About this title: Originally published in 1973 by Panther, and now part of the PENGUIN TWENTIETH-CENTURY CLASSICS series, Carson looks at the environments of the rocky shore, the rim of sand and the coral coast. Illustrations by Bob Hines are taken from the original edition and integrated into the text.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: New American Library, [New York]
Date Published: 1955
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Paper-back. 'Tanned', otherwise all G. Spine NOT creased, NO stains, tears, writing, in tight book. 238 pp, 18 cm. Signet science library. Includes Illustrations. "American Museum. Special members' edition. " read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: New Amer Library
Date Published: 1955
Description: Good. 172-W Books rated "Good" may have some notes, underlining, or highlighting. These books also may contain the previous owner's name, stamp, sticker, or gift inscription, or may be library discards. read more
"Rachel Carson would be cause for serious regrets re: my career if she didn't write in such a damned inspirational way. You don't need to be a marine biologist to do and see the things she does, you just need to love nature and hang out by the sea. Barring that, all you need is free time to read and an open canvas of a mind for her words to paint on.
I was with a girl digging up Coquina Clams a week or two ago, and realized how little time I'd spent by the water. That, plus finishing Carson's book, is plenty of reason to walk the tide line and dig my toes in the sand."
"Another sea classic by Rachel Carson, this one focusing on life in the zones between lowest and highest tides. All animals and plants described here are directly observable without diving equipment, which makes this a valuable resource for beachcombers. Carson's descriptive and lyrical writing make this a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys visiting the beach or is curious about what life forms may be present below the waters at high tide.
The book describes intertidal life on the US East Coast, from Maine to Florida. Carson indicates various species that have counterparts on the West Coast and elsewhere, so I would not discount reading this if you are not on the East Coast. The strange animals themselves with their odd and varied adaptations stimulate the imagination. The descriptions of Carson's own searches for these animals will appeal to even the most casual beachcomber, even if we, unlike she, are reluctant to tread forth with flashlight on a cold October night to see the anemone in the twice-annually-uncovered-by-the-tide sea cave!
After short poetic chapters on the nature of the zone between ocean and land and the patterns of life within them, the book is divided into three large chapters: on rocky shores, sandy beach, and coral coast. I like the pacing of these three chapters, in that the first is longest, followed by shorter and shortest, easing assimilation of facts. She compares and contrasts the nature of these coastlines and the types of animal and plant adaptations they necessitate. A very short and contemplative final chapter is followed by a short section that describes the various plants and animals within context of their biological classification, comparing and contrasting phyla and reviewing noteworthy organisms.
The beautiful drawings by Bob Hines are good study tools in themselves, and they are well integrated with the text. I especially liked seeing the animals that inhabit shells that one finds on the beach. If one is used to collecting only the shells, the animals that made the shells and how they "wear" them can be quite surprising.
This book is part autobiography, part field guide, and part relaxing summer beach reading for nonfiction enthusiasts. I recommend it to all who wander and wonder by the sea."
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