A book co-authored by Western Carolina University professor Rob Young about the global threat to coastal communities posed by rising sea levels has proven so popular that its publisher is announcing a release in paperback.

“We’re very pleased with how the book was received and think a paperback edition will allow us to reach an even broader audience,” said Emily Davis, developmental editor at Island Press, publisher of The Rising Sea. Written by Young and Orrin Pilkey, his friend and mentor from Duke University, The Rising Sea was published in hardback format in 2009. The book has won critical acclaim from the popular and scientific press.

The Florida Times-Union praised The Rising Sea as “… a must-read, not only for those of us living on the coast but for everyone concerned about meeting the challenges of the future.” Publishers Weekly said, “Pilkey and Young’s balanced, optimistic perspective on the tough decisions that lie ahead should garner interest from policy makers and real estate developers as well as environmentalists.”

Young is professor of geosciences and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at WCU, while Pilkey, a pioneer in the study of American shoreline development policy, holds the position of professor emeritus in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke.

For more information about the book or WCU’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, contact Young at 828.227.3822 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit psds.wcu.edu.