To Sea and Back: The Heroic Life of the Atlantic Salmon

by Richard Shelton

This is the perfect Christmas gift for people interested in the natural world. The Atlantic salmon is an extraordinary and mysterious fish. For centuries mankind has wondered how it is able to survive both in fresh and salt water and how it navigates thousands of miles to feeding grounds in the northern oceans before returning to the burns of its birth to reproduce. Richard Shelton combines personal memoir and science to reveal the riverine and marine worlds from the salmon's point of view. He explores the salmon's life cycle and places the fish in its evolutionary context - one that is much closer to man's than we might imagine. Along the way, he describes the feat of exploration that gave us our first real understanding of the oceans, introduces the great Victorian naturalist Frank Buckland, and shows how this iconic fish is a vital indicator of the health of our rivers and oceans. Above all, "To Sea and Back" is the story of Richard Shelton's lifelong passion for the sea and his attempt to solve the perennial enigmas of the salmon's secret life. It is suitable for fans of Richard Mabey, Robert Macfarlane, Roger Deakin, Mark Cocker, Nicholas Crane, Philip Hoare's "Leviathan", Mark Kurlansky's "Cod" and Richard Shelton's "The Longshoreman", as well as fishing enthusiasts.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kim Zinkowski]

B. An informative and entertaining read.

[Chloe]

First off I want to quantify that the book is better than my rating suggests. It's not that this book is only worth 2 stars, it's just that for accuracy based on my tastes and enjoyment of the writing style, I can't really rate it higher and that's a shame because it really is interesting. I just couldn't get over how over-written it was.

When not attempting to sound like 'Great Expectations with Fish,' the content is interesting and engaging, and one of the better natural history books I've read. For me though, the sections of prose that resembled the attempts of Flora Post to write her great novel in 'Cold Comfort Farm' were so distracting and silly, I felt compelled to read them aloud in a mockingly dramatic voice and really took away from the whole of the book. I suppose I knew it was coming when the back cover mentioned "the Salmon's point of view," but honestly what marketing copy isn't over-the-top? I just didn't expect the inside to be as well.

Content-wise and for other readers maybe it should be 3 or 4 stars, I just didn't enjoy it that much.

[Clare]

I wrote a review here: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blo...