*Cousteau, Jacques. 1979 (1993). Jacques Cousteau: The Ocean World. Harry N. Abrams: NY

This oversized, sumptious volume is both a tribute to the man who made oceanography famous and the amazing diversity of organisms that inhabit the world ocean. This book takes an ecological approach, introducing reproduction, food-getting, movement, defense, communication, and other adapations and behaviors in separate chapters. The latter chapters of the book are devoted to human interactions with the ocean. This is the kind of book to leave on your coffee table and flip through once a day!

*Dinwiddie, Robert , Louise Thomas, and Fabien Cousteau Ocean: The World’s Last Wilderness Revealed. 2006. DK Publishing: NY

An illustrated encyclopedia of information on the world ocean and its inhabitants.

*Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures: America’s Underwater Treasures: Parts 1 and 2. 2006. PBS (VHS and DVD).

ttp://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/episodes/treasures/

*Ocean World. 2001. DVD. Blue Planet series. BBC.

The best video series on the ocean in existence.

The Living Sea. IMAX. 1995. (DVD)

This is Professor Sean’s favorite video for introducing the world ocean and why we need to better understand it. With music by Sting, narration by Meryl Streep, and amazing footage from Greg MacGillivray, this video continues to entertain and inspire.

*Hutchinson, Stephen, and Lawrence E. Hawkins. 2005. Oceans: A Visual Guide. Firefly Books: Australia

*Pernetta, Dr. John. 2004. Guide to the Oceans. Firefly Books: NY

*Michelet, Jules. 1883. The Sea. Thomas Nelson and Sons: London

This delightful little tribute to the ocean interweaves Michelet’s commanding prose with a great deal of science. It is believed that Jules Verne borrowed from this book in his writing of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Indeed, Michelet’s chapter on cod cites statistics mentioned in 20K. That said, this book is a useful historical reference for understanding human interactions with the world ocean in the 19th century.

*Ward, Ritchie. 1974. Into the Ocean World: The Biology of the Sea. Alfred A. Knopf: NY

*Svarney, Thomas E., and Patricia Barnes-Svarney. 2000. The Handy Ocean Answer Book. Visible Ink Press: MI

*Taber, Robert W., and Harold W. Dubach. 1972. 1001 Questions Answered About the Oceans and Oceanography. Dodd, Mead, and Company: NY