BEAUTIFUL OCEANS IN 10 GORGEOUS NEW BOOKS

We kick off our week of Beautiful Oceans with 10 glorious books that celebrate their awesomeness.

1. FOUND AT SEA: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF RAY COLLINS

Found At Sea - The Photography of Ray Collins is a collection of breathtaking images, captured over the course of a lifetime in and around the ocean, by award-winning photographer, Ray Collins.

From the rise, to the swell, to the curve, to the dissipation of a wave -- to grand sweeping seascapes -- to the artistry of surfers as they ride and play in the blue paradise of Australia’s beautiful oceans, this book is a stunning series of signature portraits that will keep you entranced at the turn of every page.

Printed on 184 pages of 157gsm matt art paper, this hardcover book is a work of art that will command respect and admiration as it sits on your coffee-table.

2. TRURO LIGHT: A JOURNEY FROM OCEAN TO BAY

Enter the secret paradise of Truro, Massachusetts, in photographer Joseph Schuyler’s new book, Truro Light: A Journey from Ocean to Bay. Truro is a 300-year-old village, located on the Cape Cod National Seashore between the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay.

The book begins with a sunrise over the ocean and ends with a magnificent view of nighttime at the bay. In Truro Light: A Journey from Ocean to Bay, you can now journey through freshwater glacial ponds, tidal marshlands, dunes, sloping hills, magnificent trees and incredible wildlife with the turn of a page.

Fields Publishing (2014)

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3. PLANKTON: WONDERS OF THE DRIFTING WORLD

Plankton: Wonders of the Drifting World, by Christian Sardet, will give you a new perspective on a lifeform that is at once so tiny it is invisible and so powerful, it is responsible for sustaining the largest creatures on our planet.

Plankton are a diverse group of organisms that form ninety-five percent of ocean life. They consume as much carbon dioxide as land-based plants. Sardet’s book is filled with surprising facts like this, and a comprehensive look at plankton’s role in the web of life.

Hundreds of spectacular photographs reveal the brilliant color and intricate structures and internal systems of a wide variety plankton, as well as jellyfish, tadpoles, bacteria, and other small marine life that share the oceans.

University Of Chicago Press (2015)

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4. BLUE MIND: THE SURPRISING SCIENCE THAT SHOWS HOW BEING NEAR, IN, ON, OR UNDER WATER CAN MAKE YOU HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, MORE CONNECTED AND BETTER AT WHAT YOU DO

Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do, by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, is a fascinating deep dive into the many connections humans have to our planet’s oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams.

Many of us can personally attest to the fact that spending time at the seaside, walking past babbling brooks, contemplating a river rushing past us, or gazing across watery vistas somehow helps us to feel more calm and less stressful But now, there is scientific evidence that supports the anecdotes.

Using neuroscience and compelling personal stories from athletes, scientists, military veterans, and artists, Nichols shows how oceans can affect not only our health and wellbeing, but our performance as well.

Little, Brown and Company (2014)

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5. THE LAST FISHERMAN: WITNESS TO THE ENDANGERED OCEANS

The Last Fisherman: Witness to the Endangered Oceans, by underwater photographer Jeffrey Rotman, shows the yin and the yang of the current condition of our oceans. With breathtaking images and stories that bear witness to their glory, as well as alarming views of their catastrophic changes, this book is a gripping documentary.

With compelling stories from fisherman, scientists, and other observers, illustrated by Rotman’s award-winning photos, this book demands both respect and action so that we can preserve our beautiful oceans and, ultimately, our own life on earth.

Abbeville Press (2014)

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6. BLUE HOPE: EXPLORING AND CARING FOR EARTH’S MAGNIFICENT OCEAN

Sylvia Earle presents a brilliant collection of photographs, mixed with 7 essays from Earle and insights from other ocean advocates, in Blue Hope: Exploring and Caring for Earth's Magnificent Ocean. She captures the incredible beauty of how beaches, coral reefs and incredible underwater life keep our planet alive.

The book also includes supporting facts and maps to emphasize her important message: “Life depends on the ocean, and to save it we must love it.”

National Geographic (2014)

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7. BY THE SEA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC VOYAGE AROUND THE BLUE PLANET

In By the Sea: A Photographic Voyage Around the Blue Planet, award-winning travel journalist Peter Guttman embarks on an adventure across the 7 seas, exploring coastal landscapes, marine wildlife, marvelous seafood, and exotic oceanic cultures.

He sails past the shores of all 7 continents, offering views of dramatic coastal landscapes and the diverse, colorful life they support, from the rugged edges of Newfoundland to majestic fjords of Norway, to the spectacular floating markets of Southeast Asia.

From beaches, to lighthouses, from lobster shacks to luxury seaside resorts, from ice-breakers to primitive rafts, the book will help you to see the sea for the treasure it truly is.

Skyhorse Publishing (2015)

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8. JONI STERNBACH: SURF SITE TIN TYPE

Joni Sternbach: Surf Site Tin Type, by Lyle Rexer, April Watson, Chris Malloy, and photographer Joni Sternbach, is an extraordinary artistic homage to surfing.

For the past decade, Sternbach traveled around the world, creating tintype portraits of surfers, using a 19th century, wet-plate collodion process, working with a large-format camera and using hand-poured plates that are prepared and developed on location.

We love the primordial feel of Sternbach’s prints, as they capture the life of contemporary surfers from Montauk, New York, to Cornwall, England, from Byron Bay, Australia, to Malibu, California, ride the waves and soak in the beauty and the glory of our oceans.

Damiani (2015)

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9. SURF CRAFT: DESIGN AND THE CULTURE OF BOARD RIDING

Surf Craft: Design and the Culture of Board Riding, by Richard Kenvin, maps the evolution of surfboards from the beautiful ancient wooden Hawaiian alaia, to the minimalist handmade boards designed by master craftsman Bob Simmons, to the mass commerical colorful fiberglass boards that surf so many shores.

Kenvin views board design as an example of mingei, the art of the people, and the craft philosophy of Soetsu Yanagi, an avid proponent of the beauty of functional design.

Surf Craft is packed with 150 color images and fascinating text that even non-surfers will enjoy. The book is published in conjunction with an exhibition at San Diego's Mingei International Museum.

The MIT Press (2014)

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10. A SENSE OF PLACE: HOUSES ON MARTHA’S VINEYARD AND CAPE COD

A Sense of Place: Houses on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod, by architect Mark A. Hutker, presents portraits of 13 of his more than 300 brilliantly designed houses, that stand on the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.

Hutker’s contemporary designs are inspired by history, beautifully crafted, and carefully respectful of their places within the seaside environment. Some are perched on dramatic bluffs, overlooking the sea, while others are tucked into secluded coves. 

With gorgeous photography of the houses and their surrounding seaside landscapes, this book belongs on your beach house coffee table.

Monacelli Press (2015)

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Read more about Beautiful Ocean, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact. 

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Ray Collins. Found At Sea - The Photography of Ray Collins.
2. Image: by Ray Collins. Found At Sea - The Photography of Ray Collins.
3. Image: Courtesy of Fields Publishing. Truro Light: A Journey from Ocean to Bay.
4. Image: Courtesy of University Of Chicago Press. Plankton: Wonders of the Drifting World.
5. Image: Courtesy of Little, Brown and Company. Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do.
6. Image: Courtesy of Abbeville Press. The Last Fisherman: Witness to the Endangered Oceans.
7. Image: Courtesy of National Geographic. Blue Hope: Exploring and Caring for Earth's Magnificent Ocean.
8. Image: Courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing. By the Sea: A Photographic Voyage Around the Blue Planet.
9. Image: Courtesy of Damiani. Joni Sternbach: Surf Site Tin Type.
10. Image: Courtesy of The MIT Press. Surf Craft: Design and the Culture of Board Riding.
11. Image: Courtesy of Monacelli Press. A Sense of Place: Houses on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod.
12. Image: by Ray Collins. Found At Sea - The Photography of Ray Collins.
13. Image: by Christian Sardet, courtesy of University Of Chicago Press. Plankton: Wonders of the Drifting World.
14. Image: by BN App - Download now!
15. Image: Courtesy of Fields Publishing. Truro Light: A Journey from Ocean to Bay.