A history of the three great oceans - the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian - and of mankind's relationship with the sea from the first voyagers to the present day. Following merchants, explorers, pirates and cartographers in their quests for spices, gold, ivory, lands for settlement and knowledge of what lay beyond, Abulafia has created an extraordinary narrative of humanity and the oceans. Shortlisted for The Wolfson History Prize 2020.