Oceans Past 2026

This booklist was created in celebration of the Oceans Past conference, cohosted by UVic Anthropology, History and Environmental Studies in June 2016. This list is not exhaustive, and contains mostly ebooks (print books were on display in the McPherson library during the conference).

Updated June 16, 2026
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1, 2, 3, Salish Sea
McClure, Nikki
Paper Book
From one to ten and well beyond, explore the Salish Sea in this visually striking, high-concept counting primer. Acclaimed West Coast artist Nikki McClure uses a single piece of paper and an X-ACTO knife to create her simple yet exquisite images. Whether it's one stubby squid or one...
Against the seas : saving civilizations from rising waters
Soderstrom, Mary
Paper Book
An incredible read.... While unflinching in her analysis, Soderstrom nevertheless gifts us with a message of hope and resilience. -- MAUDE BARLOW, activist and author of Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism. What can we learn about coping with rising sea levels from ancient times...
At sea with the marine birds of the raincoast
Fox, Caroline
Paper Book
Shortlisted for the Basil Stuart-Stubbs Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Book on British Columbia. At Sea With the Marine Birds of the Raincoast combines the natural and human histories of Pacific Northwest marine birds with Caroline Fox's personal story of her life as a...
Atlantic : great sea battles, heroic discoveries, titanic storms, and a vast ocean of a million stories
Winchester, Simon.
Paper Book
"Variably genial, cautionary, lyrical, admonitory, terrifying, horrifying and inspiring...A lifetime of thought, travel, reading, imagination and memory inform this affecting account." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Blending history and anecdote, geography and reminiscence, science and...
Fishing : how the sea fed civilization
Fagan, Brian M.
Paper Book
Humanity's last major source of food from the wild, and how it enabled and shaped the growth of civilization In this history of fishing--not as sport but as sustenance--archaeologist and best-selling author Brian Fagan argues that fishing was an indispensable...
Island : how islands transform the world
Chamberlin, J. Edward
Paper Book
Ever since humans have been travelling and telling tales, we have been fascinated by islands. Creation stories around the world speak of land rising out of the water, of islands beginning on the backs of turtles or as a result of the ingenuity of birds. The tradition continues into the modern era...
Island in the Salish Sea
McFarlane, Sheryl
Paper Book
This gorgeously illustrated picture book is a celebration of summer vacation and West Coast island life. Every day is different on Gran's island in the Salish Sea as granddaughter climbs big-leaf maples, eats blackberries, explores tide pools and sandstone caves and examines ancient...
The killer whale who changed the world
Leiren-Young, Mark
Paper Book
The fascinating and heartbreaking account of the first publicly exhibited captive killer whale -- a story that forever changed the way we see orcas and sparked the movement to save them Killer whales had always been seen as bloodthirsty sea monsters. That all changed when a...
The legacy : an elder's vision for our sustainable future
Suzuki, David
Paper Book
In this expanded version of an inspiring speech delivered in December 2009, David Suzuki reflects on how we got where we are today and presents his vision for a better future. In his living memory, Suzuki has witnessed cataclysmic changes in society and our relationship with the planet: the...
Oceans : an illustrated reference
Stow, D. A. V.
Paper Book
Four billion years old, the oceans formed as the Earth's scorching surface cooled, the primordial atmosphere condensed, and torrential rains fell. Their color is the unique signature of our blue planet, their composition a chemical cocktail of remarkable variety, their waters a theater of...
Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep
Leiren-Young, Mark
Paper Book
★"Vivid and fascinating...Budding scientists and animal lovers will keep this stellar title in full-circulation as they learn the mysteries and history of octopuses."--School Library Journal, starred review With their blue blood, big brains and eight arms, octopuses are dramatically...
The optimistic environmentalist : progressing towards a greener future
Boyd, David R.
Paper Book
Yes, the world faces substantial environmental challenges - climate change, pollution and extinction. But the surprisingly good news is that we have solutions to these problems. In the past 50 years, a remarkable number of environmental problems have been solved, while substantial progress is...
Orca Chief
Vickers, Roy Henry
Paper Book
Orca Chief is the third in a series of Northwest Coast legends by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd. Their previous collaborations, Raven Brings the Light (2013) and Cloudwalker (2014), are award-winning national bestsellers. Thousands of years ago in the village of Kitkatla,...
Orcas of the Salish Sea
Leiren-Young, Mark
Paper Book
Meet Onyx and the orcas of J pod, the world's most famous whales. Illustrated with stunning photos, this picture book introduces young readers to the orcas humans first fell in love with. The members of J pod live in the Salish Sea, off the coast of Washington and British Columbia. Moby...
Otter doesn't know
Fritz, Andrea
Paper Book
Indigenous artist and storyteller Andrea Fritz tells a tale of a salmon and a sea otter who learn it's ok to say "I don't know" and to ask for help. Thuqi' the sockeye salmon knows it's time to spawn, but she is lost in the Salish Sea and doesn't know the way to Sta'lo', the river. When...
Pacific : silicon chips and surfboards, coral reefs and atom bombs, brutal dictators, fading empires, and the coming collision of the world's superpowers
Winchester, Simon
Paper Book
One of Library Journal's 10 Best Books of 2015 Following his acclaimed Atlantic and The Men Who United the States, New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this...
The Teachings of Mutton : A Coast Salish Woolly Dog
Hammond-Kaarremaa, Liz.
Paper Book
The pelt of a dog named "Mutton" languished in a drawer at the Smithsonian for 150 years until it was discovered, almost accidentally, by an amateur archivist. This book tells Mutton's story and explores what it can teach us about Coast Salish Woolly Dogs and their cultural significance. ...
The unnatural history of the sea
Roberts, Callum.
Ebook
Humanity can make short work of the oceans' creatures. In 1741, hungry explorers discovered herds of Steller's sea cow in the Bering Strait, and in less than thirty years, the amiable beast had been harpooned into extinction. It's a classic story, but a key fact is often omitted. Bering Island...
Vanishing fish : shifting baselines and the future of global fisheries
Pauly, D.
Ebook
"Daniel Pauly is a friend whose work has inspired me for years." --Ted Danson, actor, ocean activist, and co-author of Oceana "This wonderfully personal and accessible book by the world's greatest living fisheries biologist summarizes and expands on the causes of collapse and...
Woolly Dog Warms His Family
Fritz, Andrea
Paper Book
Indigenous artist and storyteller Andrea Fritz tells the tale of a Salish woolly dog who goes on an adventure over land and sea to gather natural fibers to keep his human family warm. Sqwiqwmi' the young Salish woolly dog has a nice warm coat, and he wants to help protect his people from...

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