Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. Life in the Sea by James Johnstone was first published in 1911 and reissued as this second edition in 1930. The volume contains a survey of marine biology, taking into consideration the interrelations of organisms and the effects of seasonal change.