Tide by Hugh Aldersey-Williams is one of those books that has been on my to-be-read piles for so long that I have no idea how long I have owned it or where it originally came from. It’s a sort of travel book combined with science and some history about tides. I like this type of book and I was intrigued by the thought that someone would write a whole book about tides. My copy is a paperback book which includes black and white pictures scattered around the text, mainly of landscapes, although I wasn’t sure that they really enhanced the narrative.
The author starts by explaining how we came to understand tides. Tides are incredibly complicated and there are a large number of variables which need to be taken into account when calculating tide times and heights. We can now give exact times for tides at different times of the year and day for all locations, but it has taken centuries to understand all the science involved. The author introduces bits of information as you read through the book rather than dump it all on the general reader in one lump and he does that by introducing us to the scientists and their discoveries which improved understanding.
In between the sciency bits the author talks about the natural world and the wildlife and plants that live in the areas between tides and which are dependent upon them for their growth and existence. He also travels to places with unusual tides, tidal whirlpools, or large tidal ranges and describes them, as well as telling us about when these have been reflected in literature or been important in history. He includes battles where tides were important, areas where the tide is endangering cities, the effects of global warming, art installations using tides, what can be found when the tide retreats, tidal power and how humans have built barriers against high tides.
There was more science information in this book than I could easily assimilate. I didn’t understand how tides worked at the end of the book, although I knew much more about why they vary. I enjoyed the bits about history and literature but the science and nature writing didn’t engage me, even though they are aimed at the general reader. I also found the book to be very euro-centric – there was virtually nothing about Africa, Asia or the Antipodes in the content.
I read this book and I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t excite or engage me. This is not because it is a bad book but because it wasn’t for me. The science wasn’t of particular interest and I didn’t really understand it all. If you are more interested in science than I am you may well enjoy this book better. My copy is off to Oxfam.
Anne Is Reading 