Waterlog
Published on 7. August 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-78470-006-5 (ISBN)
Description
Waterlog celebrates the magic of water and the beauty of wild Britain.
In 1996 Roger Deakin set out to swim the British Isles. He swam in the sea, in rivers, in streams, tarns, lakes, lochs, ponds, lidos, swimming pools, fens, dykes, moats, aqueducts, waterfalls, flooded quarries and even canals. This funny, wise, delightful book documents his journey. It inspired a movement, creating wild swimmers out of many readers.
Detained by water bailiffs in Winchester, intercepted in the Fowey estuary by coastguards, mistaken for a suicide on Camber sands, confronting the Corryvreckan whirlpool in the Hebrides, Deakin discovered just how much of an outsider the native swimmer is to his landlocked, fully-dressed fellow citizens.
Waterlog is a personal journey, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water.
INTRODUCED BY OLIVIA LAING
'A delicious, cleansing, funny, wise and joyful book, so wonderfully full of energy and life' Jane Gardam'
'Roger Deakin is the perfect companion for an invigorating armchair swim' Daily Telegraph
In 1996 Roger Deakin set out to swim the British Isles. He swam in the sea, in rivers, in streams, tarns, lakes, lochs, ponds, lidos, swimming pools, fens, dykes, moats, aqueducts, waterfalls, flooded quarries and even canals. This funny, wise, delightful book documents his journey. It inspired a movement, creating wild swimmers out of many readers.
Detained by water bailiffs in Winchester, intercepted in the Fowey estuary by coastguards, mistaken for a suicide on Camber sands, confronting the Corryvreckan whirlpool in the Hebrides, Deakin discovered just how much of an outsider the native swimmer is to his landlocked, fully-dressed fellow citizens.
Waterlog is a personal journey, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam, and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water.
INTRODUCED BY OLIVIA LAING
'A delicious, cleansing, funny, wise and joyful book, so wonderfully full of energy and life' Jane Gardam'
'Roger Deakin is the perfect companion for an invigorating armchair swim' Daily Telegraph
Reviews / Votes
I jumped in with both feet and wanted to stay for more. Erudite, funky and passionate, a total delight * Independent on Sunday * Charmingly and elegantly written * Daily Telegraph * A delicious, cleansing, funny, wise and joyful book, so wonderfully full of energy and life. I loved it Highly entertaining...Waterlog is a book about a cold, wet subject written with a warmth and passion it surely deserves, but has rarely had before * Guardian * A wonderful and romantic tale told by a true English eccentric...think Ratty, think Mole, think three men falling out of a boat...enchanting * Financial Times * A travel book like no other, it is rich and deep with insights on modern Britain * The Independent * Deakin has written an aquatic Songlines. Roger Deakin is the perfect companion for invigorating armchair swim. Engaging, thoughtful and candid, he also has a wonderful eye * Telegraph Weekend * A brilliant and compelling view of Britain from a few inches above its neglected waterways * The Independent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
285 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78470-006-5 (9781784700065)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2011
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€9.49
Available for download
Persons
Roger Deakin, who died in 2006, was a writer, filmmaker and environmentalist of international renown. He was a founder member of Friends of the Earth, and co-founded Common Ground. He lived for thirty-eight years in a moated farmhouse in Suffolk. Waterlog, which was first published in 1999, became a word-of-mouth bestseller, and is now an established classic of the nature writing canon. Olivia Laing is an internationally acclaimed writer and critic. They're the author of eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody and the Sunday Times number one bestseller The Garden Against Time. Laing's first novel, Crudo, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and in 2018 they were awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for non-fiction. They are an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts and their books have been translated into twenty-one languages.