8 Classic Non-Fiction Books About The Ocean

---

“The beauty and mystery of the ocean, fills our lives with wonders, vast beyond our imagination.”

---

One of the most famous sayings in science is that it is easier to explore the surface of the moon than it is the bottom of the ocean, and that is still very much the case in 2023. The ocean is home to some of the most vibrant, diverse and incredible living organisms this planet has ever produced, with its crushing climate still holding so many secrets we are yet to discover. With it continuing to fascinate and sometimes terrify us, join us here at What We Reading as we run through 8 classic books about the ocean! 

---

The Deep: The Hidden Wonders Of Our Oceans And How We Can Protect Them – Alex Rogers

Whilst there is still so much mystery surrounding the workings and contents of our planet’s oceans, just how long we have in attempting to discover them is very much up in the air. In The Deep, marine biology and oceanology expert Professor Alex Rogers puts this reality under the microscope. 

Featuring stunning photographs and personal insight from his own time with the deep blue, Rogers presents a fresh perspective on humanity’s relationship with the ocean and the wonderful ecosystems that exist in it. 

438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea – Jonathan Franklin

Told via dozens of exclusive interviews from Jonathan Franklin, 438 Days is a scarcely-believable account of how one man managed to survive adrift at sea longer than anyone in recorded history.

In November 2012, during a two-day fishing trip, Salvador Alvarenga was blasted by a storm from the Mexican coast to washing ashore in the Marshall Islands, a 9,000-mile distance equivalent to travelling from New York to Moscow. A real-life Life of Pi storyline, Alvarenga’s story of survival includes everything from fighting off shark attacks, talking to a corpse for six days, to learning how to fish by hand and use their vertebrae as needles in what has gone down as one of history’s most staggering tales. 

Life Lessons From The Ocean: Soothing Wisdom From The Sea –  Richard Harrington And Annie Davidson

A soothing and calming resource for when life on dry land becomes too overwhelming, Life Lessons from the Ocean is a celebration of the splendour the seas have to offer. 

Featuring beautiful illustrations from Annie Davidson, this 2020 science book captures the mysteries of the ocean, whilst also taking inspiration from their inhabitants for all of our everyday lives. Split into 60 unique secrets from the seven seas, author Richard Harrington tackles everything from the movement of the tides to the anatomy of starfish as a way of giving readers a fresh perspective of life on Earth. 

---

Love nature books? Check out these great rainforest books!

---

The Boundless Sea: A Human History Of The Oceans – David Abulafia

A Sunday Times, BBC History Magazine, and Financial Times Book of the Year, David Abulafia’s The Boundless Sea is one of the definitive books about the ocean every science reader should pick up. 

The author of The Great Sea presents readers with a complete history of the seas, masterfully detailing how humanity’s relationship with them has evolved over the years. From merchants, pirates, explorers, and cartographers, this spellbinding book is not one to be missed. 

From The Depths And Other Strange Tales of the Sea – Mike Ashley

From the crushing depths of its deepest points to the fierce waves that batter our coastlines, myths, legends, and folklore have been used to explain the strange encounters and goings-on the ocean throws up. 

The supernatural is put alongside the grim realities of seafaring in Mike Ashley’s From The Depths And Other Strange Tales of the Sea. From a U-Boat commander being harassed by an impossible Morse Code message to how a crew of mutineers become ensnared by the ghost of their former captain, this is one of the best books about the ocean for understanding how its wondrous intricacies have dominated our imaginations. 

The Book Of Tides – William Thomson

To understand the sheer scope in which it has shaped humanity’s path over the course of history, William Thomson’s The Book of Tides is one of the best non-fiction books on the ocean. 

Inspired by his own dealings and encounters with the seas that ravage Britain’s coastlines, Thomson presents the power of the ocean with a striking amount of emotion. A perfect go-to for those who feel the pull of the great blue seas, The Book of Tides is a superb work that combines classic literature writing with an evocative artist’s presentation. 

Rewilding The Seas – Charles Clover

The impact on our seas and oceans is one of the most documented and feared aspects of climate change, with the effects around the world having potentially devastating ramifications on ecosystems in and out of the water. 

Labelled a ‘game-changer’ by Margaret Atwood, Rewilding The Seas is the 2022 follow-up book to The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World by Charles Clover. Whilst going into detail about the effects human interference has had on the ocean and its inhabitants, it is also an incredibly hopeful work that explores how robust nature can be when left to its own devices.

A Voyage For Madmen – Peter Nichols

In 1968, nine men set out on a race that would change the history of sailing forever. These men had decided to do the unthinkable: navigate the circumference of the globe nonstop. Ambitious as this race was, it would see only one man cross the finish line, earning himself a lifetime’s supply of wealth and fame. For others, it was a painful tale of loss, madness and death. 

Peter Nichols masterfully whisks readers aboard a truly remarkable tale of man against the sea in A Voyage for Madmen. Nichols presents this true story with cinematic detail and awe, painting an inspiring journey of how the physical and mental obstacles brought about across the Southern Ocean meant life and death were decided by just one split decision.