Wonders – A Literary History of the Deep Sea recalls the era of undersea telegraph cables and the heyday of the aquarium. It presents mermaids, octopuses and jellyfish and explores some of the many works of art that conceptualise undersea marvels or dream of vanishing ecstatically into the depths, into this other element. It is the story of how we imagine life was formed underwater and on our planet. It is about the historical basis for our modern perception of the sea and a call to action before the fantastic creatures with whom we have only just begun to become acquainted disappear forever.