Tide : The Science and Lore of the Greatest Force on Earth

Resumen del libro

Half of the world's population lives in coastal regions lapped by tidal waters. Yet how little most of us know about the tide - a key force on our planet that has altered the course of history and will transform our future. Our ability to predict and understand the tide depends on centuries of science, from the observations of Aristotle and the theories of Newton to today's supercomputer calculations.

This story is punctuated here by notable tidal episodes in history, from Caesar's thwarted invasion of Britain to the catastrophic flooding of Venice, and interwoven with a rich folklore that continues to inspire art and literature today. With Aldersey-Williams as our guide to the most feared and celebrated tidal features on the planet, from the original maelstrom in Scandinavia to the world's highest tides in Nova Scotia to the crumbling coast of East Anglia, the importance of the tide, and the way it has shaped - and will continue to shape - our civilization, becomes startlingly clear.

Biografía del autor

Hugh Aldersey-Williams es periodista y gestor cultural especializado en materias comola arquitectura, el diseño,la identidad nacional yla ciencia. Ha escrito libros que versaban sobre temas tan dispares como el Buckminsterfullereno ola arquitectura zoomórfica y ha sido comisario de distintas exposiciones en lugares tan emblemáticos como el Victoria and Albert Museum de Londres o el Moma de Nueva York.