This Rock within the Sea: A Heritage Lost

by Farley Mowat, John de Visser (Photographer)

Genres: Photography, Travel, Canada

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Farley McGill Mowat was a conservationist and one of Canada's most widely-read authors.

Many of his most popular works have been memoirs of his childhood, his war service, and his work as a naturalist. His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books.

Mowat studied biology at the University of Toronto. During a field trip to the Arctic, Mowat became outraged at the plight of the Ihalmiut, a Caribou Inuit band, which he attributed to misunderstanding by whites. His outrage led him to publish his first novel, People of the Deer (1952). This book made Mowat into a literary celebrity and was largely responsible for the shift in the Canadian government's Inuit policy: the government began shipping meat and dry goods to a people they previously denied existed.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship RV Farley Mowat was named in honour of him, and he frequently visited it to assist its mission.

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of pictures and snippet of about Newfoundland. Would make a good coffee table book

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Newfoundland as I do you have to have this book. Written with respect and affection. Nfld govt made a big effort to close the small outports and centralize the population more. There was a rationale, especially as big boats from distant countries took more and more of the catch and life got even harder in the little villages. Mowat quotes an outport fisherman on why his family had to leave their home "By Jesus, Jesus God, but we was drove."

"We don't be takin nothin from the sea. We just sneaks up on what we wants and wiggles it away"

If you ever fly over Nfld on a clear day you will see why he calls it a rock.

[Bojan Fürst · Rating 3 out of 5]

John De Visser's photographs deserve a straight five star review. The stark, honest black and white photographs can stand next to any body of documentary work and proudly hold their own. Unfortunately, this book is not only about photographs, but also about Farley Mowat's text and that leaves a lot to be desired. I could forgive him romanticizing the outports - I did it myself on more than one occasion - but the glossing over the history of Newfoundland and its southern coast is painful and on many occasions simply inaccurate. The photographs, however, are an incredible document and more than worth the money you may have to pay for this book now long out of print.

[Ammar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The black and white photograph of the outports are breathtaking and amazing. The written chapters by Farley are romantic and they mix history and facts and give a romantic side of the island.

I wish there were captions underneath the pictures to show locations or names of subjects.

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a love affair with Newfoundland, with Farley Mowat supplying the text and John de Visser, the photographs. As such, no possible criticism of the land and its people is brooked.