Hydrology & the hydrosphere

‘Fascinating’ Greta Thunberg

‘Extraordinary’ Merlin Sheldrake

‘A must-read’ New Scientist

‘Enthralling’ George Monbiot

‘Brilliant’ Philip Hoare

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2022

‘A remarkable and powerful book, the rarest of things … Nicolson is unique as a writer … I loved it’ EDMUND DE WAAL

Few places are as familiar as the shore – and few as full of mystery and surprise.

Winner of the 2020 Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award for nonfiction and the 2019 NSW Premier's History Awards for general history

‘Wonderfully researched and beautifully written’ Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan

‘Succeeds in conjuring a lost world’ Dava Sobel, author of Longitude

A comprehensive, authoritative account of the natural history of the seashore, from earliest times to the present day.

Travelling the circumference of the truly gigantic Pacific, Simon Winchester tells the story of the world’s largest body of water, and – in matters economic, political and military – the ocean of the future.

Shallow Seas are the most biologically rich and productive areas of the world ocean. This latest New Naturalist volume provides a natural history of this environment and its biological communities.

Another volume in the popular New Naturalist series, this book gives a comprehensive account of the natural history of Britain and Ireland’s inland waters, many of which are popular holiday destinations.

This delightful book records a year in the life of an essentially English waterscape, one that is home to a vast array of wildlife and natural habitat of the keen angler – the chalkstream.