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The Sea Trilogy: Under the Sea-Wind / The Sea Around Us / The Edge of the Sea
Before her landmark 1962 book Silent Spring catalyzed the environmental movement by alerting the world to the devastating effects of chemical pesticides, Rachel Carson achieved an international reputation as a “poet of the sea,” author of a trilogy of celebrated books about the world’s oceans. Lyrical, deeply personal, and rigorously researched, these three classics of American science and nature writing are now collected in this deluxe Library of America volume.
Under the Sea-Wind (1941), Carson’s stunning debut, offers an intimate account of the intricacies of maritime ecology, traced through a year in the lives of more than a dozen creatures of sea and shore—in particular, a sanderling, a mackerel, and an eel—as they interact amid the enduring ebb and flow of the tides. The fruit of years of study as a scientist for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, Under the Sea-Wind fulfills Carson’s wish “to make the sea and its life as vivid a reality for those who may read the book as it has become for me during the past decade.”
The Sea Around Us (1951)—a National Book Award winner and international best seller—draws on a wealth of oceanographic, meteorological, biological, and historical research to present its subject on a grand, biospheric scale. Carson’s “biography of the sea” reveals many mysteries of the still-unfathomed depths, and an abiding reverence for the ocean as a source of global climate and of life itself.
The Edge of the Sea (1955) explores the small creatures that live where ocean meets land: the shorelines and tidepools accessible to any beachcomber. Part handbook, part hymn to ecological complexity, it is a book that conveys the sense of wonder in nature for which Carson is justly celebrated.
Carson’s Sea Trilogy is presented here with an introduction by writer and biologist Sandra Steingraber, a 16-page portfolio of photographs, a detailed chronology of Carson’s life and career, helpful notes, and an index.
Under the Sea-Wind (1941), Carson’s stunning debut, offers an intimate account of the intricacies of maritime ecology, traced through a year in the lives of more than a dozen creatures of sea and shore—in particular, a sanderling, a mackerel, and an eel—as they interact amid the enduring ebb and flow of the tides. The fruit of years of study as a scientist for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, Under the Sea-Wind fulfills Carson’s wish “to make the sea and its life as vivid a reality for those who may read the book as it has become for me during the past decade.”
The Sea Around Us (1951)—a National Book Award winner and international best seller—draws on a wealth of oceanographic, meteorological, biological, and historical research to present its subject on a grand, biospheric scale. Carson’s “biography of the sea” reveals many mysteries of the still-unfathomed depths, and an abiding reverence for the ocean as a source of global climate and of life itself.
The Edge of the Sea (1955) explores the small creatures that live where ocean meets land: the shorelines and tidepools accessible to any beachcomber. Part handbook, part hymn to ecological complexity, it is a book that conveys the sense of wonder in nature for which Carson is justly celebrated.
Carson’s Sea Trilogy is presented here with an introduction by writer and biologist Sandra Steingraber, a 16-page portfolio of photographs, a detailed chronology of Carson’s life and career, helpful notes, and an index.
743 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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705 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Carson
56 books1,828 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 1, 2022
An exceptional look at the forbidden world of the sea from a brilliant mind and wonderful writer. Carson is also the author of Silent Spring, which was a landmark book that forced Congress to enact several groundbreaking laws to protect the environment. Both books are highly recommended.
January 13, 2023
Appearing for the first time in a single volume are Rachel Carson’s first three books, Under the Sea-Wind (1941), The Sea Around Us (1951), and The Edge of the Sea (1955), whose vast popularity helped set the stage for her epoch-making Silent Spring. Carson’s genius for synthesizing scientific data and balancing expository passages with beautiful, emotive language carries the layperson from the primordial past to the current moment, fathoming the oceans’ mysterious deeps or beachcombing along their encircling tidal zones, the theater of our own “dim, ancestral beginnings.” While their science may have aged somewhat, these books’ endless sense of wonder feels fresh and persuasive, and one has to ponder – as biologist Sandra Steingraber does in her thoughtful introduction – how stirringly Carson might have written about the current plight of our seas and planet. Taken together these books represent a high water mark in popular science writing, and a still timely immersion for readers young and old in the preciousness and fragility of our home.
November 11, 2024
Rachel Carson’s work before “Silent Spring,” as compiled here, reflects her breathtaking gift for writing and her deep connection to the natural world. Many times while reading these three works, I would gasp at an utterly stirring phrase woven into the more scientific descriptions of marine life.
I think I liked “Under the Sea Wind” (1941) best because of its strong narrative. I struggled slightly with the tone change in “The Sea Around Us” (1952), but felt more connected to Carson’s now-iconic sense of wonder with “The Edge of the Sea” (1955).
I think I liked “Under the Sea Wind” (1941) best because of its strong narrative. I struggled slightly with the tone change in “The Sea Around Us” (1952), but felt more connected to Carson’s now-iconic sense of wonder with “The Edge of the Sea” (1955).
December 28, 2023
This Library of America publication got reviewed in the New York Review of Books which focused on how humans are so sidelined in Carsons writing which makes it is refreshing. That perspective made me immediately buy it.
Published in the 1940s when she wasn’t yet famous these were separate books and published at different times but all three work well together. The first completely take the perspective of the animal be it a fish, bird or eel and presents the world and its hazards from that perspective. The next book was my favorite because the focus is on the geology of the ocean. I particularly enjoyed how she talks about the rise and often fall of islands. The final one looks at that netherworld between the land and the sea and the many fascinating inhabitants. Her prose is warm and wondrous. She made me feel like I was smelling the sea, sand and salty air.
The larger impact the book had on me is to see the sea as a stand-in for all of life. That the ocean is more obviously interconnected largely because water is the currency of the realm. Land domains unite over air but that isn’t as tangible so we can’t see our connectedness. There are whales, dolphins and sharks that dominate the ocean and its life forms but they all know their places so there is a unity, a synchronicity that on land human have wrecked. We are trying to do the same in the ocean but we are more limited in the scope of our destruction. Because humans can’t dominate in the same way, Carson is able to show the variety of astonishing life that we aren’t a part of and this gives me hope that we (humans) will not outlast life in all its better forms.
Published in the 1940s when she wasn’t yet famous these were separate books and published at different times but all three work well together. The first completely take the perspective of the animal be it a fish, bird or eel and presents the world and its hazards from that perspective. The next book was my favorite because the focus is on the geology of the ocean. I particularly enjoyed how she talks about the rise and often fall of islands. The final one looks at that netherworld between the land and the sea and the many fascinating inhabitants. Her prose is warm and wondrous. She made me feel like I was smelling the sea, sand and salty air.
The larger impact the book had on me is to see the sea as a stand-in for all of life. That the ocean is more obviously interconnected largely because water is the currency of the realm. Land domains unite over air but that isn’t as tangible so we can’t see our connectedness. There are whales, dolphins and sharks that dominate the ocean and its life forms but they all know their places so there is a unity, a synchronicity that on land human have wrecked. We are trying to do the same in the ocean but we are more limited in the scope of our destruction. Because humans can’t dominate in the same way, Carson is able to show the variety of astonishing life that we aren’t a part of and this gives me hope that we (humans) will not outlast life in all its better forms.
January 17, 2023
Three books on the sea, shore to deepest depths, told from points of view of inhabitants. Traces the long history and changing circumstances of both places and inhabitants. Written before the focus on global climate change, puts perspective on that; the climate and the sea has always been changing.
February 21, 2024
Carson lyckas göra något speciellt med denna trilogi, att skapa en faktabok som mer påminner om en skönlitterär berättelse. På ett målande sätt beskriver hon den värld som för de flesta av oss är helt okänd och, i och med den tid vi nu lever i vår tids utmaningar, vad vi är på väg att förlora för gott.
När jag läste denna trilogi gjorde jag dock misstaget att läsa alla tre böcker i sträck. Effekten blev att läsupplevelsen kändes repetitiv och tillslut började jag skumma igenom ytterligare sida efter sida om sjögräs och sniglar… Den som tar sig an trilogin gör enligt mig rätt i att dela upp läsningen och bryta av med annan litteratur emellan.
Nästa gång ska jag i alla fall göra det, då får trilogin förhoppningsvis ett högre betyg från mig. Nu lägger jag tillbaka denna i bokhyllan och plockar fram något riktigt lättsmält.
När jag läste denna trilogi gjorde jag dock misstaget att läsa alla tre böcker i sträck. Effekten blev att läsupplevelsen kändes repetitiv och tillslut började jag skumma igenom ytterligare sida efter sida om sjögräs och sniglar… Den som tar sig an trilogin gör enligt mig rätt i att dela upp läsningen och bryta av med annan litteratur emellan.
Nästa gång ska jag i alla fall göra det, då får trilogin förhoppningsvis ett högre betyg från mig. Nu lägger jag tillbaka denna i bokhyllan och plockar fram något riktigt lättsmält.
February 28, 2023
It's difficult to put into words what her books have meant to me.
The writing is clear, poetic in places, and definitely hard hitting. A true gem in Eco-fiction, I would recommend everyone to try at least one of her books. The warning signs in her books still hold true and knowing the subject in and out is the only way we can imagine ways to save it.
The writing is clear, poetic in places, and definitely hard hitting. A true gem in Eco-fiction, I would recommend everyone to try at least one of her books. The warning signs in her books still hold true and knowing the subject in and out is the only way we can imagine ways to save it.
March 28, 2024
Three books in one! Beautifully written books about the sea and shore creatures. Things I thought were plants are really animals. The microscopic residents of the sea and shore have such a huge impact on all the other inhabitants. I was surprised to learn so much about all kinds of worms, snails, and fleas. Educational and entertaining.
September 9, 2025
Thorough, beautiful, and an incredible collection for those looking to deepen their understanding of oceanic life.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews