In The Tide, celebrated science writer Hugh Aldersey-Williams weaves together centuries of scientific thinking with the literature and folklore the tide has inspired to explain the power and workings of this most remarkable force. Here is the epic story of the long search to understand the tide: from Aristotle, who is said to have drowned himself in his efforts to figure out the Greek tides, to the pioneering investigations into the role of the moon...

The tide is the greatest synchronised movement of matter on our planet. Every drop of seawater takes part in tidal motion, driven by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. At the coast, we see the tide as a twice-daily rise and fall of sea level that moves the edge of the sea up and down a beach or cliff-face. In some places, the tide is small but at others it can rise in a few hours by the height of a three storey building; it then has to be...

To celebrate her ninth birthday, Carrie's grandmother takes her by boat to Billingsgate Island in Cape Cod, an island that is only visible during low tides.

Discusses the nature, causes, effects, and uses of tides.

Describes how the tide affect the biology of the tidal flats.

Describes the sights and sounds at the seashore and the cyclical nature of the tides.