From Cnut to D-Day- the history and science of the ever-powerful tide explored for the first time.

Half of the world’s population lives in coastal regions lapped by tidal waters. Yet how little most of us know about the tide.

With Aldersey-Williams as our guide to the most feared and celebrated tidal features on the planet, from the original maelstr m in Scandinavia to the world’s highest tides in Nova Scotia to the crumbling coast of East Anglia, the importance of the tide, and the way it has shaped - and will continue to shape - our civilization, becomes startlingly clear.

Praise for Hugh Aldersey-Williams, author of the bestselling Periodic Tales