The Outer Lands: A Natural History Guide to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island, and Long Island

by Dorothy Sterling, Winifred Lubell (Illustrator), Robert Finch (Editor)

Did you know that horseshoe crabs have been around for 200 million years? That mussels "spin" long anchor lines and climb steep slopes with them? Do you know what a "Beetlebung" tree is? This is all part of Dorothy Sterling's fascinating description of The Outer Lands , and the plants and animals that inhabit this peninsula and chain of islands along our New England coast.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals, Natural History, History

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Dorothy Sterling (Dannenberg) was a Jewish-American writer and historian.

She was born and grew up in New York City, attended Wellesley College, and graduated from Barnard College in 1934. After college, she worked as a journalist and writer in New York for several years. In 1937, she married Philip Sterling, also a writer. In the 1940s, she worked for Life Magazine for 8 years. In early 1968, 448 writers and editors including Dorothy put a full-page ad in the New York Post declaring their intention to refuse to pay taxes for the Vietnam War.

Dorothy was the author of more than 30 books, mainly non-fiction historical works for children on the origins of the women's and anti-slavery movements, civil rights, segregation, and nature, as well as mysteries. She has won several awards for her writings, including the Carter G. Woodson Book Award from the National Council For The Social Studies For The Trouble They Seen: Black People Tell The Story Of Reconstruction, in 1976.

Reviews

[Charlie Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dreamy, vintage creature compendium for Cape Cod, Long Island, and all the East Coast islands in-between. Perfect companion for a tide pool or kettle pond exploration, with sketches of all the critters and plants you’ll discover. This is the book you’ll return to every summer vacation.

[Steven Yenzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly lively natural history of the Cape. It's old but still feels modern.

[Jacob Brogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable little book, combining sweeping natural history with aptly personable observation of the minute world around us. There’s a melancholy quality to reading it now: Sterling, writing in the 60s and 70s, is acutely aware of habitat loss and environmental degradation in the places she describes. And yet the Outer Lands that we see through her descriptions (and in Winifred Lubell’s charming illustrations) feels so much more varied and vital than those same shores and swamps do today. Nevertheless, this book remains a welcome invitation to observe the strangers who live all around us and the changes that are always underway.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you want to know the geological and natural history of Long Island and islands along Rhode Island and Massachusetts? This book does it all. It describes how the Ice Age Glaciers carved out the land and mounded up the islands, complete with small mountain ranges, glacial moraines, kettle lakes, barrier reefs and more.

Ocean and sandy shore flora and fauna are described in great detail accompanied by charming illustrations and drawings. Alas, there's no bibliography.

Thanks to a friend who lent me the book which I would never have stumbled upon otherwise.

[Adam Sarlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent guidebook to the life of the natural world from Block Island to the dunes of Provincetown. Along with its illustrations, this book gives you detailed descriptions of the various ecosystems and life on the Outer Lands, and how they survive in their own way. I wished they included more colored pictures, so in my own travels I can identify these species easier.

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I plowed through this compendium of descriptions of all the creatures of the beach, I finally realized that as much as I enjoy nature, I find this type of listing of animals and their characteristics to be tedious. Maybe I'll return to it during a future beach vacation.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun to read on the beach and look through all the talented illustrations, but outdated in many senses like for instance ditching salt marshes has not proven to decrease mosquito populations and has actually created pools to form which slowly degrade the vegetation 🤓☝️

[stizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite book of all time. Super nice easy read that’s full of crazy interesting ecology!! Took me forever to finish because I didn’t want it to end!!