“Beautiful. . . .  A skillfully written, current, and unusually attractive presentation of ocean science that does not talk down to the audience, that unapologetically uses genus names and the SI system of measurements, and that maintains a balance between the living and non-living aspects of the ocean world. . . . . Stow has integrated contributions from experts in interlocking fields to produce a book that accomplishes the near-impossible: It could be used as a text (it has a useful glossary and index); it could grace anyone’s coffee table (the cover photo demands one pick up the book); it could sit happily on a reference shelf (where its charts and tables would be in considerable demand).”

Tom Garrison | Oceanography

"The pictures are glorious, lush, and thought-provoking. . . . A truly wondrous book that is engagingly written and filled with current research."

Biology Digest

"Stow’s book deserves an embarrassing amount of praise. Magnificently designed, Oceans is a reference book that offers clearly written text that is never upstaged by the book’s many illustrations, photographs, high-definition imagery, diagrams, drawings, and charts. . . . An essential book that captures the latest in ocean science and turns it into interesting and comprehensible prose."

Jeff Bursey | Books in Canada

"The writing is clear, nontechnical, and intended for broad audiences, but is also intelligent and loaded with useful and interesting information. The volume is very nicely illustrated with maps, photographs, paintings, charts. . . . Clear and beautiful images visually explain generalizable themes. . . . The book would be ideal as a gift for sailors, fishers, and anyone interested in the sea. . . . This is a book I would have loved as a student in high school or as an undergraduate. But I can still learn a lot from its pages."

Carl Safina | Quarterly Review of Biology

“In Oceans, Dorrik Stow mixes full-color photographs with encyclopedic entries covering ever aspect of the world’s seas from their origins during the Earth’s formation, to their tides and currents, to the sea life now under threat from overfishing in so many locales. A solid reference for the mariner, real or imagined, in your life.”

USA Today

"With the full-colour illustrtions and explanatory diagrams, the text is at a very readable level for the layperson, and most marine researchers could benefit from its inbtroduction to disciplines other than their own. I also feel that many of the diagrams and tables would be useful as introductory teaching tools at high school or early university level."

Alan Pearce | Journal of Australian Naval History