Annotations: Birkett, Blossom, Blum

As part of a research project, I have produced an annotated bibliography of 129 nonfiction texts, all associated with aquatic subjects.

Here are three more entries:

Birkett, Dea. Serpent in Paradise. New York: Anchor, 1998.

This is an annoying book that I finished more to find out about Pitcairn Island, the most isolated inhabited island on the Earth, than to discover anything more about the author. Generally, I like such a mix of autobiography, obsession, history, sociology, and adventure, but in Birkett's hands, the narrative becomes a spiteful, depressing pile of gossip and innuendo at the expense of the Pitcairn Islanders who were good enough to welcome Birkett to their very small island. Still, worth reading once to find out what has been happening to the Pitcairn Islanders since Fletcher Christian and his crew of mutineers began to populate this refuge after the Mutiny on the Bounty. Or, barely worth reading? I'm still debating that one.

Blossom, Laurel, Ed. Splash: Great Writing about Swimming. Hopewell, NJ: Ecco, 1996.

Blossom's anthology is a mix of fiction and nonfiction, actually. It's a fine collection that brings together classic short pieces (Cheever's "The Swimmer" and Updike's "The Lifeguard") with a full array of poetry and practical nonfiction all on the theme of swimming. I wish that Ben Franklin's lessons on how to swim were included also, but I know where to find that piece anyway.

Blum, Mark. Beneath the Sea in 3-D. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1997.

I love this photographic wonder: just as the title says. Whenever I teach essays regarding the ocean or fish or even just looking closely to discover truly, I bring this book and pass it around. Chronicle Books has a winner here.