Alongshore

by John R. Stilgoe

In this enchanting book, John R. Stilgoe takes us on a tour of the seacoast, evoking its sights, sounds, and textures, and showing how it illuminates issues of landscape and American culture. Telling fascinating stories of fishing boats and lighthouses, wharfs and piers, quicksand and buried treasures, this book is ideal beach reading and a guidebook for anyone intrigued by the shore.

456 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 1994

About the author

John Stilgoe is an award-winning historian and photographer who is the Robert and Lois Orchard Professor in the History of Landscape at the Visual and Environmental Studies Department of Harvard University, where he has been teaching since 1977. He is also a fellow of the Society of American Historians. He was featured on a Sixty Minutes episode in 2004 entitled "The Eyes Have It."

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book to refer to at the bedside in the middle of a cold rainy April night in Massachusetts. The author is local here, and a naturalist. Walking alongshore John makes observations about our natural seashore life, particularly in warmer weather, that make for relaxing winter dreams. A very slow read nonetheless.

[J. Alan]

I got rather inebriated, visited a bookstore, and now I have a copy of Alongshore. Guess I'll have to read it now.

[Thomas Mackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geography of coastal areas. Very informal writing but very interesting especially if you have spent time at old ocean side towns.

[Howard Mansfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stilgoe repopulates an entire landscape of lost knowledge. Read this book before you go down the sea again.