A serious-minded history of the Great Barrier Reef, its exploration, natural history and conservation. The focus is on the ecology, history and European impact from discovery through modern science. With chapters on Navigators and Naturalists in the Age of Sail, Origin and Structure of Coral Reefs: From Forster to Darwin, and The Conservation Controversy. Recent winner of the New South Wales premier's prize for Australian history.  (AUS160, $58.00)