A chronicle of humanity’s history with the coast, taking us from the seaside pleasure palaces of Roman elites and the aquatic rituals of medieval pilgrims, to the venues of modern resort towns and beyond. Robert C. Ritchie traces the contours of the material and social economies of the beach throughout time, covering changes in the social status of beach goers, the technology of transport, and the development of fashion, as well as the geographic spread of modern beach-going from England to France, across the Mediterranean, and from nineteenth-century America to the world. And as climate change and rising sea levels erode the familiar faces of our coasts, we are poised for a contemporary reckoning with our relationship—and responsibilities—to our beaches and their ecosystems. 

“Our relationship with the beach has been as fluid as the runnels left by the tide’s turning.”

Robert C. Ritchie “The Lure of the Beach: A Global History”. Published by University of California Press in 2021. Donated to the library by Iain Rousham from the UK ❤️

Photos by Anna Iltnere / Sea Library