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 11, 2026
University of Victoria Libraries  Tina Bebbington, Anthropology and Newspaper Librarian, UVic Libraries
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
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...
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.
CD
From bestselling author Simon Winchester comes the immense and thrilling story of the world's most mysterious and breathtaking natural wonder: the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors,...
Exploring Coast Salish prehistory : the archaeology of San Juan Island
Stein, Julie K.
Paper Book
Every year thousands of people visit the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State. With a copy of Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory in hand, they will enjoy an introduction both to archaeology in general and to sites within San Juan Island National Historic Park.
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 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...
Katie Gale : a Coast Salish woman's life on Oyster Bay
De Danaan, Llyn
Paper Book
A gravestone, a mention in local archives, stories still handed down around Oyster Bay: the outline of a woman begins to emerge and with her the world she inhabited, so rich in tradition and shaken by violent change. Katie Kettle Gale was born into a Salish community in Puget Sound in the...
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...
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...
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...
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 Salish Sea : jewel of the Pacific Northwest
Benedict, Audrey D.
Paper Book
"The Salish Sea is a feast for the eyes, a high-quality publishing effort rich in glossy colour photos and fascinating biological information that is likely to surprise even someone well-versed in our marine waters." --The Vancouver Sun In stunning color...
Spirits of the coast : orcas in science, art and history
Black, Martha
Paper Book
"A magnificent journey alongside orcas, bringing these beautiful creatures to life." --Jay Ritchlin, David Suzuki Foundation Spirits of the Coast brings together the work of marine biologists, Indigenous knowledge keepers, poets, artists, and...
Voices for the Islands : Thirty Years of Nature Conservation on the Salish Sea
Harrington, Sheila.
Ebook
A fascinating compendium of stories chronicling the creation of local nature conservancies, and the people behind them, on seventeen islands on the Salish Sea from the 1990s to the present day. Voices for the Islands brings together the stories and experiences of those who rose to protect...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.