The Shores Around Us

The shore is the original home of humankind and has been host to many of our species most spectacular accomplishments. Unfortunately, people today no longer know how to live with the shore, for current coastal engineering constitutes a threat not only to nature but humanity. It pits land against water and degrades the environment. This book of essays places shores in a long historical perspective, but also points the way to public policies friendly to both land and water. The essays in this volume are mostly new and constitute a supplement to my global history, The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History. They are inspired by the work of Rachel Carson, who was the first to alert us to the importance of shores in human evolution. The book aims to join natural and human history together by demonstrating how inseparable are humanity and the shores around us..