Author(s): Richard Shelton

SECONDHAND BOOKS | NATURE

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. Review: "'Shelton writes of fish with the pen of a poet... The beauties and oddities of the shoreline and the marine world are brought before our eyes in vivid colour and with scientific precision.' Margaret Drabble on The Longshoreman" First published 2009.

2009, First edition, first printing. A fine, unread copy in a fine, unclipped d/w that is now in a protective cover. A like new copy.