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Tales of the first seafarers

See more: An illustrated version of this article will be published within the next two weeks on our CultureLab books and arts blog

By Jamie Condliffe

25 July 2012

Beyond the Blue Horizon, Brian Fagan’s account of the first intrepid ocean-goers, contains jaw-dropping insights, but they get lost in a sea of repetition

THE oceans are swirling pools of contrast: calm and tumultuous; wine dark and clear; continuous yet disjointed; givers of life and grim reapers combined. For many people, such contrasts make the sea beguiling. There’s a romance in the fickleness of water. Like a temperamental lover, its unpredictable behaviour and constant contrast make it all the more seductive.

To an extent, Brian Fagan’s Beyond The Blue Horizon reads like the seas it seeks to describe: at…

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