I feel sure I read this is my teen years; the bit about the straits of Gibraltar being broken open multiple times really rings a bell. Seems like Attenborough was in apocalyptic mode even back then.

An interesting and enjoyable book that is quick to read because it is a very visual book full of photos, drawings, and maps. There was a great deal of new to me info as well. For example the origin of the sea and the fact that there were periods when its floor was at the bottom of a vast (dry) chasm which then refilled. Also I never knew about the pygmy elephants and hippos of Malta, Sicily, etc.

NO OF PAGES: 240 SUB CAT I: Middle East SUB CAT II: Middle Eastern Culture SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: The author not only describes the natural history of the Mediterranean, but also tells the fascinating story of mankind's changing attitudes toward and relationship with the natural world.NOTES: SUBTITLE: The Mediterranean World and Man