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A review by mysimas
The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans by David Abulafia
informative
slow-paced
4.5
Unbelievably, after many months, I finally finished this behemoth and tbh I could and maybe should start it all over again because I’ve successfully forgotten most of it already. 😂 It wasn’t as long a read as it might seem though, because the text only takes up 2/3 of the page count, the rest being pictures and sources/footnotes.
I wanted a comprehensive account of the world history and that’s what I got (with a focus on the areas adjacent to oceans, so it’s not encompassing quite the whole world, but close enough). It wasn’t exactly a page turner but the author lightened up the text with interesting anecdotes and even subtle humour. I appreciated his persistent attempts to divorce the book from a wholly European perspective, and I LOVED his focus on the interconnectedness of everything. This is the book for you if you’re interested in cause and effect rather than just a mere list of events.
I wanted a comprehensive account of the world history and that’s what I got (with a focus on the areas adjacent to oceans, so it’s not encompassing quite the whole world, but close enough). It wasn’t exactly a page turner but the author lightened up the text with interesting anecdotes and even subtle humour. I appreciated his persistent attempts to divorce the book from a wholly European perspective, and I LOVED his focus on the interconnectedness of everything. This is the book for you if you’re interested in cause and effect rather than just a mere list of events.