"The Baltic and the North Seas offers a new and exciting historical vista of the northern seas from the arrival of the first humans at the end of the Ice Age, to the modern era. [...] Exploring the themes of the human relationship with the marine environment and the ways in which the peoples of northern Europe have experienced and exploited their seas, this book reveals how human perception of the northern seas has changed over time. Major aspects covered include the struggle to control the sea and keep it at bay, the ways in which the maritime worlds of northern Europe have been imagined and portrayed, the vulnerability of the seas to human action, the seas as a vital source of livelihood - tradeways, for the pursuit of great power politics and as sources of health, leisure and pleasure - and the people's spiritual relationship with the seas. The link between women and the sea is also explored. Drawing from a wide range of sources, from Denmark and Britain to Norway, Finland and Germany, the Baltic and the North Seas is an insightful and colourful history of the politics, economy and culture of this intriguing region."--Provided by the publisher.