The 236 entries in this book comprise an A-Z overview of water's manifold roles in human society and the natural world throughout history. Topics include boats and ships, dams, groundwater, hydrology, ice, the Johnstown Flood, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, sea monsters, surface tension, and water wheels, and much more. Scientific and technical issues are explored, including the physical and chemical properties of water, steam, and ice; the uses to which water and steam are put; and the purification, transfer, and uses of water by communities. The hydrologic cycle is explained, with attention to the properties and distribution of ice masses, and the properties of oceans and rivers. Philosophical, mystical, metaphorical, and symbolic roles of water in literature, mythology, religion, the visual arts, and music are considered, as are individuals and organizations responsible for contributing to our understanding of water. Each entry concludes with a list of further readings. Attention is also paid to the philosophical, mystical, metaphorical, and symbolic role that water has played for humans in literature, mythology, religion, the visual arts, and music. Finally, a number of individuals and organizations that now make and have made important contributions to our understanding of water and its role in human life and in the natural world are included.