Book Reviews

Heart of the Raincoast

Wave-Length columnist Alexandra Morton has teamed up with her neighbour, Billy Proctor, to write a new book which celebrates Billy's life. It's a delightful story full of fascinating information on coastal history and ecology, as well as the unique culture of the Broughton Archipelago.

Billy is well known among fishermen along our coast, having taught many of them a thing or two about "highlining ". He has lived on the coast all his life and been a commercial fisherman for 54 years, as well as a handlogger, trapper and variety of other coastal trades.A keen observer with a phenomenal memory, Billy was one of the people who most inspired Alexandra when she moved to the Broughton in 1984.

Billy founded and continues to run a highly successful hatchery that has been re-stocking the streams of the Broughton area. In recent years he has become a vocal and highly respected advocate for wild salmon, speaking out at forums, meeting with Cabinet Ministers, fighting in every way he can for the future of wild salmon and the ecosystem upon which they depend.

The book is graced with over 100 photographs and teems with Billy and Alexandra's passion for the coast.

Heart of the Raincoast:A Life Story 208pp.
B/W photographs, maps ISBN 0-920663-61-3 Horsdal & Schubert Publishers Ltd. $15.95

Guiding Lights

Gaiding Lights is a gorgeous tribute to light-keeping. Author Lynn Tanod and photographer Chris Jaksa visited lights all up and down the BC coast, meeting the people who dedicate their lives in areas often accessible only by aircraft or boat.

Besides operating and maintaining equipment, keepers collect environmental data, provide mariners advice over the radio, assist boaters with engine trouble and participate in rescues. Several exciting rescue stories are told, including a terrifying story of two kayakers adrift in the bone-chilling cold of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They lived to tell the tale, thanks to the alert lightkeepers of Trial Island.

Touching stories of isolation and examples of the many responsibilities of lightkeepers are complemented by lush, colour photography of incredible scenery. Guiding Lights is not only a lovely gift book, but an important portrait of BC's history and culture.

Jaksa and Tanod they have had their work published in numerous periodicals, including the Georgia Straight, Canadian Living and Sunset. They live in Vancouver, BC.

Guiding Lights 8.5x10.5",112pp, colour photos, maps ISBN 1-55017-186-0
Harbour Publishing Box 219, Madeira Park, BC VON 2H0 $34.95

Know Your Neighbors

This is the bible of us marine biology nerds in the Northwest. First appearing 25 years ago, it has been expanded and updated every decade or so. Pure bliss for anyone interested in seashore life up here, from seaweeds to snails and of course, worms. Actually, for anyone interested in the more obscure invertebrates, this book is the only thing you're likely to find them in.

Seashore Life is not a field guide, though the color photographs and numerous illustrations will help you ID many a critter. It is more like a tour, zone by zone. Starting with "some instant biology and botany", Eugene Kozloff (a University of Washington zoologist) then leads us through different Northwest habitats: docks, rocky shores, sandy beaches and muddy bays.

Reading one of the chapters is like visiting the beach with one of the Northwest's most knowledgeable naturalists. The amount of information can be a bit imposing at first, especially because common names are not so common in the text. You get used to it though because most of our inverts aren't in any other books and don't have reliable common names anyway.

The critter descriptions are interspersed with ecological tidbits, which are easy to read and interesting. For instance, after discussing the various ribbon worms to be found on rocky shores, we're informed that "Some nemerteans swallow their prey whole; others suck out their juices." Who says biology isn't great bedtime reading?

Seashore Life is hefty, colorful, interesting and in-depth enough to make it a valuable reference for the rest of your paddling days. Visitors to your house will be impressed. Your mother/spouse/children will regard all your time spent paddling with more respect. This book belongs in every serious kayaker's library.

Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast 1993 by Eugene Kozloff,
University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-96084-1 color plates, 370 pages, approx $40