Putting up my umbrella on the sand to begin Beach Week
A decade before Silent Spring, this was a best seller. It is one of the most well-written books on natural history I’ve ever read. The lyrical prose is grounded firmly in science, yet conveys the wonder and majesty of the sea. Taking a subject as immense as the ocean, Carson meets it with a full understanding which she imparts to the reader.
Though she discusses expected topics such as currents and fish migration, she also brings up things I’ve never thought of, like undersea mountain ranges and seasonal changes. She ponders the mysteries of things such as Greenland settlements, fish never seen outside of seals’ stomachs and how the Sargasso Sea sustains itself. I was riveted reading about volcanoes that begin underwater and the colors of deep sea fish. Carson uses historical and global references, as well as modern ones, to demonstrate her points, making the book feel quite encompassing. And does it all with a poetic turn of phrase, describing “plankton meadows” and a wave that “dissolves in a seething confusion of foam.”
Her focus is on the natural world, but she does bring up man’s influence, though in a much more subtle way than in Silent Spring. That one was a warning bell, this one is a sign by the roadside. She sketches an unforgettable image of what happens to sperm whales diving over 500 fathoms after squid, becoming entangled with loose communication cables, catching in their jaw and then wrapping around their bodies as they thrash to escape. I was shocked to read her passages on global warming (remember, this was 1951 !) and how it had become accelerated in the modern era. For instance, the artist Thomas Hill painted the huge Muir Glacier in Alaska in 1887, it had completely disappeared 64 years later.
The Illustrated Commemorative Edition is filled with stunning photos to accompany the text, often showing species that may be unfamiliar to the reader. My favorite one was of a grey whale feeding in a kelp bed, because of its prehistoric atmosphere. The numerous photos made a splendid book more so. The only flaw was an extremely long introduction by Bob Ballard, who mistakenly thought the book was about him, as he gave a detailed autobiography of himself. I don’t think he even mentioned Rachel Carson. But that can easily be skipped over, it can’t mar a treasure as fascinating as The Sea Around Us.
Oxford University Press 2003 (originally 1951) 274 pp. ISBN 0-19-514701-4
Jackie enjoys painting undersea creatures. To see some of them, go here.
Sounds amazing – and very poetic!
Axxx
Wonderfully alluring review, Jackie – having known about this book all my adult life, I must finally read it. A bit of a shame about the egotistical intro.
Oh I love the sound of this. I want this book. (Are you listening, relatives?).
Sounds like my husband’s birthday present!
I was given this book many years ago – as a child. I think I was actually far too young for it at the time, because it didn’t make any impression on me at all until I returned to it many years later as an adult.
I love your comparison about The Silent Spring being a warning bell and The Sea Around Us being a sign by the roadside. Right on the money!
Excellent review with some very vivid images (including the poor sperm whale).
“fish never seen outside of seals’ stomachs”. Love that sentence.
Really enjoyed this piece, Jackie. The Sea Around Us sounds fab.
I really must read this book. I want to read about underwater volcanos from someone who wrote before we had the technology we have now. Thanks Jackie! I think it is time for me to read Silent Spring again as well.