"Atlantic...is at once satisying, suspenseful (no mean trick on the subject of an ocean), thought-provoking, occasionally funny, and always absorbing. So big a subject as the Atlantic Ocean requires a certain largeness of spirit, and amplitude of descriptive power, and Simon Winchester is gloriously up to the task."

"[An] epic new book...With his excellent research and engrossing anecdotes about the ocean as a 'living thing, ' Winchester spotlights its inspiration on poets, painters, and writers in its majestic beauty...Winchester's sea saga is necessary reading for those who want to understand the planet better."

"[A] tale about the Atlantic Ocean that is variably genial, cautionary, lyrical, admonitory, terrifying, horrifying, and inspiring...A lifetime of thought, travel, reading, imagination, and memory inform this affecting account."

"A formidable writer and storyteller."

"Convincing...A fascinating look at a long sweep of history."

"Fascinating...Simon Winchester's storytelling abilities shine, with personal anecdote and research expertly woven."

"Few writers working today can tackle such broad, sprawling--and at times overwhelming--material as Simon Winchester and deliver it with such skill, verve, and grace...Epic...Winchester is a master craftsman, and Atlantic is well worth the effort...deftly executed, audacious."

"History is rarely as charming and entertaining as when it's told by Simon Winchester. There are fabulous set pieces in Atlantic--on piracy, on packet ships, on trans-Atlantic cables and the speeding up of information, on codfish, on sea bass, on plankton."

"Inspired."

"Interesting and informative...Mr. Winchester's yarns are not just sea stories; they are documented adventures...delightful...a fantastic yarn."

Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues profoundly to affect our character, attitudes, and dreams. Simon Winchester makes the Atlantic come vividly alive. Spanning the ocean's story from its geological origins to the age of exploration--covering the Vikings, the Irish, the Basques, John Cabot, and Christopher Columbus in the north, and the Portuguese and the Spanish in the south--and from World War II battles to today's struggles with pollution and overfishing, his narrative is epic, intimate, and awe inspiring. More than a mere history, this is an unforgettable journey of unprecedented scope by one of the most gifted writers in the English language.