Best Watery History Read of the Year

[Guest]

The Gulf, The Making of an American Sea (2018 Pulitzer Prize winner in history)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30231749-the-gulf

Native history to the Spanish, French, English, and early settlers, fisheries, agriculture and oil, sport fishing, bird slaughter for meat and feathers (I knew that last bit, but had forgotten the scale of the Egret wipeout for ladies hat decorations), developers and conservationists. I didn’t know that McIlhenny of Tabasco Sauce/Avery Island fame was also an ardent if at times misguided conservationist.

A worthy read, not just for those who paddle on or near the Gulf coast.

 

[frozentripper]

This one won an award recently... Georgian Bay: Discovering a Unique North American Ecosystem

About halfway through, the geology is esp well described and makes the extremely long time periods easier to understand. Some great photographs of the 30,000 islands with aerial views that should be identifiable on google maps, to (maybe) visit one day. The world's largest freshwater archipelago if I remember the superlatives correctly. And there are two great fish and chip places that one can canoe to..

https://champlainsociety.utpjournals...6269143560.pdf

...takes the reader on a two billion year journey through geological time to reveal the complex and singular ecosystem that is often called the Sixth Great Lake. The maps, charts, stunning photographs old and new, complement the clear-eyed prose. And then there are the stories of the peoples of the Bay with their varying histories, triumphs, and failures. First Nations, traders, and settlers all receive appropriate attention. Special regard is given to the colourful history of Collingwood, and the art of Georgian Bay before and after the Group of Seven’s iconic work. In short, the book enriches our appreciation of the constantly interacting aquatic and terrestrial spaces that characterize this massive and monumental region of Ontario. Congratulations to the Georgian Bay Land Trust, who sponsored it, and to editor Nick Eyles and all the contributors for a book that will delight scholars, general readers, and visitors as well as all those fortunate enough to live along the shores of the Bay.

 

[yellowcanoe]

The Gulf, The Making of an American Sea (2018 Pulitzer Prize winner in history)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30231749-the-gulf

Native history to the Spanish, French, English, and early settlers, fisheries, agriculture and oil, sport fishing, bird slaughter for meat and feathers (I knew that last bit, but had forgotten the scale of the Egret wipeout for ladies hat decorations), developers and conservationists. I didn’t know that McIlhenny of Tabasco Sauce/Avery Island fame was also an ardent if at times misguided conservationist.

A worthy read, not just for those who paddle on or near the Gulf coast.

OOOH! Thank you for bringing it to my attention.. And how pertinent with the latest threats to the Gulf ecosystems.. Downloading it now to Kindle for my next Gulf canoeing trip.( its big enough to be an in bed weapon in print format)

 

[Guest]

Downloading it now to Kindle for my next Gulf canoeing trip.( its big enough to be an in bed weapon in print format)

It is a beast in hardback, 600 pages. Most unwieldy at the beginning and end, when holding 590 pages in one hand and 10 in the other, losing your grip and bonking yourself in the nose. (The first thing I do with any hardback is take off the dust cover; those things are dangerous with a 3 lb book)

I knew from the synopsis and reviews that I wanted a copy of that one, and the Kindle thing just doesn’t work for me. Mores the pity; I’d love to bring a thousand books on a device that is backlit for night reading in bed, eliminating the book weight and futzing to get the LuciLights aimed just right.

But I like owning actual books I have enjoyed, to reread and to lend out. One bother-in-law (not the paddling one) is a voracious and discerning non-fiction reader. I see him once or twice a year, and last Christmas sent him home with a copy of The Gulf Stream Chronicles, which he much enjoyed. This year he goes home with my copy of The Gulf.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26143849-gulf-stream-chronicles

If you haven’t read The Gulf Stream Chronicles that too is Kindle worthy and coastal paddling relevant.

I’ll go one more on the watery non-fiction history, one I have recommended several times. Another award winner from a Pulitzer finalist author

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35187180-the-death-and-life-of-the-great-lakes

Aside from my penchant for WWII naval history Dan Egan’s The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is the best book I have read in several years, even outside of the non-fiction water history realm. Well paced, well written, McPhee-esque at times and informative/educational.

I am happy to own all of those in hardback; The Life and Death and The Gulf Stream Chronicles are out on loan right now. I have multiple copies of The Gulf Stream Chronicle for lending purposes (Full disclosure, the author was a treasured friend of 40+ years)