This Month's Books

Paddling Through Time

A year ago, when we set the topic for this issue of WaveLength, we had not yet heard of Joanna Streetly's new book, also called Paddling Through Time. Great minds obviously think alike! Joanna's book is about a week-long kayaking trip through Clayoquot Sound looking at the flora, fauna, history and people of the region, with beautiful color photographs by Adrian Dorst. We highly recommend it. Joanna has written a couple of very nice articles for us and we look forward to her writing for us again soon. -AW
Paddling Through Time by Joanna Streetly Raincoast Books, 2000 ISBN 1-55192-278-9softcover, 153 pp. Color illus. $29.95 Cdn.

Arctic Crossing: by Jonathan Waterman

In 1997, Waterman began a 2,200 mile journey across the Arctic by kayak, skis, sail and dogsled. He endured weeks of solitude, stormy seas, mosquito blizzards and bear encounters. In this beautifully written account of his solo journey through the Northwest Passage, he reveals the physical and psychological dangers of traveling alone in the Arctic as well as the beauty of this land and his fascination with Inuit life, languages and beliefs.

Random House, 2001. ISBN 0-679-31090-8, hardcover, 340 pp, B&W. $39.95 Cdn.

Klondike Trail: The Complete Hiking and Travelling Guide-by Jennifer Voss

This comprehensive guidebook of the historic Klondike Trail contains essential information on trip planning, descriptions of potential routes, detailed route maps with historic sites, campgrounds and points of interests, information about plants, animals, and geology, plus lots of great photos of this unique historic area.

Moose Publishing 2001. ISBN 1-896758-06-01 softcover, black & white, 263 pg. $19.95

Building Skin-On Frame Boats: by Robert Morris

Robert Morris provides detailed step-by-step instructions, accompanied by hundreds of illustrations & photographs, on building a lightweight skin-on-frame wooden boat, combining simple ancient techniques with modern tools and materials. Using a Greenland Kayak as his basic design, he also shows how to adapt the technique to build six other boats.

Raincoast Books, 2001. ISBN 1-55192-444-7, softcover, B&W, 261 pp. $34.95 Cdn

Boat Camping Haida Gwaii: by Neil Frazer

An excellent guide to camping along the coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, homeland of the Haida people, written for small vessel voyagers, particularly kayakers. Frazer, a geographer, offers fascinating information and detailed maps of the most interesting areas based on his four summers of research. Included are anecdotes about the people, history and wildlife of the islands. It comes with a handy coil binding and useful appendices. Highly recommended.

Harbour Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-55017-256-5, softcover, B&W, 174 pp. $29.95 Cdn.

R.M. Patterson: A Life of Great Adventure by David Finch

David Finch chronicles the amazing life of R.M. Patterson, adventurer, historian and writer. Born in 1898 in England, he came to Canada in 1924, where he homesteaded in Alberta, prospected for gold on the treacherous South Nahanni, explored the Canadian Rockies and the rivers of BC and the Northwest Territories. By his death in 1984, he had become famous for his exploits and his vivid descriptions of the Canadian wilderness in his five books and many articles. He played an important role in achieving park status for areas he loved.

Rocky Mountain Books, 2000, 1-889787-05-1, Hardcover, B&W, 282 pp.

Canoe Paddles: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own-by Graham Warren and David Gidmark

Graham Warren presents step-by-step instruction for making practical works of art-paddles that are as beautiful as they are functional. He covers history, design, woods, adhesives, tools, care & repair. Also included is a chapter by David Gidmark on paddle making in the native tradition. Well illustrated, contains everything you'd need to know to make your own paddle, including plans.

Firefly Books, 2001. ISBN 1-55209-525-8, Softcover, B&W, 151 pp. $24.95 Cdn.

Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: by Jim Pojar & Andy MacKinnon

.This easy-to-use field guide features 794 species of plants commonly found along the Pacific coast from Oregon to Alaska, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers, aquatic plants, grasses, ferns, mosses and lichens. Organized by plant families, it covers shoreline to alpine regions and includes detailed descriptions of habitat and range, as well as ethnobotany-traditional uses by aboriginal people. 1100 beautiful color photos, more than 1000 line drawings, plus color range maps and a sturdy binding make this one of the best field guides available.

Lone Pine 1994. ISBN 1-55105-040-4, softcover, color, 510 pp. $19.95 US $26.95 Cdn.

Seashore of British Columbia: by Ian Sheldon

Seashore species, plants and animals, are grouped and color coded for quick identification. Lots of information, clearly organized, good species comparison reference chart, and beautiful colour illustrations, in a handy size for the pack or jacket pocket.

Lone Pine Publishing 1998, ISBN 1-55105-163-X, softcover, color, 180 pp. $11.95 US, $15.95 Cdn.

Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast: by Nancy Baron & John Acorn

More than 200 spiecies of common birds of our region are grouped and color coded for quick identification. Beautiful full-color illustrations and interesting text. Covers habitat, habits, seasonal occurrence and local range.

Lone Pine Publishing 1997. ISBN 1-55105-082-X, softcover, color, 240 pp. $15.95 US, $19.95 Cdn.

Pacific Seaweeds: by Louis Duehl

This is the authoritative guide to over 100 common species of seaweeds that occur along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California. Easy-to-use and packed with great illustrations and interesting information including tasty seaweed recipes. Georgia Strait Alliance's Victoria 'Straitkeeper' team is using this book in its intertidal quadrat studies to help identify hard-to-recognize seashore plants.

Harbour Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-55017-240-9, paperback, color, 190 pp. $24.95 Cdn.

Tumblehome: Meditations and Lore from a Canoeist's Life:by James Raffan

Through this series of inspirational writings, James Raffan explores the wilderness landscape and the lessons he has learned from the natural world. This is a celebration of the river as teacher and a testament to the healing power of nature. Raffan is one of Canada's foremost authorities on canoeing and wilderness experience.

Harper Collins, 2001. ISBN-00-200069-5, hardcover, 138 pp. $20 Cdn.

1st Roll: Eskimo Roll for Sea Kayakers: by Outer Island Design Video

1st Roll demonstrates a simplified method of learning the extended paddle roll. It demonstrates a skills-building approach by breaking the Eskimo Roll into individual segments which are easy to learn, even for beginners. It covers various paddle styles, clothing, boat fit, rolling in wind and other problems.

Video 50 minutes. $29.95 US (+ $3 S/H)