Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus, The: Exploring and Conserving Our Natural World

The beloved explorer Jacques Cousteau witnessed firsthand the complexity and beauty of life on earth and undersea-and watched the toll taken by human activity in the twentieth century. In this magnificent last book, now available for the first time in the United States, Cousteau describes his deeply informed philosophy about protecting our world for future generations. Weaving gripping stories of his adventures throughout, he and coauthor Susan Schiefelbein address the risks we take with human health, the overfishing and sacking of the world's oceans, the hazards of nuclear proliferation, and the environmental responsibility of scientists, politicians, and people of faith. This prescient, clear-sighted book is a remarkable testament to the life and work of one of our greatest modern adventurers.

Susan Schiefelbein has won the National Magazine Award and the Front Page Award for her cover stories on social issues. A former editor at the Saturday Review, she went on to write the narration for many of Cousteau's documentary films. She lives in Paris.

Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997) was world-renowned as an ocean explorer, filmmaker, educator, and environmental activist. He won three Oscars and the Palme d'Or for his films, and wrote or coauthored more than seventy-five books.

Bill McKibben is an American environmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming. The author of The End of Nature and 34 other books, he is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College, USA. He is also the leader of the climate campaign group 350.org.