Books About Oceanography

​ If you’re considering any study of the oceans, or perhaps now it’s too late, but you wonder what you missed out on, this is the book. The Blue Machine by Helen Cerzski is genuinely intellectual, but conveyed in easy-to-follow prose. I’ve read several oceanographic books, and none have struck such a pleasant balance for me. She also narrates the audiobook version herself, which gives it a real natural flow. Her voice assures you that she finds excitement and intrigue in every fact she shares. ​ I have generally positive views on the books “The Gulf Stream” by Stan Ulanski and “Flotsametrics and the Floating World” by Curtis Ebbesmeyer. “The Sea Around Us” by Rachel Carson was described by The Guardian in 2014 as probably still the best book on the science of the seas, despite being written in 1951. ​ Having read all the books above, I am of the opinion that The Guardian should have stated in 2023 that Rachel Carson’s classic had been comprehensively ousted from top spot by The Blue Machine. I don’t dispute the writing quality displayed in The Sea Around Us, but the reality is that oceanography has developed immensely in the last 75 years, and so have the tastes of readers like myself. Perhaps the only reason The Guardian didn’t write a glowing review of such nature is that Helen Czerski herself was a semi-regular writer for The Guardian/Observer. ​

The Blue Machine Itself

​ In the text, I found many undergraduate degree-level concepts, but explained in such a way that at no point in reading it did I ever feel like I was studying. In truth, many of the things she speaks of, I found a bit dull in the classroom (sorry lecturers!). She has a really special talent for making difficult topics seem simple. ​ Czerski also has an ability, possibly from her extensive television presenting experience, to slip 3 or 4 great one-sentence facts into each chapter. Throughout the reading process, I found myself hoarding these little nuggets of interest and having to resist bombarding my friends with too many of them.

I will warn you that the first couple of chapters get into things a little slowly, and this is my biggest criticism. You may connect with her detailed descriptions of her quite intense experience canoeing in Hawaii. Other reviewers (hyperlink to the spectator) singled this out as the icing on the cake. I, however, found it a little slow and aside from my real interest, reading it from the perspective of a university student.

If you see it through and give her a good chunk of the book to convince you, you’ll be rewarded with a great range of knowledge on physical and living phenomena alike. The book is not comprehensive in the manner of an academic textbook, but it actually is very comprehensive in terms of paying so many subtopics of ocean studies a visit. ​ This book is her third book, and having read her first “Storm In A Teacup”, I’m of the opinion she was definitely a capable writer then, but with this book truly flourished. Perhaps due to narrowing her topic material (Storm in a teacup covers a wide range of physics phenomena), The Blue Machine captures a level of depth and interest, with a consistent, coherent thread to the book that I didn’t experience to the same level in her debut publication.

I’d recommend it to anyone in their teens or older who has an interest in the ocean. If you have the reading proficiency needed for this article, you are ready to read the book. ​ If you do read it, you may notice a couple of facts that I’ll share here and on social media popping up in the book. She provides so many little gems that it’s hard to resist re–sharing at least a few.