Review
Tom Hawthorn, of the Toronto Globe and Mail [Jan. 2, 2008], writes that "Koppel never lost the curiosity he held as a boy for a natural order that lifted an island’s dock as much as four metres twice a day, and a lifetime's travel has led to an exploration of the phenomena...[He] finds the rise and fall of empires mirrored in the sea's ebb and flow, incorporating Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great in his captivating look at tides. He examines the complex science of tides and explores their possible future as an energy source...A veteran magazine writer, Mr. Koppel knows how to tell a story."
Susan Lundy of the Gulf Islands Driftwood [Nov. 28, 2007] writes: "Koppel successfully walks the line between presenting complex material in a readable way without 'dumbing down' the content. Each chapter opens with an anecdote drawn mostly from Koppel's many experiences on the sea. The stories segue into the chapters, giving life to the science, reiterating the role tides play in everyday existence and putting the reader right into the scene."
Mark Lardas of the Galveston (Texas) Daily News [Oct. 28, 2007] writes: "Despite the formidable complexity of the science of tides, Koppel packages his explanations approachably. You do not need to be a rocket science to understand him, yet everyone-even scientists-will find this book absorbing..a fascinating mix of science, history and memoir, which is completely entertaining."
Cherie Thiessen of Canada's book industry magazine, Quill & Quire [Dec. 28, 2007] writes: "[The book] has been in the making for more than 20 years..It's been worth the wait. Koppel, who has been praised for his ability to explain complicated science to the average reader, is doing it again. Beginning with the earliest human attempts to explain the phenomenon of the oceans' movements, carrying on through to Isaac Newton's breakthrough in tidal theory in the 17th century, and on to the adventures of later European explorers as they learned firsthand that all tides are not created equal, the book mixes fact with personal experiences and observations."
Product Description
Ebb and Flow was named one of 2007's "best science books" by Peter Calamai, science editor of the Toronto Star [Dec. 30, 2007]. He calls it a "wonderful resource book…. Tom Koppel seems to have visited or read about every place with unusual tides and water currents, yet he wears this scholarship lightly."
Tides have shaped our world. They have carved out shorelines, transformed early life on Earth, and altered the course of human civilization. Tides frustrated Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, and aided General MacArthur. They govern the way our planet moves, provide us with an alternative source of energy, and may be aggravating global climate change.
Drawing on science, history, and personal memories, Koppel's fascinating book engages and enlightens, demonstrating that a subject we take for granted affects all our lives. He weaves together three grand narratives, exploring how tides impact coasts and marine life, how they have altered human history and development, and how science has striven to understand the surprisingly complex way in which tides actually work.
