I would recommend this book to people of all ages. For some it will bring back many memories of their childhood and young adulthood. To other's it will reflect how they lived their lives and raised their children. For other's, it is a nice link to who our parents and our grandparents (and in some cases our great grandparent's) were, and what makes us who we are today. Definitely, a must read!

The green sea turtle has survived for over a hundred million years, and it simply may not be around much longer. It has been overhunted, but as Davidson makes clear, overhunting is so cause-and-effect obvious that it is often blamed as the reason extinctions happen. However, a hundred years ago we were learning that the indirect methods of ignorance and indifference were far more efficient vectors of biological collapse by means of habitat destruction. We are also turning coastal waters into a breeding ground for a revolting disease called fibropapillomatosis, or FP for short. Tumors sprout on the flippers restricting motion, and around the eyes causing blindness, and within the guts causing eventual death. They are warty or smooth, and leeches live in them for the blood supply, and blood flukes lay eggs in them. In 1986 researchers were shocked that there were outbreaks of the disease in both Florida and Hawaii. The exact mechanism of the disease is in doubt, but what is not in doubt is that turtles with this disgusting and sad disease come from the areas which are most highly polluted, by fertilizers and sewage, or have sea beds gouged by trawling. Turtles from the few remaining pristine areas are so far unaffected, but no ocean creature will be unaffected by ocean temperature change, which is another way the sea becomes friendly to pathogens.

Davidson's work is full of facts and scientific information, and skillful portraits of people involved in trying to do something about this horrendous illness. If there is any defect in his book, it is that it spends its bulk explaining the problem carefully, and leaves only a few paragraphs for instruction on what we can do, and such instruction is general: "We could stop treating the ocean as if it were the world's largest garbage dump and start treating it like the sacred source of all life that it is... We could balance growth and development with habitat preservation. We could, finally, get serious about stopping global warming." Davidson is no pessimist, but sadly, it is probable that our "we coulds" are not going to change into "we wills" in time to stop this disaster, and the others connected to it.

I am Ted Repplier's brother.

I don't sail, and I never have.

NONETHELESS:

The book is impressive because it seems to combine breadth and depth of knowledge with a spirit of generosity in giving the reader everything he needs to start ocean sailing. It looks like a pretty neat book for the intended audience.

- Rich Repplier

This is a "touch and feel" book with lessons on marine life, colors, numbers and counting. The images, beautifully rendered, are beset with pattern and fine details, not to mention the union between the "touch and feel" items and the illustrations on the "half-page flaps" are exceptional. Additional textures include: FURRY sea otter, SCALY shinny fish, PRICKLY pink coral, LUMPY lobster shell, NEON darting fish, SMOOTH skinned shark, and SOFT silver dolphin. Recommended for 4 to 8 years old, but my 1 year old adores this book and finds the textures and images irresistible. "In the Ocean," is a fantastic book!

The running conversation between several of the siginficant personalities who shaped the history of the Pacific explains why events unfolded as they did. Although lighthearted at times, these conversations clearly set forth the policies and morals possessed by the nations who constantly struggled in this vast expanse.

Similarly, Professor McDougall's descriptions of the significant events of this era are outstanding. It often feels like you are there.

Most noteworthy, Professor McDougall cuts to the heart of the issues, shares only the essential facts, and demonstrates their significance. Thus, the reader can appreciate the complex multitiude of attitudes, personalities, and morals that caused nations to act the way they did.

Always entertaining and certainly insightful, this book is a must read for any person interested in the history of this region.

With the subtitle "A history of the North Pacific from Magellan to MacArthur" and a thickness of 2.5 inches, this Pulitzer Prize-winning author's book might seem awfully heavy reading.

It's not.

Let the Sea Make a Noise has all the elements of a world-class adventure yarn, made more exciting because the tale is actually true. McDougall begins by exploring different ways of enticing casual readers to plunge into his story. Thanks to this device and his flowing style, you're well into the book before coming up for air. By then, however, you'll be enmeshed in the ebbs and flows among Spanish California, Imperial Russia, Japan, Alaska, the kingdom of Hawaii and the United States.

Any story, no matter how gifted the writer, lives or dies by the elements of the tale. McDougall has chosen well -- during the last four centuries the Pacific has been washed by successive waves of expansion, conquering, defeat, retreat, retrenchment and return.

McDougall carefully shows how two countries' interactions have affected other countries -- sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways. He intersperses his narrative with conversations among historical figures that a reader might initially find artificial but eventually will anticipate.

McDougall correctly realizes that tales of momentous times read best when they're seen through the eyes of the people experiencing them.

After all, people make history.

c1997, Camie Foster

In the twelfth of Patrick O'Brian's wonderful series of twenty naval adventures, a combination of luck, adherence to honor, and determination turn Jack Aubrey's fortunes. The HMS Surprise is sold out of the service - to Maturin, whose intelligence activities continue in Britain and promise a voyage to South America. First, though, Aubrey undertakes two voyages as a privateer, under a "letter of marque", which combined with Maturin's unmasking of a spy, restore his reputation. Maturin's private reputation has similarly suffered from false gossip about his doings in Malta (in "Treason's Harbour"), and he must similarly seek redemption in a typically private way. So, Maturin travels to Sweden to reconcile with his wife. This gives occasion for the reappearance of the Blue Peter diamond, and further exploration of Maturin's complicated relationship with Diana.

"The Letter of Marque" closes the book on many of setbacks that Aubrey and Maturin suffered recently, leaving them reunited, restored, and with their decks otherwise cleared for action in succeeding volumes. As always, O'Brian's writing is intelligent, informed, and full of wonderful historical nuance.