Tag: stan ulanski

Stan Ulanski: Sperm Whales: Demons of the Sea?

In the movie In the Heart of the Sea, based upon Nathaniel Philbrick’s best-selling book of the same title, an enraged sperm whale twice rams the whale ship Essex. In a matter of minutes, the Essex starts sinking and capsizes on its port side, leaving its crew stranded on the vast Pacific in three small and under-provisioned whale boats.

But about ten years before the sinking of the Essex in 1820, an even more cunning and fearsome whale received widespread notoriety throughout the whaling community and even among the general public. Continue Reading Stan Ulanski: Sperm Whales: Demons of the Sea?

Stan Ulanski: Wanderers of the Pacific Ocean: Sea Turtles

As I researched and studied the myriad organisms that swim in and fly over the California Current for my book on this unique ecosystem, none caught my attention more than Pacific sea turtles—living dinosaurs of the ocean. Theirs is an old story—one of long journeys and nesting rituals performed over the eons. The tale below chronicles the journey and trials of a determined sea turtle. Continue Reading Stan Ulanski: Wanderers of the Pacific Ocean: Sea Turtles

North Carolina Gift Books for Everyone on Your List

Which UNC Press books make the best North Carolina gifts? It’s a question I’m often asked—particularly around the holidays and when people start their vacation travels and want to bring along a thoughtful gift with a connection to their home state.

I’ve narrowed the field to the following bounty of books with a Tar Heel theme, connection, or written by a North Carolina author. With this list as your guide, you can be one of those people who have most of their holiday shopping done by Thanksgiving, which also happens to be the first night of Hannukah this year. Continue Reading North Carolina Gift Books for Everyone on Your List

Introducing Southern Gateways Guides from UNC Press

This spring, UNC Press published 4 books for the inaugural season of Southern Gateways Guides, our newest series. Southern Gateways Guides offer a fresh, comprehensive, and always reliable approach to the South. From outdoor and nature guides, to beautifully illustrated references on flora and fauna, and travel guides to exciting destinations, these insightful books have something for every reader who wants to… Continue Reading Introducing Southern Gateways Guides from UNC Press

Power from the Gulf Stream

CNN.com recently ran a story about scientists at Florida Atlantic University researching and considering ways to harness energy from Gulf Stream currents off the coast of Florida. We happen to have a Gulf Stream expert in the UNC Press family, so we asked Stan Ulanski, author of The Gulf Stream: Tiny Plankton, Giant Bluefin, and the Amazing Story of the… Continue Reading Power from the Gulf Stream

Happy National Maritime Day!

Happy National Maritime Day! Today, I ask that each of you take a closer look at those crab legs you’re eating, or that naval ship you see when you are at the beach and really consider how important sailors, the sea, and the maritime industry is to our daily lives. May 22, 1933 marks the date that the American steamship… Continue Reading Happy National Maritime Day!

UNC Press books making headlines (and airwaves)

We’ve got lots going on around here! Here’s a quick roundup of ways in which UNC Press books are making waves right now. . . . Patrick Huber’s Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South has just earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The review states, “With respect and passion, Huber puts these pioneering artists… Continue Reading UNC Press books making headlines (and airwaves)