French writer Georges Blond (1906–1989) is the author of the popular series of books about sea voyages and discoveries, The Great Mysteries of the Oceans (The Great Hour of the Oceans). The new revised edition in Russian is published in two volumes and is equipped with extensive reference material, including maps, dictionaries of names, maritime terms and names of ships and aircraft. The first book includes stories about the three greatest oceans of the globe - the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian. The history of the exploration and development of each of them is unique, but at the same time, the stories often flow into one another, like the waters of the great oceans themselves. At the center of the author’s fascinating large-scale plan are Man and the Sea in their diverse, complex, almost mystical relationships. All the great navigators were, in a certain sense, captives of the sea, which forever captivated their hearts: no matter how terrible the hardships the sea voyage turned out to be, they always rushed again towards the formidable elements, towards new dangers and discoveries. Columbus, Magellan, Heyerdahl - all of them, starting with the ancient Vikings or Phoenicians, were obsessed with the sea, with the dream of new sea routes and unknown lands. Blon's maritime epic tells about great travelers in the vastness of the great oceans.