Reviews (17)

This book makes the hobby 'real' for my kids
I purchased this book after my children (4, 5) developed an interest in collecting sea glass after finding their first pieces on the beach. This summer we collected pounds of the stuff on vacation, and the children couldn't wait to get home to the book to see if they had found any rare colors (we found gray, pink and black!).
Love it
I love this book. the pictures are wonderful...i am going to look for more seaglass...thank you

Pure Sea Glass
This a wonderful book - whether you are a sea glass collector or not!The photography is beautiful and there is a wealth of information for both the serious and novice collector.I immediately looked through my collection for "finds" and can't wait to get back to the beach to find more. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts / Hobbies    2. Glass & Glassware    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Oceans & Seas    6. Sea glass   

Reviews (3)

Oceanography Text Book
Purchase and delivery were right on key.Very pleased with whole process.Item arrived in excellent condition.My daughter received a B+ on her first Oceanography College Exam (just points away from an A).That makes all the difference in the world....................Thanks.

One of Tom Garrison's Students
I took Tom Garrison's class at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, CA.Wonderful class!He taught along with the book and every session was both insightful and interesting.Dr. Garrison is without a match in instructional etiquette and eloquence.Indeed, this book showcases his best work on the subject.Read the book...Be educated by the diagrams and charts...Be taken back at the amazing realms of life under the ocean...And most of all, be in awe of a marvelous earth (or "Oceanus") that is in great need of our consideration right now.Otherwise we end up dead like the aliens...Oops..I hope I did't give a way the ending!If you have few bucks, come and take the class at OCC.You will be so glad you did.Just don't come in late through one of the side doors, or leave your cell phone on.He can't STAND those things!It drives him CRAZY!

Best textbook I've ever read.
This textbook is very well written.It is ubnderstandible to students and others of all ages and interests.It contains intersting color pictures and graphics about the subject material for each chapter. Each chapter alsocontains web links to a homepage that accompanies the book.The book isfull of intersting personal stories, history, theory, and facts.Dr.Garrison and all who have contributed to this book have set the standardfor textbooks and integrated learning for the next decade. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    2. Oceans & Seas    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Science / Oceanography   

Reviews (13)

Good for quick reference
If you already know a bit about corals, this is a nice book to have around for quick reference.I especially like that it lists similar corals and gives some basic information on how to tell them apart.It can be deceptive, though.The information it gives on the specific corals is very general, and should not be considered a good source for research on a coral you're planning to actually buy.Don't get me wrong, though.I'm happy I have this book, but I'd suggest supplementing it with a text such as Eric Bourneman's "Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History".This text will actually give you much more specific information on requirements to care for the corals, as well as some better techniques to identify certain corals, since many look very similar, and there's no way any book could show every possible shape and color for many species.

good picture book
Book has lots of good pictures to help you identify corals.IN this manner it can be used as a min-coral atlas.
Good First Reference Text, pity about poor quality binding and packaging
A wonderful first reference text from Julian Sprung. The necessary information is well presented and communicated in a clear manner. A word of advice, don't get the hardcover version as it looses pages through poor binding and Amazon's inability to package adequately results in the corners being damaged in transit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Coral reef animals    2. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    3. Identification    4. Marine Life    5. Marine invertebrates    6. Nature    7. Oceans & Seas    8. Reference    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics   

Reviews (5)

Perfect Gift
I stumbled upon this book recently on Martha's Vineyard.It is a gem!Take the time to enjoy this book, with both prose and photos to appreciate the beach stones of your past, present and future.Buy it!

Take another look at the stones of the beach
It's amazing how Nature crafts beautiful objects from simple rocks strewn across any beach.These treasures are there for the enjoyment of anyone at any time.If you have time to stop and smell the roses, you have time to drink in the awesome charm of the stones of the beach as presented in this fine book.

An excellent book!
A must for anyone who has enjoyed collecting small, beautiful items - especially walking on a beach or along a stream bed.The text is interesting; the photographs are amazing with the stones beautifully arranged.An inspired way to look at nature's handiwork. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    2. Iselin, Josie    3. Nature Photography    4. Oceans & Seas    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photography    7. Photography of rocks    8. Rocks & Minerals    9. Sedimentary Rocks    10. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    11. Nature / Oceans & Seas    12. Photographs: collections    13. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (15)

Beston is without a doubt the best!
I wouldn't dream of heading for the Cape without this book--Henry Beston captures the Cape more beautifully than any other author.THE OUTERMOST HOUSE is one of those enchanting books which improves with each rereading.

Customers interested in this title may also be interested in ...
Since Amazon hasn't provide a link between Outermost House, by Beston, and The Winter Beach, by Charlton Ogburn (ISBN 068809418X), I would like to suggest here that, if you like Outermost House, you will almost certainly enjoy The Winter Beach, as well.From the jacket description: "A naturalist and man of rare wisdom shares with you his journeys along the Atlantic shore."

Bird-watching the Soul
There's an H.G. Wells story (in Bloom's anthology for children) called "The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes"; the title character is struck by lightning and undergoes a visual hallucination in which he believes he sees a desolate island, or as he puts it, "Dark sea and sunrise!And yet I'm sitting on a sofa in old Boyce's room!...God help me!"I didn't think much of the story at the time I read it, but now, on reading "The Outermost House," I find it a remarkably excellent and relevant critique of American nature writing.Surrounded by friends and family, Davidson's gaze is turned inward-or rather projected far outward-to a pristine setting that becomes a horror to the reader.
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Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography    2. Ecology    3. Essays    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. Natural History    6. Nature    7. Oceans & Seas   

Subjects:  1. Biogeochemistry    2. Chemical oceanography    3. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    4. Life Sciences - Biology - General    5. Mathematical models    6. Oceans & Seas    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Biological Sciences    10. Earth Sciences    11. Hydrobiology    12. Oceanography (seas)    13. Physics    14. Science / Biology   

Reviews (3)

lovely illustrations
Let me say right away that this book is rather abbreviated. If you really are intently interested in oceanography, try Garrison's full text. But this Essentials text will convey enough of the field to let you decide if oceanography is a pursuit foryou.
Excellent service
Thank you so much for excellent and fast service. This book is in great condition. I would prefer going through you again!

Oceanography
The new Edition is the 3rd Edition (1999) /resp ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    2. Oceanography    3. Oceans & Seas    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Textbooks    7. Oceanography (seas)    8. Science / Oceanography   

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Ocean    5. Oceans & Seas    6. Nature / Oceans & Seas   

Reviews (7)

Fascinating facts about the ocean.
The book is truly fascinating. Turning the pages of the book you will see the beauty that lies within the depths of water. Even in the most ugliest of blue whales you will find beauty which you will enjoy...

Water world
A wonderful book with absolutely staggering photography throughout.You can snorkle and scuba-dive without even leaving your armchair.Just flicking through it when it first arrived I saw page after page of creatures I had never seen before.Packed with information, beautifully presented on good quality paper. What else can you expect from a product linked to the BBC, David Attenborough, and Discovery Channel. DK publishing excel again.The authors Andrew Byatt, Alastair Fothergill and Martha Holmes deserve a round of applause. This is a much valued addition to my collection of books.

Truly a great book
After watching the 'Blue Planet' documentaries on TV I developed an interest about life under the sea.Some of the documentary footage was truly groundbreaking work in terms ofcapturing the animals on film and bringing it to our homes in such a unique way.Read more

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    2. Marine Life    3. Marine animals    4. Marine biology    5. Marine ecology    6. Nature    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Ocean    10. Oceans & Seas    11. Nature / Oceans & Seas   

Reviews (132)

Spellbinding story - uneven writing and organization
This is a spellbinding book on a scuba diving drama that raises mixed emotions, as it combines a variety of topics and experiences and confronts the reader with a number of challenges. As the title implies, it is nominally about the last dive of Chris and Chrissie Rouse, a dare-devil father-and-son scuba dive team that perished in 1992 while trying to unlock the secrets of an undocumented German U-Boat laying at 230 feet of water about 60 miles off the New York/New Jersey coast.
Intriguing study of what drives risk takers
Bringing their only child into the world, and making a lifetime commitment to each other, changed everything for Chris and Sue Rouse when they faced her unplanned pregnancy. Chris was 18 years old, and still in high school, when Chris Jr. - known throughout his life as "Chrissy" - arrived. Sue gave up her dreams of college, a career, and world travel so the young couple could build a business and a family instead. Eventually they succeeded so well financially that Chris could afford such hobbies as owning his own small airplane. Then he discovered scuba diving, a sport to which he promptly introduced both Sue and Chrissy; and the Rouse family's lives changed again. Never inclined toward doing anything by halves, they soon moved from recreational diving - a relatively safe pursuit - to the adrenaline rush of cave diving.
A Must Read For Any Wreck Diver
Bernie Chowdury does a great job at giving an in depth look in the life and death of the Rouse's. This book is a must read for anyone involved in the sport of Wreck Diving. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family/Marriage    4. Oceans & Seas    5. Outdoor Skills    6. Parenting - Fatherhood    7. Scuba & Snorkeling    8. Winter Sports    9. Sports & Recreation / Outdoor Skills   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Antiquities, Prehistoric    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Bouches-du-Rhone    5. Bouches-du-Rhãone    6. Cave paintings    7. Cosquer Cave (France)    8. France    9. History - Prehistoric & Primitive    10. Nature    11. Nature/Ecology    12. Oceans & Seas    13. Petroglyphs    14. Prehistoric Archaeology    15. Prehistoric Art    16. Art of indigenous peoples    17. History of art: pre-history    18. Mediterranean Sea    19. Social Science / Anthropology / General   

Editorial Review

In October 1998, a wayward tropical storm blossomed into one of the most powerful hurricanes in modern history. When it finished its devastating course throughout the Caribbean, Hurricane Mitch had killed thousands of people, left hundreds of thousands more homeless, and destroyed whole towns. Journalist Jim Carrier turns up a small but telling incident: the disappearance of a 282-foot schooner called the Fantome. Guided by a young but accomplished English captain and manned by seasoned West Indian sailors, the cruise ship put into port in Belize to discharge its passengers, then set out to sea in an attempt to outrace a storm that, defying expectation, changed its course and in the end sent the Fantome and its crew beneath the waves. All that was terrible enough; added to it was the legal battle that awaited the crew's survivors, one that hung over the disaster "like a poisonous cloud." Following the Fantome's course hour by hour, Carrier covers all aspects of the incident thoroughly and sympathetically. His book makes a compelling companion to Sebastian Junger's Read more

Reviews (30)

A great read and fun, too!
This is a great book but it states that a 1935 hurricane in Florida sandblasted victims into particles,
Great Read
Became interested in this story after seeing a short documentary about Captain Burke and his Windjammer Co on travel channel.He seems to haunted to this day by this tragedy.The book is well written and I could picture the story in my mind as I read it.One has to wonder about their last minutes aboard this ship as they moved into the storms eye.Certainly recommend.

I was there
I was a passenger on that last trip the Fantone made.We spent only one night on board before being evacuated from Belize City.The Windjammer Corporation took very good care of us and chartered a jet to fly all the passengers and some of the crew from Belize City when they realized the severity of hurricaine Mitch.The book is a very accurate description of the events as I know them.I was so sad when I heard the outcome, having met most of the people who died.Even for me, the book was a great read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Caribbean Sea    2. Fantome (Schooner)    3. History: World    4. Natural Disasters    5. Nature    6. Oceans & Seas    7. Ships & Shipbuilding - Shipwrecks    8. Shipwrecks    9. Transportation    10. Nature / Natural Disasters   

Subjects:  1. Charts, diagrams, etc    2. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    3. Life Sciences - Biology - General    4. Marine biology    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Ocean    8. Oceanography    9. Oceanography (General)    10. Oceans & Seas    11. Pictorial works    12. Reference    13. Science    14. Science/Mathematics    15. Science / Biology   

Reviews (5)

Good field guide and beautiful picture book
Perhaps I am going overboard in giving this guide a five star review but even a book with an adequate selection of color photos of marine invertebrates is just so darn beautiful I can't help but cause me to rave and this bok offers a selection that is more than just adequate. There is no way one can include all of the seashore creatures of US into one volume let alone a field guide and Audubon guidesare not the best things to use for taxonomy. That being said it is a gorgeous little book and certainly helpful to the average beachcomber. Even if you are a Midwestern landlubber this is a great little volume. If nothing else consider it a mini coffee table book.
If Frosted Flakes are grrrrrreat, this is so much better
I live in North Carolina and catch and keep a lot of Invertebrates we we go to the beach. So far, every Invert that we've caught has been in this book, easy to find and we found out alot about it by reading. Anyone who sees something cool at the beach often should get this book. In fact, it's a Must-Have. OK for the Basics
I think that all of North Americas sea shore critters can not be described in a single book.Certainly not in a book of this size.The publishers where quite bold in the scope and as such much information has been left out.That said let me tell you what is good about this book.The pictures are GREAT! Much better than looking at technical drawings.However, they are not better for identification.The descriptions of animal groups are excellent.For the person with little biological background this will go a good way toward explaining the complexities of ocean life.The method of identification, sorting by superficial appearance is handy, again for the inexperienced.To sum it up, if you want one book to carry during your first summer of beach combing get this one.If you need a companion for a marine zoology class stay away, unless you already have everything else. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Identification    2. Invertebrates +    3. Marine Fauna    4. Marine Life    5. Marine animals    6. Marine invertebrates    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. North America    10. Oceans & Seas    11. Seashore    12. Animals    13. Nature / Marine Life   

Reviews (3)

The Beach as a Book
This slim volume should be packed by any reader heading off to the
A bit of propaganda
The author has included information on the topics shown in the title which were interesting and informative however, it is clear that the author is anti-development at the beach and this message comes though time and time again. With this much propaganda against building on the coastline I think the book should have been free.

An Ideal Beach Read
This is beach geology 101 rendered in a pleasant and most fluent voice like the best of classic nature writing.The considerable information is meted out in a way that is easily absorbed.Before you reach the end, you are walking on the beach identifying runnels, plunging breakers, nail holes, swash and wrack lines and other exotica without running back to the book for help.You are no longer alarmed at black sand (it's sand of a different mineral base), you have new respect for the heaps of broken shells in your path.You understand how beaches are formed and where sand came from. You now know why a beach never looks the same from one day to the next. You can identify evidence of the mess caused by human intervention. This book will enhance your stay at the beach in ways that whiffle-light detective fiction never will. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beaches    2. Coast changes    3. Earth Sciences - Geology    4. Ecology    5. Marine Life    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North Carolina    9. Oceans & Seas    10. Science    11. Deltas, estuaries, coastal regions    12. Nature / Oceans & Seas    13. Nature/Natural History; North Carolina; Ecology/Environmental Studies    14. Sea & seashore life   

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars - Nature and Science    3. Non-Classifiable    4. Oceans & Seas   

Editorial Review

The oceans of the world rank foremost among humankind's last great frontiers, and their climatological and ecological workings remain mysterious to all but specialists. In this lively, well-written survey, marine scientist Carl Safina encourages readers to take a wider interest in the oceans, especially because so much of that great blue expanse is now threatened by human progress. Safina notes, for example, that the North Atlantic's tuna population has fallen by more than 90 percent in just the last few decades. It has gone the way of cod and herring and pilot whales thanks to a combination of changing global temperatures, overfishing, pollution, inland watershed and delta destruction, and other causes--many of them attributable to human activities. Even now, he notes, many Pacific fishing fleets use cyanide to catch fish, a process that destroys sensitive marine ecosystems. Safina's tour of the world's waters may inspire readers to press for changes in the way that fish is brought to their tables, and to take a more careful look at the natural processes that govern this watery planet. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Absolute poetry
I'm only about halfway through this book, but it's so moving that I decided I needed to rave now.Carl Safina uses an amazing grasp of language to paint mental pictures of what he writes about.I work in the scientific community and have spent a lot of time on that water, and his writings are not only objective and scientifically sound, he constructs them in such a way that they are beautiful.You will have a thirst for each topic and region of which he writes.I borrowed this book from the library and had vowed to buy it before I'd finished the first chapter.It has only improved as I've proceeded.

Beauty beyond compare
This is one of the most beautiful, powerful books I have ever read.Safina's journey encompasses the entire world and all points of view.His words have inspired me to pursue my dreams and opened up new worlds of knowledge.Now, every time I hear of politicians doing something stupid to the oceans or rivers, I just shake my head and say "'Song' should be required reading for them before they can draft a piece of legislation dealing with the oceans."

McPhee on Red Bull
This book would be twice as good if it were half as long. Evidently the only editors were fawning friends of the author, who must have felt that every observation, no matter how offhand or trivial, needed to be included in the bloated text. This is too bad, because he is a decent writer, knows and cares about fish and fisheries, and the story is compelling. Imagine John McPhee full of Red Bull and vodka and you get the idea.Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Studies    2. Essays    3. Fishery conservation    4. General    5. Marine ecology    6. Marine resources conservation    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Oceans & Seas    10. Wildlife    11. Conservation of the environment    12. Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection   

Reviews (4)

A joyous celebration as well as a scientific investigation and a fine leisure read
As a young boy author Trevor Norton was fascinated by water: a fascination which would continue into adulthood, and which serves as the foundation of experience of UNDERWATER TO GET OUT OF THE RAIN, a blend of natural history and memoir. Norton's fascination would lead him to travel oceans of the world, to study the science and history of oceans, and to probe both the surface of the ocean and the world of a submerged laboratory. UNDERWATER TO GET OUT OF THE RAIN is a joyous celebration as well as a scientific investigation and a fine leisure read.
Rara avis: an eloquent marine biologist
Trevor Norton is a very gifted man: he is undoubtedly a first-rate scientist, who enjoys his profession inmensely, but he has other virtues as well. First, he can write: every page is elegantly crafted, with a knack for the telling detail and a gift for the essential. In a few pages you are there with him, becoming acquainted with an underwater scene, or with a long-deceased biologist. Second, Norton is interested in everything, from science to history, reminding us how fascinating life itself can be, if only we care to look. And he has a sense of humor.

Funny, Fascinating, Educational and Entertaining
As the sub-title says, this is the story of a love affair with the sea. The author confesses to be an unruly child until he found the sea and then became too busy to be bad. His love has taken him to academic heights, to strange and exotic parts of the globe and to the depths of the ocean.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Coastal ecology    4. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    5. Great Britain    6. Life Sciences - Biology - Marine Biology    7. Marine Biology    8. Marine biologists    9. Nature    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Oceanography (General)    12. Oceans & Seas    13. Personal Memoirs    14. Seashore biology    15. Biography: general   

Reviews (1)

Everything you always thought you knew
Come on, admit it, you always thought you knew exactly what caused the tides, and why the Bay of Fundy has such a large tidal range!Hah!You only thought you knew.Now, thanks to Dr. Jim McCully's easy to read treatise, you will soon be able to impress all of your friends with great knowledge.Who knows, you might win some trivia contest!
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Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - General    2. Earth Sciences - Hydrology    3. Earth Sciences - Oceanography    4. Geophysics    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Oceans & Seas    8. Science   

Reviews (2)

Absolutely the best mammals guide for the region
I had the opportunity to participate in a research project in Nicaragua.A local Nicaraguan university library allowed me to check out and use any field guide I wanted.Within days, all other field guides were permanently stowed in the bottom of my bag until I could return them to the university. A wonderfulcompanion for both amateurs and pros
This field guide is a definitive yet handy guide that will surely be a classic of its type. It covers all the living species of native mammals from Mexico to Panama (including aquatic species such as whales andotters). For each species there is a careful description of its physicalappearance along with notes on habitats, ranges (with maps) and behaviour,as well asother useful comments such as the best place to see aparticular species,what the ground tracks look like and the status ofthreatened species. It is an absolute mine of fascinating information, muchof it newly gathered or previously available only in obscure academicsources. There are excellent introductory sections on the main mammalgroups, and good indexes and bibliographies -- in short , everything oneneeds to find and enjoy looking at mammals.But the most unique and usefulfeature (as well as the greatest delight -- and why this is a trueclassic), are the illustrations - hundreds of beautifully drawn colourplates painted from life (often in the most demanding of circumstances),that will allow you to settle important questions like "Is that aWoolly False Vampire Bat or a Great False Vampire Bat that just bityou" without flaming your travelling companions. (The book isespecially strong on Bats.) Flying squirrels, monkeys, oppossums, sloths,deer mice, armadillos dolphins and skunks, they are all here. I wouldhighly recommend this book both for amateurs and professionals (whether they are going to central america or not!). Every academic library shouldhave a copy of it. Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    3. Mammals    4. Mammals in art    5. Mexico    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Oceans & Seas    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Zoological illustration    11. Life Sciences | Vertebrate Zoology | Mammalogy    12. Nature / Mammals