Planet Ocean: Voyage to the Heart of the Marine Realm

One of the few volumes of marine photography that devotes a chapter to each of the planet's different marine environments, this book lives up to its title. Ballesta and Descamp, along with their editorial colleagues and advisers at the World Conservation Union (IUCN), have created a truly encyclopedic overview of the amazing range of habitats and ecologies found in Earth's oceans (rather than stick to the easily visited locales that populate most marine photography roundups). The stunning full-bleed images capture intricacies of structure, texture and color that predigital film simply could not. Most chapters are devoted to a particular geographic feature rather than a specific location—“The Undersea Prairies,” “Polar Oceans,” “The Coral Reefs,” “The Oases of the Open Ocean”—and each includes a short introduction; a two-page spread from IUCN experts on topics vital to “the endangered seas” (sustainable fishing, ocean governance, aquaculture, tourism, etc.); and short passages on specific critters, plants and geography. Aside from occasionally difficult-to-read white-on-blue text, this is an outstanding resource for the classroom or the home that will give readers of any age a thorough, breathtaking overview of the world under water. (Nov.)