Author(s): James Bradley

Science | Aquatic Life

Through history, science, nature writing, and environmentalism, Deep Water invites you to explore the deepest recesses of our natural world. 'Teeming with mysteries, wonders and heartbreaking facts, this beautiful, lucid hymn to the sea is a reminder of what we still have, what we stand to lose, and why we must never stop fighting to save our home.' Tim Winton

The ocean has shaped and sustained life on Earth for billions of years. Its waters contain our past, from the deep history of evolutionary time to exploration and colonialism; our present, as a place of solace and pleasure, and as the highway that underpins the global economy; and - as waters heat and sea levels rise ever higher - our future.

Deep Water is both a hymn to the beauty, mystery and wonder of the ocean, and a reckoning with our complex relationship to the natural world. It is a book shaped by tidal movements and deep currents, and lit by the presence of other minds and other ways of being. Weaving together science, history and personal reflection it explores the way the ocean connects every living being on Earth, the origins of the environmental catastrophe that is overtaking us and the question of what lies ahead.

Immense in scope but also human and intimate, Deep Water offers new ways of understanding not just our relationship with the planet, but the past - and perhaps most importantly, the future.

Review:
'Bradley vividly conveys the awe-inspiring scale of the deep seas, both in space and time. Celebrating our blue planet and highlighting the perils it faces as a result of our own greed and ignorance.' -- Philip Ball * The Guardian *
'Deep Water is a major achievement; a vast fathoming of the pasts, presents, and futures of the world's oceans and seas. Bradley's skills both as novelist and essayist converge here to create this wise, compassionate, and urgent book, characterised throughout by a clarity of prose and a bracing moral gaze that searches water, self, and reader.'-- Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland
'What a wondrous book. In vivid, urgent prose, James Bradley takes us on a journey through oceanic worlds. Epic in scope and charged with a compulsive capitalist critique, Deep Water balances the grief of environmental catastrophe with a profound sense of awe and possibility. There is no false hope here. But there is hope.'-- Billy Griffiths, author of Deep Time Dreaming: uncovering ancient Australia
'A sublime exploration of one of Earth's most immense, powerful, and obscure entities, awash with humanity and wisdom. Deep Water will transform how you think about the ocean.'
-- Richard Fisher, author of The Long View
'A sublime work, quite literally: vast, beautiful, sometimes frightening. Bradley is a talented scholar, surveying widely in various disciplines. But he keeps his novelist's eyes for poignant intimacy: moments of love and grief, curiosity and rage. If you care about our oceans, submerge yourself in Deep Water.'-- Damon Young, author of The Art of Reading
'No part of the Earth system is more vital to the human past and future than the world ocean, and few indeed are better qualified to tell its stories than James Bradley. A love letter and a warning, Deep Water is a work of rare scholarship, wide range, and fierce urgency.'-- Caspar Henderson, author of The Book of Barely Imagined Beings
'Teeming with mysteries, wonders, and heartbreaking facts, this beautiful, lucid hymn to the sea is a reminder of what we still have, what we stand to lose, and why we must never stop fighting to save our home.'-- Tim Winton, author of Cloudstreet
'Astonishing in both its depth and breadth, Deep Water is an incisive, thoughtful exploration of the complicated and crucial relationships we have with our oceans. James Bradley has written a tour de force at a moment when we need it most.'-- Juli Berwald, author of Life on the Rocks and Spineless
'As someone who loves and lives on the Ocean, I am inspired by James Bradley's new book. Deep Water dives deep into the ocean's heart- James has a magical mix of personal tales, science, and a powerful message to care for our seas. It's a blend of wonder at the ocean's splendour and a push to protect it. This book is an incredible journey that showcases the sea's greatness and why we need to collectively act and preserve it.'-- Laird Hamilton