Inside the crevices of the tidal coastline lies a rippling, silent, unknowable universe. Investigating one of the most revelatory habitats on earth, the author of The Seabird's Cry finds that the world of the rock pools is as infinite and as intricate as our own. In this New York Times Notable Book, Adam Nicolson shares his own lyrical impressions, while incorporating the reflections of a variety of scientists and such authors as Heraclitus, Virginia Woolf, and T.S. Eliot.

"[Nicolson] succeeds gloriously in conveying the marvels of a stretch of Scottish tidal coast, mixing history, science, and precise descriptions bright with inventive metaphors and profound revelations."—Booklist (starred review)