If you’re in the US, you may be like us and just coming into the last day of the long Labor Day weekend. Lots of folks choose this weekend for a “last” beach trip, anticipating the arrival of colder weather and academic schedules. Maybe you’ve been to your local beach this weekend or are planning to spend today there: if so, we’ve got some titles for you to take along!
Philip Gosse’s 1845 publication The ocean, printed by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (London, England), was designed to tell the student everything they could want to know about an ocean, any ocean. Gosse starts with “The Shores of Britain” and works his way through the the seas of the world, wrapping up with “The Indian Ocean.” Along the way, Gosse illustrates his text with a variety of images, alerting readers to things they might see on their visit:
“Sperm whale attacked by a sword-fish” from Gosse’s 1845 “The ocean.”
“Sea-fan,” from Gosse’s 1845 “The ocean.”
“Yarmouth jetty, in the herring fishery” from Gosse’s 1845 “The ocean.”