The Sea: Nature and Culture

by Richard Hamblyn

Sailing across time and geography, the imaginary and the real, The Sea chronicles the many physical and cultural meanings of the watery abyss.
 
This book explores the sea and its meanings from ancient myths to contemporary geopolitics, from Atlantis to the Mediterranean migrant crisis. Richard Hamblyn traces a cultural and geographical journey from estuary to abyss, beginning with the topographies of the shoreline and ending with the likely futures of our maritime environments. Along the way he considers the sea as a site of work and endurance; of story and song; of language, leisure, and longing. By meditating on the sea as both a physical and a cultural presence, the book shines new light on the sea and its indelible place in the human imagination.

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 26, 2021

About the author

Richard Hamblyn studied at the universities of Essex and Cambridge, where he wrote a doctoral dissertation on 18th-century topographical writing. His first book, The Invention of Clouds (2001) told the story of Luke Howard, the amateur meteorologist who named the clouds in 1802; his other publications include The Cloud Book (2008) and Extraordinary Clouds (2009), both published in association with the (UK) Met Office; Data Soliloquies (2009), co-written with the digital artist Martin John Callanan; and Terra: Tales of the Earth, a collection of stories about major natural disasters. His anthology, The Art of Science: A Natural History of Ideas, was published by Picador in October 2011. It is a wide-ranging collection of readable science writing from the Babylonians to the Higgs boson.

Reviews

[Borgia Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is customary for books on environmental subjects to end on hopeful rather than disheartened notes, but in truth it’s hard to be hopeful about the long-term future of our seas.”

A relatively short but competently eclectic look at the history of mankind’s relationship with the oceans. This is a fantastic read that, while not exhaustive in any one direction, plants all kinds of concepts in the reader’s head while providing plenty of references to avenues for further research. I loved it! 😍

[Lewis Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book which really gives you an insight into all aspects of the sea such as historical uses, myths, life today. Brilliant read