"This beguiling, thought-provoking, sumptuously illustrated, and engaging book is essential reading." -- MS, Current World Archaeology"On the Ocean is about overcoming the bias of traditional land based narratives, emphasising maritime Europe and what this reveals about our past. As such it is an important and enjoyable book, and one that deserves to be widely read." -- Jon Henderson, The Prehistoric Society"On the Ocean is a magnificent book, being carefully crafted and requiring all of Barry Cunliffe's encyclopaedic knowledge. The image portrayed, through multilateral means, offers a coherent narrative that can be followed through different times and spaces, offering both the overall view and the detailed developments." -- Stefan Vasilache, Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology No. 4.4"On the Ocean is a book all nautical (and terrestrial) archaeologists should read.

It provides a comprehensive overview from a seafaring perspective of the Mediterranean and Atlantic from the beginnings of humankinds voyaging in these waters to the discovery of the Americas." -- Colin Martin (University of St Andrews), The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology"The book adopts a familiar format to Cunliffe's other recent volumes and supplies everything we have come to expect. It is hugely ambitious in scope, fluently written and beautifully illustrated with panoramic photographs of landscapes and monuments, plus trademark mapping. In between, the narrative takes in deep geological history, the nature of winds, tides and currents, the night sky, the peopling of islands and coastal areas and details of ship- and boat-building technology." -- Robert Witcher, Antiquity Reviews, December 2017"Another magisterial tour de force replete with informative charts and beautiful illustrations. [On the Ocean is] an extraordinary achievement, all the more so for its engaging and elegant style." -- David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer.