This book follows the thrilling adventures of award-winning wildlife documentary producer, John Ruthven, on a journey of discovery – by turns memorable, touching and often funny – that has helped the undersea world flow into countless living rooms to reveal many of our ocean’s mysteries. We swim with him through blue lagoons, dive into the abyss to encounter new life forms, and experience everything from the danger of getting lost at sea to the sadness of finding a starving whale with a fishing net caught in its mouth. Through each remarkable adventure, the author gives insight into what we currently know about the ocean, and our whole blue planet, revealing that the sea really is the ‘saltwater country’ the Yolngu people of Australia know it to be – a place with as many unique destinations in water as on land.

“When you’re in the deep sea there’s a gut-wrenching clarity, an immense feeling of volume, seemingly empty, but filled with the heartbeat of life on Earth.”

John Ruthven “The Whale in the Living Room: A Wildlife Documentary Maker’s Unique View of the Sea”. Published in 2021 by Robinson. Donated to the library by Leah Zakss from the UK who bought it at a little festival bookshop in Dorset ❤️

Photos by Anna Iltnere / Sea Library