Waterlog : a swimmer's journey through Britain

Format:

Book

Title:

Waterlog : a swimmer's journey through Britain

Author:

Deakin, Roger author

ISBN:

9781951142858

9781953534033

Edition:

First US edition.

Publication:

Portland, Oregon : Tin House, 2021.

Physical Description:

xvi, 401 pages ; 23 cm

General Note:

Originally published: London : Vintage, 2000.

Includes index.

Contents:

Introduction by Bonnie Tsui -- The moat -- I-SPY at the seaside -- Lords of the fly -- A people's river -- Swimming with eels -- At swim-two-birds -- Tiderips and moonbeams -- Borrow & Thoreau -- The lost pools of the Malverns -- Tribal swimming -- Salmon-runs -- The Red River -- Crossing the Fowey -- The Blandford bomber -- A small world -- Extinctions -- The wash -- Natando virtus -- An encounter with naiads -- Swimming with angels -- A descent into Hell Gill -- Hot & cold -- Orwell's whirlpool -- A castle in the air -- The oxbow -- Swallow dives -- The Jaywick papers -- Great expectations -- Channel swimming -- Water levels -- A mill-race -- Penguin pools -- Steaming -- The Walberswick shiverers -- On ice -- To the sea.

Summary:

"Considered a masterpiece of nature writing, and the book that launched the international wild swimming movement, Roger Deakin's Waterlog is a fascinating and inspiring journey into the aquatic world that surrounds us. In an attempt to discover his island nation from a new perspective, Roger Deakin embarks from his home in Suffolk to swim Britain-the seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, pools, streams, lochs, moats, and quarries. Through the watery capillary network that braids itself throughout the country, Deakin immerses himself in the natural habitats of fish, amphibians, mammals, and birds. And as he navigates towns, private property, and sometimes dangerous waters and inclement weather, Deakin finds himself in precarious situations: he's detained by bailiffs in Winchester, intercepted by the coast guard at the mouth of a river, and mistaken for a dead body on a beach. The result of this surprising journey is a deep dive into modern Britain: its people and culture, its laws and customs, its communities, and especially its wild places. With enchanting descriptions of natural landscapes, a deep well of humanity, boundless humor, and unbridled joy, Deakin beckons us to wilder waters and inspires us to connect to the larger world in a most unexpected way. Thrilling, vivid, and lyrical, Waterlog is a fully immersive adventure-a remarkable personal quest, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water"-- Provided by publisher.

Personal Subject:

Deakin, Roger-Travel-Great Britain.

Deakin, Roger. (OCoLC)fst00438824

Subject(s):

Swimming -- Great Britain.

Great Britain -- Description and travel.

Geographic Term:

Great Britain -- Description and travel.

Great Britain.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	797.21 Deakin 2021	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A masterpiece of nature writing, Roger Deakin's Waterlog is a fascinating and inspiring journey into the aquatic world that surrounds us.

In an attempt to discover his island nation from a new perspective, Roger Deakin embarks from his home in Suffolk to swim Britain--the seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, pools, streams, lochs, moats, and quarries. Through the watery capillary network that braids itself throughout the country, Deakin immerses himself in the natural habitats of fish, amphibians, mammals, and birds. And as he navigates towns, private property, and sometimes dangerous waters and inclement weather, Deakin finds himself in precarious situations: he's detained by bailiffs in Winchester, intercepted by the coast guard at the mouth of a river, and mistaken for a dead body on a beach. The result of this surprising journey is a deep dive into modern Britain, especially its wild places.

With enchanting descriptions of natural landscapes, and a deep well of humanity, boundless humor, and unbridled joy, Deakin beckons us to wilder waters and inspires us to connect to the larger world in a most unexpected way. Thrilling, vivid, and lyrical, Waterlog is a fully immersive adventure--a remarkable personal quest, a bold assertion of the swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water.

Author Notes

Roger Stuart Deakin was an English writer, documentary-maker and celebrated environmentalist. He was a co-founder and trustee of Common Ground, the arts, culture and environment organization. Waterlog, the only book he published in his lifetime, became a UK bestseller, and founded the wild swimming movement. He lived in Suffolk, England and died there in 2006, at age 63.

Bonnie Tsui is a journalist and the author of Why We Swim, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, a TIME Magazine Must-Read Book of 2020, an NPR Best Book of 2020, and a Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe bestseller. It is currently being translated into six languages. Her first children's book, Sarah and the Big Wave, about the first woman to surf Mavericks, will be published in May 2021. She lives, swims, and surfs in the Bay Area.

Robert Macfarlane 's prize-winning and best-selling books include Mountains of the Mind, The Old Ways, Landmarks, and, with Jackie Morris, The Lost Words. He lives in Cambridge, England, where he is a Fellow of the University of Cambridge.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

The foundational text for the international "wild swimming" movement, originally published in 1999 in Britain--and the only book Deakin (1943-2006) published during his lifetime. Inspired by John Cheever's short story "The Swimmer," Deakin began his trip across the waterways of Britain in April 1997, running naked into the waters of the Isles of Scilly. The author ended his journey the following Christmas Day, experiencing "the intoxication of the fiery cold" waters of the North Sea. Along the way, Deakin explored the springs of Malvern, famous for their "healing powers" and visited by Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin; the mysterious Moor Barns Bath, "hidden in the brambles and nettles" in Cambridge; and the River Avon ("Avon that runs through Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare's Avon"), filled with sunbathers and loungers, creating the picture of "a water rats' club straight from the pages of The Wind in the Willows." Deakin ponders the joy of swimming aimlessly, noting that "the swimmer is content to be borne on his way full of mysteries, doubts and uncertainties. He is a leaf on the stream, free at last from his petty little purposes in life." The author also had a few unexpected encounters, including with unfriendly officials while disembarking from the private waters of the Itchen River. "The right to walk freely along river banks or to bathe in rivers," writes the author, "should no more be bought and sold than the right to walk up mountains or to swim in the sea from our beaches." Throughout, Deakin shares lyrical descriptions of the history and geography of the varied waterways he visited, and he smoothly weaves in literary references inspired by his experiences, including reflecting on other English writers who shared his affinity for the water, such as Virginia Woolf and George Borrow. This edition also features a foreword by Bonnie Tsui and afterword by Robert Macfarlane. A beautifully written, loving tribute to the wonders found swimming in the wild outdoors. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Celebrated British environmentalist and one of the founders of the wild swimming movement, Roger Deakin died unexpectedly in 2006, seven years after publishing Waterlog to great acclaim. This newly released edition, which includes a foreword by award-winning author Bonnie Tsui (Why We Swim, 2020) and an afterword by naturalist Robert Macfarlane, will introduce Deakin's masterpiece to a new wave of readers, who will find themselves transported to the rugged British countryside, as the author attempts to swim his way around Britain. His captivating chronicle of that experience offers a sumptuous blend of travel guide and personal memoir--one man's amphibious journey traversing a vast range of waterways (rivers, canals, ponds, moats, quarries, the sea), all in search of what he calls "esoteric swims." A naturalist who has been compared to Emerson and Thoreau, Deakin also provides a master class in British history on land as well as in the water. A transformative reading experience.