The Boundless Sea

A Human History of the Oceans

David Abulafia
Regular price $31.75
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This immersive and encyclopedic new book by David Abulafia, author of the acclaimed The Great Sea, looks at the world's waterways and considers how they...
This immersive and encyclopedic new book by David Abulafia, author of the acclaimed The Great Sea, looks at the world's waterways and considers how they have guided the development of human civilization. The main protagonists are the three great bodies of water - the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian Oceans - which comprise 96.5% of the earth's water and nearly three quarters of its surface. The Boundless Sea illuminates how they enabled and transformed human society as the continents gradually became linked through interactions across open waters, first through smaller networks and then, as technology became more sophisticated, by means of broader currents. Maritime networks spread from regional into larger lines of communication and commerce. These waters carried people (voluntarily or not), trade goods, and plants or animals across vast expanses, transforming the economies and cultures of Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and giving shape to the world as we know it today. Far more than merely another history of exploration, The Boundless Sea shows how maritime networks gradually formed a continuum of interaction and interconnection, and established the basis of human civilization itself. In short, Abulafia offers a narrative of world history by means of its oceans and seas.

** Inscribed by Author **

Publisher
Oxford University Press
ISBN
9780199934980
Publication Date
October 15, 2019
Photo Source
Stock Photo
No. of Pages
912
Dimensions
L 24.2cm x W 16.5cm x H 6.6cm