Rachel Carson's “The Edge of the Sea” is a marine science book dealing with identifying and describing marine organisms and their habitats. The text has great illustrations throughout that can be used to identify ocean life. There is an index and an appendix, which deals with classifying marine science species with detailed explanations and drawings.

What makes this book very refreshing is that it is set up like a story. The writing is very descriptive and gives accurate accounts of ocean flora and fauna. Miss Carson does this quite eloquently and uses beautiful metaphors that are relatively easy to read and would certainly be appreciated by both teachers and students who prefer the Humanities to the Sciences. Though centered on marine biology, the work also covers marine geology, physical oceanography, and some marine chemistry.

The book also gives some historical perspective on the discovery of certain species by scientists, and different anecdotes about these naturalists. The text provides research conclusions from different sources to explain the morphology and behavior of organisms. The author instills in the reader a true appreciation for the mystery of life. She keeps you in awe about the time scale of the processes, for example ocean currents, reef building, sea level rise during interglacial times and classical food webs in the ocean. What is striking is that you come away from the reading with an appreciation of the intricacies and delicate nature of life.

The last chapter of the book discusses Florida and the Florida Keys. It describes the formation of the Florida Keys and its geological history making it a great source for anyone interested in that region. The Florida Keys are mainly composed of limestone from old coral reefs that were exposed during the last ice age. The author describes how the islands formed and the development of mangroves on the leeward side of the islands. The chapter abounds with imagery unique to describing this type of ecosystem.

I teach Oceanography and plan to have my students read parts of this book. “The Edge of the Sea” is a good resource for any marine science course, but it is also great reading for someone who appreciates the ocean or wants to learn more about it. Whether you love nature reading, the humanities or the sciences, I think that this book would keep you interested.

Review © 2004 by Bridgette O'Connor and RSiSS
Palmer Trinity School

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