Sharks are ruthlessly efficient predators, the apex of 450 million years of evolution. They are older than trees, have survived five extinction events and are essential to maintaining balanced ocean ecosystems, but how much do we really know about their lives?

The first book to reveal the hidden world of sharks, Emperors of the Deep draws upon the latest scientific research to examine four species in detail - mako, tiger, hammerhead and great white - as never before. An eye-opening tour of shark habitats ranges from the coral reefs of the Central Pacific where great whites mysteriously congregate every autumn in what researchers call a festival for sharks, to tropical mangrove forests where baby lemon sharks play in social groups and to the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, home to 400-year-old Greenland sharks, the world's longest-lived vertebrates. McKeever also traces the evolution of the myth of the 'man-eater' and exposes the devastating effects of the fishing industry on shark populations: In 2018 only four people died in shark attacks while we killed 100 million sharks.

At once a journey through the misunderstood world of sharks and an urgent call to protect them, Emperors of the Deep celebrates these iconic predators that continue to capture our imagination - and that desperately need our help to survive.

Author : William McKeever 

Edition : Harper Collins, Paperback, 272 pages

ISBN : 9780008359201

Weight: 230g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 22mm

Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Brings You 90% of Everything

There are 100,000 freighters on the seas. Between them they carry nearly everything we eat, wear and work with. In this unique investigation, Rose George joins the crew of a container ship to chart the murky waters of international shipping, with its powerful naval fleets, pirate gangs, and illegal floating factories, to reveal the hidden industry upon which our world turns and our future depends.

Why Novel North Recommends

‘Deep Sea and Foreign Going was the book that launched me into a world I’ve become fascinated in - the ocean, what goes on above and beneath its surface. Whilst container ships are vital and common place in our oceans, their voyages and the lives and experiences of those onboard are so distant and far removed from our everyday thoughts and lives. It’s a juxtaposition of a travelogue in which the journey is vast and yet day to day alike. It’s a book full of incredible eye opening and startling facts, which Rose George relates with a contagious interest, and in which I found myself completely engaged.’

Author : Rose George

Edition : Granta Books, Paperback, 320 pages

ISBN : 9781846272998

Weight: 226g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 19mm

A fascinating guide to Britain’s rock lighthouses passionately brought to life by Tom Nancollas. A book to leave you in awe of the natural world and the ingenuity of humankind.

Author : Tom Nancollas

Edition : Penguin Books, Hardback / Paperback, 256 pages

ISBN : 9781846149375 / 9781846149382

Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year

'Magnificent' - Robert Macfarlane

Our lives depend on shipping but it is a world which is largely hidden from us. In every lonely corner of every sea, through every night, every day, and every imaginable weather, tiny crews of seafarers work the giant ships which keep landed life afloat.

These ordinary men live extraordinary lives, subject to dangers and difficulties we can only imagine, from hurricanes and pirates to years of confinement in hazardous, if not hellish, environments.

Horatio Clare joins two container ships on their epic voyages across the globe and experiences unforgettable journeys. As the ships cross seas of history and incident, seafarers unfold the stories of their lives, and a beautiful and terrifying portrait of the oceans and their human subjects emerges.

Why Novel North Recommends

‘An incredible and lyrical insight into those who traverse our oceans on vast ships, contrasting the chaotic and precision. Tales of piracy and unimaginable storms, alongside the pressure with which goods are shipped around our oceans and those who journey with them. It’s a read both inspiring adventure and cementing an appreciation and new found awe for the food and items we see on the shelves of high street shops and supermarkets and the journey they took to be there!’

Author : Horatio Clare

Edition : Paperback, Vintage, 368 pages

ISBN : 9780099526292

Weight: 255g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 22mm