Exploring the themes of the human relationship with the marine environment and the ways in which the peoples of Northern Europe have experienced and exploited their seas, this book reveals how human perception of the northern seas has changed over time.
Drawing on a wide variety of sources, from Denmark and Britain to Norway, Finland and Germany, The Baltic and the North Seas is an insightful and colourful history of the politics, economy and culture of this intriguing region.
"This is an imaginative, thoughtful and thought-provoking study [...] As well as offering a mass of fascinating detail and discussion, the book addresses some big ideas that deserve to be tested by other historians [...] This book is a fine example of the new maritime history, and should be as widely read for its aims and methods as for its fascinating subject matter."
– Graeme J. Milne, The Mariner's Mirror (2002)
"This book is a valuable introducation to a fascinating region which has done much to shape world history. It is very well written and thought-provoking on a number of levels. The authors have met the daunting challenge of writing the history of the northern seas with considerable distinction."
– Zeitschift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung