Between Pacific Tides

By Edward F. Ricketts, Jack Calvin, Joel W. Hedgpeth, et al.

Book Overview

" John Steinbeck himself wrote the Foreword to the revised edition for Ricketts and his co-author Jack Calvin." -- Palo Alto Times" Ritchie Lovejoy' s exquisite line drawings, 100 pages of them form a treasure trove both for the scientist and the lover of nature who is not scientifically trained. The general reader may take refuge here on hot days. To the scientist the book is a must." -- The Book Shelf

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804706417
• ISBN13: 9780804706414
• Release Date: January 1968
• Publisher: Stanford University Press
• Length: 614 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

I am a Marine Biologist and this is the best book for the West Coast - Period!!

This is a timeless classic, very readable as the author puts you in a place (rocky intertidal or a mudflat) and then describes the animals you will see. It is written with a wise eye and wry humor. The long lived sea anemone in Scotland that was done in after 80 some years by the "ineptitude of (we suspect) a botanist". It is more specific to central California, but still useful in Southern Calif and the northern coast as well.

A timeless classic

This is an amazing book. It was a landmark in its time, and is still useful today.

Still & always the classic

This is probably THE serious book to have if one is going to immerse oneself in the California intertidal. Originally produced by Ed Ricketts (of Steinbeck/Cannery Row/Log From The Sea Of Cortez fame) the book has been upgraded, revised, re-edited by a plethora of "co-authors" since Ricketts' untimely death. It still retains much of Ricketts' then-revolutionary Habitat focus, which will either work for you (it does for me) or annoy the hard-core systematists out there. This ISN'T a light book to lug into the field or a light book to read -if you are just day-tripping The UC Press has a number of smaller & more accessibly illustrated field guides that I would reccomend, But if you are seriously into mmarine Bio and have some time on your hands along the California Coastline, you owe it to yourself to get this book. Even here on the Coast of Maine and twenty years removed from the West I still fid myself referring to it...

The standard field guide for the Pacific Coast of the USA

I can't believe that someone else has not reviewed this excellent guide to the intertidal biota of the Pacific Coast. This book has set the standard for reference guides to marine life along the Pacific Coast, as well as other locations. It is much more than a field guide -- though it also serves that role. This book describes the intertidal zonation patterns of the Pacific Coast as well as the ecology and aspects of the natural history of the organisms that live there. The book contains good taxonomic references as well. This is the book that many of the country's marine scientists cut their professional teeth on. If you are interested in marine biology, the diversity of life, or the ecology of nearshore habitats, this book is definitely for you. The main strength of the book is the logical organization by type of habitat and vertical elevation on the intertidal zone. The main challenge of a book like this is to remain up to date, which the publisher has managed by producing revised editions on regular basis. This book is a must for any field or arm chair marine naturalist!