Recommended Reading

Vermilion Sea: A Naturalist’s Journey In Baja California

Janovy (biology, Univ. of Nebraska) describes a journey to Baja California in search of the landscape described in John Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez . Along the way he muses on the changing nature of scientific research in the 1990s, noting that most of it has become a scramble for bio-tech dollars conducted in areas chosen to garner grant money and patents rather than based on personal interest. Besides describing Baja’s natural history, Janovy explores topics ranging from a biologist’s place in society to the effects of population and information explosions. This work transcends the traditional “field study” by examining how modern pressures have changed scientists and their research. Recommended for science, natural history, and travel collections.

Tim Markus, Evergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, Wash.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Telling Our Way to the Sea

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD FOR NATURAL HISTORY LITERATURE A FINALIST FOR THE WILLIAM SAROYAN INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR WRITING A SEATTLE TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR When biologists Aaron Hirsh and Veronica Volny lead twelve college students to a remote fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, they encounter a bay of dazzling beauty and richness. But as the group begins its investigations―conducting ecological and evolutionary studies of the area and its natural inhabitants; listening to the stories of local villagers; and examining the journals of conquistadors and explorers―they realize that the sea is but a ghost of what it once was. And yet there is redemption in their difficult realization: as they find their places in a profoundly altered environment, they also recognize their roles in the path ahead, and ultimately come to see themselves in a new light. By turns epic and intimate, Telling Our Way to the Sea is a profound meditation on our changing relationships with nature―and with one another.

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Tidepool Wonders of the Sea of Cortez

Beautifully drawn specimens using classic scientific drawing techniques. This collection was carefully crafted by Dr. Farmer, whose paintings can also be found on the walls in select corners of the Vermilion Sea Field Station.

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Between Pacific Tides

One of the classic works of marine biology, a favorite for generations, has now been completely revised and expanded. “Between Pacific Tides” is a book for all who find the shore a place of excitement, wonder, and beauty, and an unsurpassed introductory text for both students and professionals.
This book describes the habits and habitats of the animals that live in one of the most prolific life zones of the worldthe rocky shores and tide pools of the Pacific Coast of the United States. The intricate and fascinating life processes of these creatures are described with affectionate care. The animals are grouped according to their most characteristic habitat, whether rocky shore, sandy beach, mud flat, or wharf piling, and the authors discuss their life history, physiology, and community relations, and the influence of wave shock and shifting tide level.
Though the basic purpose and structureand much of the textof the book remain the same, content has been increased by about 20 percent; a multitude of changes and additios has been made in the text; the Annotated Systematic Index and General Bibliography have been updated and greatly expanded (now almost 2,300 entries); more than 200 new photographs and drawings have been incorporated; and an entirely new chapter has been addeda topical presentation of the several factors influencing distribution of organisms along the shore. This edition also includes John Steinbeck’s Foreword to the 1948 edition.

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The Forgotten Peninsula

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