the coastline.
I took a long time to finish the book, because this is a virtual text book! When my family sugggested a trip to the Florida Keys, I was inspired to finish the read.
Carson's book focuses on the plants and invertebrates surviving in the Atlantic zones between the lowest and the highest tides, between Newfoundland and the Florida keys.
The sketches, by Bob Hines, of marine animals who live there are extremely helpful. The Appendix: classification is a great reference. I doubt I could have gotten throught the book otherwise, in spite of the beautiful prose.
Though I have spent many hours photographing seaweed, algae, barnacles, snails, mussels, jellyfish, clams, and footprints in the sand, I have never stopped to wonder how it all works......how these animals reproduce and survive, how the moon influences the tide, the vegetation, and the life of marine animals. This book says it all!
Alas! To really know what is happening there, we have to be interested enough, study biology, make a point of being out there at night, see what is happening when the tide goes out and then when the tide comes back in. Like Rachel Carson has done.....Awesome!
It is a far cry from sitting on the beach....
I took a long time to finish the book, because this is a virtual text book! When my family sugggested a trip to the Florida Keys, I was inspired to finish the read.
Carson's book focuses on the plants and invertebrates surviving in the Atlantic zones between the lowest and the highest tides, between Newfoundland and the Florida keys.
The sketches, by Bob Hines, of marine animals who live there are extremely helpful. The Appendix: classification is a great reference. I doubt I could have gotten throught the book otherwise, in spite of the beautiful prose.
Though I have spent many hours photographing seaweed, algae, barnacles, snails, mussels, jellyfish, clams, and footprints in the sand, I have never stopped to wonder how it all works......how these animals reproduce and survive, how the moon influences the tide, the vegetation, and the life of marine animals. This book says it all!
Alas! To really know what is happening there, we have to be interested enough, study biology, make a point of being out there at night, see what is happening when the tide goes out and then when the tide comes back in. Like Rachel Carson has done.....Awesome!
It is a far cry from sitting on the beach....
August 19, 2018
Didn't finish. 50 pages in and all she has done is describe in great, great detail every creature/plant that lives there. Reminds me of a bird field guide but without the pictures or structured descriptions. Her prose was excellent, but not what I was looking for. Moving on to something else.
May 22, 2025
Stunning prose about the creatures that live where the sea meets the sand & rocks. Her writing has such an illustrative style & I learned so much, especially about tide pools. Listening to this book felt like an oceanic head massage 🎧🌊
September 14, 2013
She has a flair for brilliant analogy, but it only shows itself occasionally. As always, all the evolutionary assumptions were irritating.
September 3, 2020
Environmental/Natural literature is a genre I'm increasingly drawn to, so the array of writings that Carson has published have been on my to-read list for some time.
Though Carson goes into the minutia of sea potatoes, lonely snails, and various kelp, her book reads more like poetry than scientific musings. Consider:
"By day the sunlight filters through the jungle of rockweeds to reach its floor only in shifting patches of shadow-flecked gold; by night the moonlight spreads a silver ceiling above the forest--a ceiling streaked and broken by the flowing tide streams."
It's a beautiful sentence, the kind you want to roll around in your mouth for a bit before moving on to the next one. Nearly every sentence is crafted in this way, meaning the reading is often slow-going.
My schedule is currently overflowing, so this book, forcing me to slow down for a few moments each day, was a much appreciated companion. I think I'll return to some of her other works later, but probably at a time when I can dedicate longer stretches.
Though Carson goes into the minutia of sea potatoes, lonely snails, and various kelp, her book reads more like poetry than scientific musings. Consider:
"By day the sunlight filters through the jungle of rockweeds to reach its floor only in shifting patches of shadow-flecked gold; by night the moonlight spreads a silver ceiling above the forest--a ceiling streaked and broken by the flowing tide streams."
It's a beautiful sentence, the kind you want to roll around in your mouth for a bit before moving on to the next one. Nearly every sentence is crafted in this way, meaning the reading is often slow-going.
My schedule is currently overflowing, so this book, forcing me to slow down for a few moments each day, was a much appreciated companion. I think I'll return to some of her other works later, but probably at a time when I can dedicate longer stretches.
April 29, 2022
Meditative and immersive. Having grown up along the Pacific ocean, the world of the Atlantic tidal eco-systems felt both foreign and familiar to me. Carson leads the reader into into the landscape of the tides, guiding you to wonder at the minute details amongst the abundance of life. The poetic strength of this book is what leads me to giving only four stars rather than five. I want to note that this is due to my own personal preference of writing rather than an actual fault of book itself. I felt myself craving more structure to link together all the different scenes and interludes, but I think had Carson imposed more of a narrative arch it would have been antithetical to the message of the book itself. By flowing through various scenes of the Atlantic tidal zones, she more aptly captures the truth of this world: life while having a beginning and end is not linear in its development demonstrated through the multitude of beings evolving to exist in their environments.
December 7, 2024
Rachel Carson zeigt in ihrem Buch, dass nicht nur das Meer interessant ist und schreibt deshalb hauptsächlich über das, was am Strand passiert. Sie lenkt den Blick ihrer LeserInnen auf das Leben in den kleinen Pools am Strand. Das Leben der kleinen Wesen zwischen den Steinen ist genauso vielfältig wie das der großen Fische im Meer. Ich habe gelern, dass man in die Pools nicht nur hineinsehen, sondern auch hineinhören muss.
Aber wie die Großen auch sind die Kleinen gefährdet, denn Meer und Strand hängen zusammen: was im Meer passiert, hat auch Auswirkungen auf das Leben an dessen Rand. Vieles hat sich getan, seit Rachel Carson ihr Buch geschrieben hat, in beide Richtungen. Ich bin auch sicher, dass sie nicht die Einzige mit dieser Weitsicht auf die Folgen dessen, was sie beschreibt, war. Aber offensichtlich waren es nicht genug Stimmen oder sie waren nicht laut genug, denn das Leben, das sie in ihrem Buch beschreibt, ist mittlerweile längst nicht mehr so vielfältig.
Aber wie die Großen auch sind die Kleinen gefährdet, denn Meer und Strand hängen zusammen: was im Meer passiert, hat auch Auswirkungen auf das Leben an dessen Rand. Vieles hat sich getan, seit Rachel Carson ihr Buch geschrieben hat, in beide Richtungen. Ich bin auch sicher, dass sie nicht die Einzige mit dieser Weitsicht auf die Folgen dessen, was sie beschreibt, war. Aber offensichtlich waren es nicht genug Stimmen oder sie waren nicht laut genug, denn das Leben, das sie in ihrem Buch beschreibt, ist mittlerweile längst nicht mehr so vielfältig.
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January 25, 2020Author obviously love the coastal ecosystem a lot and her descriptions are beautiful and detailed. There is a LOT more geological history than I was expecting. Ultimately this seems like a fun book to have on hand while you're wandering on the beach, a nice hardcover to grace the shelves of a beach house, maybe, but unless you, too, really love the shores, there is a lot that reads like one of those field guides, except all the photos are translated to words. No matter how beautifully described, that's a lot of repetitive, highly detailed descriptions to wade through for fun.
March 18, 2024
This book goes into very deep details of the three types of edges of the sea - rocky beach, sandy beach, coral reef. The book could be used as a marine biology primer. I spent a lot of time in high school at the rocky beach and found this book fascinating. While I have seen a lot, this book also gave me a feel for how much I had missed. If you don't have much of a science type of background around beaches, you might not enjoy this book. If you do and wish you knew more, this is the book for you.
February 19, 2018
Beautiful book. Just the kind I like to read during January.
“It is in part a sense of the unhurried deliberation of earth processes that move with infinite leisure, with all eternity at their disposal.”
This goes on the shelf next to John McPhee. It’s the next best thing to spending a month by the sea.
May 8, 2020
Rachel Carson brings the world of these tiny creatures to life. The complexity, mystery, and beauty of creatures that are so small and yet have dynamic and complex relationship with their world is described in a way that has inspired me to notice and wonder about the things I see.
April 27, 2025
5 / 5 Stars 🌟
I loved Rachel Carsons' brand of lyrically leaning, well-informed science dissemination. I continue to look up to her and her devotion to living life, noticing the minute intricacies around her. I hate that it took me so long to finish, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.
I loved Rachel Carsons' brand of lyrically leaning, well-informed science dissemination. I continue to look up to her and her devotion to living life, noticing the minute intricacies around her. I hate that it took me so long to finish, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.
February 25, 2022
This is one of my favorite books about the natural world and the creatures we share this earth with. The way she wrote about each species made me fall in love with nature even more.
July 14, 2022
i love silly little barnacles and learning about the cambrian era this was so fun, appreciate the reference pictures that came with the text!
January 19, 2023
Rachel Carson is my queen
April 22, 2023
This is dense and lush, and I got lost a lot and it started to all feel like word salad. I probably will try to read it again in a bit and reassess my rating then. I think once I get into it’s own tide pull my brain will sort it out.
March 21, 2019
A very interesting and for a layperson detail view of the inter-tidal zone. If you are not interested in the numerous and varied creatures that inhabit the shoreline at low and high tide, this book may not be for you. If you are, it will be a goldmine.
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