A review by genae_matthews
The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans by David Abulafia

5.0

Wow. What a book! I genuinely cannot believe that I finished it. It is, without a doubt, one of (if not the) longest books I've ever read. This book is so rich -- it's full of hilarious and intriguing anecdotes and paints pictures of magical trading ports around the world. I especially learned a lot about the old trading ports on Sri Vijaya and about how trade developed in the Indian Ocean. The first part on the Pacific really is the stuff of novels in its fantasticalness. This book is not for someone who likes history books to have a "theme" that guides them through its entirety, and it's also not for the faint of heart. David Abulafia really takes no prisoners, and doesn't try to lure you in with literary tricks -- this book requires you to be antecedently interested in history (and the history of human movement and exploration in particular), not worry if you don't see an overarching theme (I still haven't decided whether there was one, but I don't mind), and not get flustered trying to remember every particular detail. However, if this is you (or if this can be you just for the purposes of this book), you really will not find a better book. I don't remember the last time I read a book that was this full and complex, and that gave me this rich of a sense of what is no less the history of the world. This book was a fantastic feat, and I loved every anecdote, all of which really gave me a sense of what life might have been like during the different time periods. I plan to read Abulafia's first book as well! It is amazing to me that it is even possible to achieve scholarship of this magnitude. We are quite lucky to be alive at the same time as David Abulafia.