Looking for a good summer read? We are making ten eBooks available for free during the month of July.
In the spirit of summer, these books are among the many titles published by University Press of Florida and UF Press that dive into the topic of water. They invite readers to explore our oceans and waterways and the people and creatures that depend on them through subjects including the beloved bottlenose dolphin, Florida’s fresh water crisis, fishing guides and stories from bygone eras, and investigations of natural wonders like undersea caves and barrier reefs.
You can enjoy the digital versions of these ten books for free on eReaders such as Kobo, Nook, Apple Books, and Kindle through July 31, 2024. To access any of these free eBooks, visit our website or your favorite eBook vendor and navigate to the book of your choice. We hope you enjoy these free reads.
If you would like to order print copies of these books, click the links below to visit our website and use WATER for a discount price.
Drawn to the Deep: The Remarkable Underwater Explorations of Wes Skiles
Julie Hauserman
Wes Skiles’s passion for diving and his innovative camera techniques earned him assignments with National Geographic and Outside. His life-defining quest, however, was to advocate for Florida’s freshwater springs. This book is the inspiring story of an explorer and activist who uncovered environmental abuses, advanced the field of underwater photography, and astonished the world with unprecedented views of the secret depths of the planet.
Imperiled Reef: The Fascinating, Fragile Life of a Caribbean Wonder
Sandy Sheehy
This book brings alive the richly diverse world of an underwater paradise, the second largest coral structure on the planet: the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Celebrating a vast, submerged landscape that has too often been undervalued, Imperiled Reef is both a strong case for protecting an international marvel and a powerful message of hope for the world’s oceans.
Florida’s Fishing Legends and Pioneers
Doug Kelly
As one of the most lauded fishing destinations in the United States, boasting world records on varieties of fish, Florida has proven irresistible to the world’s top anglers for more than 100 years. Florida’s Fishing Legends and Pioneers chronicles the exploits of the most influential men and women of the sport throughout the state.
Waterways: Sailing the Southeastern Coast
Jennifer Frick-Ruppert
In Waterways, Jennifer Frick-Ruppert sails Velella—a boat named after a jellyfish-like creature with a “sail”—down the southeastern coast of the United States, from Charleston, South Carolina, to Palm Beach, Florida, and across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. More than just a memoir of learning to sail, Waterways is a book about the relationships between humans and nature, land and sea, learning to sail and learning to see.
A Pioneer Son at Sea: Fishing Tales of Old Florida
Gilbert L. Voss
Edited by Robert S. Voss
In A Pioneer Son at Sea, Gilbert Voss, a celebrated marine biologist, recounts his early days of fishing on both coasts of the Florida peninsula during the Great Depression and World War II. These stories are not just spirited portraits of fishermen from a bygone era, they are also remarkable tales of the formative years in the life of a scientist and conservationist who later worked tirelessly to preserve our dwindling marine resources.
The Peace of Blue: Water Journeys
Bill Belleville
In The Peace of Blue, documentarian and nature writer Bill Belleville guides readers on a lyrical journey to the natural places in Florida and the Caribbean that have been forged and shaped by water. Through adventure and contemplative excursions, he shares his contagious respect—and awe—for the singularity and transcendence of the natural world.
Fishing for Spotted Seatrout: From the Carolinas to Texas
Jan S. Maizler
The spotted seatrout is one of the top ten species for recreational fishing in the United States. In Fishing for Spotted Seatrout, Jan Maizler, a world-renowned light tackle expert, shares more than 30 years’ experience and innovative tactics for catching this popular fish in its range from the Carolinas to Texas. This comprehensive guide covers every aspect of angling for this magnificent gamefish.
Drying Up: The Fresh Water Crisis in Florida
John M. Dunn
America’s wettest state is running out of water. Florida—with its swamps, lakes, extensive coastlines, and legions of life-giving springs—faces a drinking water crisis. Drying Up is a wake-up call and a hard look at what the future holds for those who call Florida home as journalist and educator John Dunn untangles the many causes of the state’s freshwater problems.
Indian River Lagoon: An Environmental History
Nathaniel Osborn
Stretching along 156 miles of Florida’s East Coast, the Indian River Lagoon is a delicate ecosystem of shifting barrier islands and the most biologically diverse estuarine system in the United States. Humans have dramatically reshaped the region in the past two centuries, challenging its ecological balance. Indian River Lagoon traces the winding story of the waterway, providing a much-needed bigger picture as debates continue over how best to restore this natural resource.
The Bottlenose Dolphin: Biology and Conservation
John E. Reynolds III, Randall S. Wells, and Samantha D. Eide
The Bottlenose Dolphin presents a comprehensive, easy-to-understand, colorfully illustrated, and concise overview of a species that has fascinated humans for at least 3,000 years. Anecdotes interspersed throughout the work offer a firsthand view of dolphin encounters and research based on three decades working with them. Nearly 100 illustrations, including many by National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin, beautifully enhance the text.
The digital versions of these ten books can be accessed for free through July 31, 2024.
Print copies can be ordered on our website with discount code WATER.
The Florida Bookshelf 