Description

Book Synopsis

In The Edge of the Sea Rachel Carson introduces us to the 'strange and beautiful place' where the sea meets the land. She explores a tide pool, an inaccessible cave, and watches a lone crab on the shore at midnight. From these, and other, encounters she offers us not just a scientifically accurate study of the ecology of the seashore, but also a hauntingly beautiful account of the fragile balance of life found at the edge of the sea.

The Edge of the Sea, like all her writing, sounds a prophetic alarm for the damage mankind is doing to the natural world, but also offers us inspiration: here is beauty, here is something worth saving.



Trade Review
The timely reissue of a classic maritime trilogy shows that the "poet of the oceans" was far ahead of her time . . . What's striking is that Carson is a keen observer of the interconnectedness of things . . . Her sea series is not only fascinating for those with an interest in the prehistory of Silent Spring. There is much to marvel at in these pages. The Edge Of The Sea is a book to take down to the beach and rockpools - I will pack it in my own bag for the summer holidays * * Herald * *
A brilliantly written argument that changed the course of history -- AL GORE
Catching the life breath of science on the still glass of poetry * * Time * *
Praise for the Sea trilogy: This combination of science and scintillating prose provides fascinating insights into the mysteries of the tides . . . a masterpiece of ecological writing * * Guardian * *
Rereading her natural histories, what stands out is how beautiful the writing is. Carson combined a scientist's ability to see with a novelist's ability to imagine * * New Yorker * *
[Carson] is the poet laureate of the sea, but also of that "web of life", in which everything is connected to everything else * * London Review of Books * *
Rachel Carson was one of the reasons why I became so conscious of the environment and so involved with environmental issues . . . Her picture hangs on my office wall among those of political leaders, presidents and prime ministers. It has been there for years, and it belongs there. Carson has had as much or more an effect on me than any of them, and perhaps all of them together -- AL GORE
Praise for Silent Spring: Brilliantly written: clear, controlled and authoritative . . . one of the most effective books ever written . . . the impact is, in all senses, stunning * * Guardian * *
Much of what Carson wrote to great controversy is now conventional wisdom. To read Silent Spring now is in part to understand how we got to where we are * * Wall Street Journal * *

The Edge of the Sea

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    £10.44

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    RRP £10.99 – you save £0.55 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Wed 24 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Rachel Carson, Margaret Atwood

    5 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson

      Publisher: Canongate Books
      Publication Date: 03/06/2021
      ISBN13: 9781786899149, 978-1786899149
      ISBN10: 1786899140

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      In The Edge of the Sea Rachel Carson introduces us to the 'strange and beautiful place' where the sea meets the land. She explores a tide pool, an inaccessible cave, and watches a lone crab on the shore at midnight. From these, and other, encounters she offers us not just a scientifically accurate study of the ecology of the seashore, but also a hauntingly beautiful account of the fragile balance of life found at the edge of the sea.

      The Edge of the Sea, like all her writing, sounds a prophetic alarm for the damage mankind is doing to the natural world, but also offers us inspiration: here is beauty, here is something worth saving.



      Trade Review
      The timely reissue of a classic maritime trilogy shows that the "poet of the oceans" was far ahead of her time . . . What's striking is that Carson is a keen observer of the interconnectedness of things . . . Her sea series is not only fascinating for those with an interest in the prehistory of Silent Spring. There is much to marvel at in these pages. The Edge Of The Sea is a book to take down to the beach and rockpools - I will pack it in my own bag for the summer holidays * * Herald * *
      A brilliantly written argument that changed the course of history -- AL GORE
      Catching the life breath of science on the still glass of poetry * * Time * *
      Praise for the Sea trilogy: This combination of science and scintillating prose provides fascinating insights into the mysteries of the tides . . . a masterpiece of ecological writing * * Guardian * *
      Rereading her natural histories, what stands out is how beautiful the writing is. Carson combined a scientist's ability to see with a novelist's ability to imagine * * New Yorker * *
      [Carson] is the poet laureate of the sea, but also of that "web of life", in which everything is connected to everything else * * London Review of Books * *
      Rachel Carson was one of the reasons why I became so conscious of the environment and so involved with environmental issues . . . Her picture hangs on my office wall among those of political leaders, presidents and prime ministers. It has been there for years, and it belongs there. Carson has had as much or more an effect on me than any of them, and perhaps all of them together -- AL GORE
      Praise for Silent Spring: Brilliantly written: clear, controlled and authoritative . . . one of the most effective books ever written . . . the impact is, in all senses, stunning * * Guardian * *
      Much of what Carson wrote to great controversy is now conventional wisdom. To read Silent Spring now is in part to understand how we got to where we are * * Wall Street Journal * *

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