One of the world's natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 2000 kilometres in a maze of coral reefs and islands along Australia's north-eastern coastline. Now unfolding the fascinating story behind its mystique this 2002 book provides for the first time a comprehensive cultural and ecological history of European impact, from early voyages of discovery to developments in Reef science and management. Incisive and a delight to read in its thorough account of the scientific, social and environmental consequences of European impact on the world's greatest coral reef system, this extraordinary book is sure to become a classic.

The age of Francis Bacon marked the beginning of a long period when empirical science was seen as the key to progress in extending man's control over nature. Recently, however, a breakdown of confidence in the outcome of worldwide industrialism and a growing concern over threats to the earth's ecosystems have brought mounting criticism of specialized, exploitative science. Demands for conservation and social responsibility are leading to a reappraisal of the whole philosophy of science that has been dominant for three centuries, and many observers see this as a new scientific revolution, comparable in significance with that of the seventeenth century.