Twenty selections, ranging from great literature and nature writing to reportage and first-hand accounts, illuminate the perceptions and beliefs that forge personal bonds to the sea and show how committed writers have come to grips with the changing relationship between humanity and the oceans. The stories they tell are both joyous and tragic. Portfolios of photographs and collections of significant facts amplify the ideas expressed in the selections. There is no consensus, save that the oceans command respect. In these writings, the sea can be cruel and magnificent, patient and relentless, romantic and scientific, savage and serene.
Seafarers focuses on people who go to sea, particularly sailors and fishermen.
Despite their wide diversity, most share a strong sense of community. They develop and pass along their knowledge of the lore and the ways of the sea, and they face a life of risk and uncertainty. The difficulties of exploring the sea's extreme pressure, inky darkness, and icy temperatures have severely limited our knowledge of vast areas of the world's oceans. In Discovery we present personal perspectives about ocean science and exploration, to help us understand why people plumb the ocean depths and to let us share the thrill of scientific discovery. The prodigious size and great age of the oceans are almost incomprehensible.