The sea has served as a source of inspiration for writers throughout the ages. Now, in The Oxford Book of the Sea, bestselling author Jonathan Raban has compiled a remarkable anthology of our changing visions of the sea, a rich treasury of writings as varied and enthralling as the ocean itself. Arranged chronologically, and spanning everything from Anglo-Saxon poetry to modern oceanography, these excerpts capture the work of poets, novelists, scientists, and explorers. We read pieces from Samuel Eliot Morison, James Boswell, Charles Dickens, Rachel Carson, Charles Darwin, and John Barth, among many others. And for those who love great writing, Raban not only includes passages from the great sea classics—such as Moby Dick, and The Old Man and the Sea—but also lesser known gems by such writers as Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, E.B. White, and Emily Dickinson. For everyone interested in the sea, and those drawn to fine writing, The Oxford Book of the Sea is a bountiful, alluring, and essential collection.