Synopses & Reviews
A
Silent Spring for oceans, written by "the Rachel Carson of the fish world" (
The New York Times).
Who can forget the sense of wonder with which they discovered the creatures of the deep? In this vibrant hymn to the sea, Callum Roberts — one of the world’s foremost conservation biologists — leads readers on a fascinating tour of mankind’s relationship to the sea, from the earliest traces of water on earth to the oceans as we know them today. In the process, Roberts looks at how the taming of the oceans has shaped human civilization and affected marine life.
We have always been fish eaters, from the dawn of civilization, but in the last twenty years we have transformed the oceans beyond recognition. Putting our exploitation of the seas into historical context, Roberts offers a devastating account of the impact of modern fishing techniques, pollution, and climate change, and reveals what it would take to steer the right course while there is still time. Like Four Fish and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Ocean of Life takes a long view to tell a story in which each one of us has a role to play.
Review
“I need to now jump up and down myself to say that Ocean of Life is an excellent and engrossing work. Mr. Roberts has corralled an astonishing collection of scientific discovery....He didn’t set out just to explain what is going on in the oceans. His even more important goal is to consider what the decline in marine life tells us about the future of humankind....I hope a great many people read this book. There can, after all, be no hope of change without an enhanced appreciation for the potential consequences of our impact on the natural world.” Wall Street Journal
Review
“A story told with both scientific accuracy and narrative skill....I know of no other volume that treats such divergent ocean issues as overfishing, decreasing pH, plastic pollution and biogeographic shifts with this much accuracy and acumen. As a balance to the bad news, each chapter is edged with fascinating details about the life of the sea....Ocean of Life, in detailing sobering facts about the ills that afflict the largest biosphere on earth, is a call to action. At the heart of this book is a deep love of the ocean and a profound concern for its viability as a resource for us all.” Nature
Review
“Passionate marine conservationist Roberts documents the disturbing changes that threaten the future of marine life and proposes a natural course of conservation that may yet save us from economic crash, environmental ruin, and human suffering.” Booklist
Review
“An engrossing survey of the relationship between man and the sea for readers living through the greatest environmental changes in 65 million years....Roberts’s meditation will have readers gasping aloud with wonder, even as the sobering truth of humans’ profound interdependence with the sea provokes concern.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“A timely wake-up call...Roberts maintains his optimism while looking at the problems that have been compounded by global warming, pollution, the destruction of marshlands, etc., and he notes that remedial action is still possible.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Biologist and conservation activist Roberts examines with clarity the relationships among fossil-fuel use, climate change, rising sea levels and ocean acidity, overfishing, and pollution from toxic chemicals, sewage, and fertilizers....Although he paints a bleak picture of the oceans’ health, Roberts offers solutions for preventing further degradation of our oceans....This is essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of the planet.” Library Journal
Review
“Callum Roberts has done it again. From showing us the past with the wisdom of a Dickens character in his earlier book, he now leads us toward the future in The Ocean of Life. It’s a book so fine, I wish I’d written it!”
—Carl Safina, author of Song for the Blue Ocean and The View From Lazy Point
Review
“Roberts imparts his vast knowledge with a consummate talent for colorful narrative and devastating facts. His book will be required reading for anyone who cares about the oceans—not least because, as well as underlining the scale of the problems, he offers us the hope of real solutions.” The Telegraph
Review
“Those of us who worry about the future of our oceans could do a lot worse than take up this single refrain, ‘Listen to Callum Roberts!’ Shouted in the ears of the world’s leaders, it might just make a difference. Meanwhile we should all read The Ocean of Life, a thrilling narrative of oceanic natural history and a vital call to action.” —Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, chef and author of The River Cottage Cookbook
Review
“Callum Roberts catalogs the extent of the oceans’ crisis. No account of the cataclysm is more engaging than Roberts’s The Ocean of Life....The book is powerful in its completeness....The rare treasure is the scientist who can bring clarity and wit to the debates. Roberts is such a scientist, and The Ocean of Life is immensely entertaining, although it chronicles a tragedy.” The Washington Post
Review
“The enormity of the sea’s troubles, and their implications for mankind, are mind-boggling. Yet it is equally remarkable how little this is recognised by policymakers—let alone the general public....There is also a dearth of good and comprehensive books on a subject that can seem too complicated and depressing for any single tome. Callum Roberts, a conservation biologist, has now provided one.” The Economist
Review
“One of the world’s most prominent and articulate marine scientists, Callum Roberts gives us an updated, comprehensive, and engaging account of the ongoing crisis beneath the waves, and how we humans can turn the situation around. Despite the frightening litany of problems facing the seas, Roberts is optimistic that we can and will mend our ways so that marine resources will be there to help support planet Earth.” Christian Science Monitor
Review
“It’s probably a bit too soon to start talking about candidates for books of the year. But, within the environmental field, Callum Roberts' latest offering should already be considered a strong contender....Roberts is that precious pearl: a practising scientist who not only knows his field inside out, but also understands how to write compelling, persuasive non-fiction....To use the vernacular of his book, he has trawled and plundered these experiences to craft the nearest thing we are ever likely to get to an all-encompassing manifesto for sustainable marine management.” The Guardian
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;I need to now jump up and down myself to say that Ocean of Life is an excellent and engrossing work. Mr. Roberts has corralled an astonishing collection of scientific discovery. . . . He didnandrsquo;t set out just to explain what is going on in the oceans. His even more important goal is to consider what the decline in marine life tells us about the future of humankind. . . . I hope a great many people read this book. There can, after all, be no hope of change without an enhanced appreciation for the potential consequences of our impact on the natural world.andrdquo; andmdash;G. Bruce Knecht, Wall Street Journal
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;Callum Roberts catalogs the extent of the oceansandrsquo; crisis. No account of the cataclysm is more engaging than Robertsandrsquo;s The Ocean of Life. . . . The book is powerful in its completeness. . . . The rare treasure is the scientist who can bring clarity and wit to the debates. Roberts is such a scientist, and The Ocean of Life is immensely entertaining, although it chronicles a tragedy.andrdquo; andmdash;Mark Kurlansky, The Washington Post
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;A story told with both scientific accuracy and narrative skill. . . . I know of no other volume that treats such divergent ocean issues as overfishing, decreasing pH, plastic pollution and biogeographic shifts with this much accuracy and acumen. As a balance to the bad news, each chapter is edged with fascinating details about the life of the sea. . . . Ocean of Life, in detailing sobering facts about the ills that afflict the largest biosphere on earth, is a call to action. At the heart of this book is a deep love of the ocean and a profound concern for its viability as a resource for us all.andrdquo; andmdash;Stephen Palumbi, Nature
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;The enormity of the seaandrsquo;s troubles, and their implications for mankind, are mind-boggling. Yet it is equally remarkable how little this is recognised by policymakersandmdash;let alone the general public. . . . There is also a dearth of good and comprehensive books on a subject that can seem too complicated and depressing for any single tome. Callum Roberts, a conservation biologist, has now provided one.andrdquo;andmdash;The Economist
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;One of the worldandrsquo;s most prominent and articulate marine scientists, Callum Roberts gives us an updated, comprehensive, and engaging account of the ongoing crisis beneath the waves, and how we humans can turn the situation around. Despite the frightening litany of problems facing the seas, Roberts is optimistic that we can and will mend our ways so that marine resources will be there to help support planet Earth.andrdquo; andmdash;Christian Science Monitor
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;Itandrsquo;s probably a bit too soon to start talking about candidates for books of the year. But, within the environmental field,andnbsp;Callum Roberts'andnbsp;latest offering should already be considered a strong contender. . . . Roberts is that precious pearl: a practising scientist who not only knows his field inside out, but also understands how to write compelling, persuasive non-fiction. . . . To use the vernacular of his book, he has trawled and plundered these experiences to craft the nearest thing we are ever likely to get to an all-encompassing manifesto for sustainable marine management.andrdquo; andmdash;The Guardian
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;Callum Roberts has done it again. From showing us the past with the wisdom of a Dickens character in his earlier book, he now leads us toward the future in The Ocean of Life. Itandrsquo;s a book so fine, I wish Iandrsquo;d written it!andrdquo;
andmdash;Carl Safina, author of Song for the Blue Ocean and The View From Lazy Point
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;Roberts imparts his vast knowledge with a consummate talent for colorful narrative and devastating facts.andnbsp;His book will be required reading for anyone who cares about the oceansandmdash;not least because, as well as underlining the scale of the problems, he offers us the hope of real solutions.andrdquo; andmdash;Philip Hoare, The Telegraph
Review
andnbsp;
andldquo;An engrossing survey of the relationship between man and the sea for readers living through the greatest environmental changes in 65 million years. . . . Robertsandrsquo;s meditation will have readers gasping aloud with wonder, even as the sobering truth of humansandrsquo; profound interdependence with the sea provokes concern.andrdquo; andmdash;Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
A Silent Spring for oceans from the Rachel Carson of the fish world (The New York Times)
The sea feeds and sustains us, but its future is under catastrophic threat. In this powerful and ambitious book Callum Roberts one of the world s foremost conservation biologists tells the story of the history of the sea, from the earliest traces of water on earth to the oceans as we know them today.He offers a devastating account of the impact of overfishing, deep-sea mining, pollution, and climate change and explains what we must do now to preserve our rapidly dwindling marine life. Passionate and persuasive, The Ocean of Life is a wake-up call that will appeal to anyone who loves the sea and its creatures.
"
Synopsis
Economist Book of the Year --Audubon Book of the Year --American Library Association Award winner Royal Society Winton prize Finalist Winner of the Rachel Carson award
A Silent Spring for oceans by the Rachel Carson of the fish world (The New York Times) who appeared on the Imax film Wild Ocean and provided the scientific basis for the creation of the first high seas marine protected areas. For fans of Carl Safina and Elizabeth Kolbert.
Immensely entertaining, although it chronicles a tragedy No account of the cataclysm is more engaging.
Mark Kurlansky, The Washington Post
The sea feeds and sustains us, but everywhere we look marine life is under threat, from Caribbean reefs to arctic fisheries to the deepest regions of the sea. In this passionate paean to the sea and its creatures one of the world s foremost marine conservation biologists tells the story of man and the sea, from the earliest traces of life on earth to the oceans as we know them today.He considers the impact of fishing and ocean acidification, rising tides and warming seas, plastics and shifting currents, and reveals what we must do now to preserve our precious oceans. The struggles of Turtles, Dolphins, Whales and Tuna are relatively well known, but few people appreciate just how much our seas have changed in the last fifty years and how many species are now under acute stress. At once passionate and persuasive, The Ocean of Life will appeal to readers of Four Fish and The Sixth Extinction to those who care about environmental sustainability, and to anyone who loves the sea and its creatures.
Excellent and engrossing I hope a great many people read this book.
G. Bruce Knecht, Wall Street Journal
"Authoritative and furious, urgent and persuasive"
Sunday Times"
Synopsis
The sea feeds and sustains us, but its future is under catastrophic threat. In this powerful and ambitious book Callum Roberts — one of the world’s foremost conservation biologists — tells the story of the history of the sea, from the earliest traces of water on earth to the oceans as we know them today. He offers a devastating account of the impact of overfishing, deep-sea mining, pollution, and climate change and explains what we must do now to preserve our rapidly dwindling marine life. Passionate and persuasive, The Ocean of Life is a wake-up call that will appeal to anyone who loves the sea and its creatures.
About the Author
Callum Roberts is the author of The Unnatural History of the Sea, a Washington Post Book of the Year and winner of the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award. Professor of marine conservation at the University of York. He has appeared in several documentaries, including "America Before Columbus" and "The End of the Line," and is a board member of Seaweb, a U.S.-based environmental group. He lives in England.