Reflections on a Summer Sea

This is a wonderful read. Trevor Norton has a very light-hearted style of writing that makes this book difficult to put down. If you've ever read any of his other books, or if you've just learned of him, I suggest you pick this one up and give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

...he would probably have written a book like this. He wasn't, but fortunately we have Trevor Norton in this pleasant account of Long Ago and Far Away when Marine Biology was still in its infancy & folks could learn much by simply observing animals. Here they observe them in the idyllic setting of Lough Ine, a brackish inlet on the Irish Coast, home of a somewhat ramshackle Marine Station since early in teh 20th century. Norto's writing is clear & lively & really DOES remind me of James Herriot's vet books. Norton focuses as much on the people as he does on the science & this makes for a fun read -he has a remarkable collection of eccentric characters to talk about as he charts his own (and their) gradual agiung from bright eager undergraduates, through productive middle age, to at least in the case of his principals, a rather sad ending. Overall I felt taht I got a really nice sense of both the place,the people, and a good bit of the science that was the focus of what was clewarly a magical place & a magical time. I would reccomend this book to biologists and non-biologists alike esp. anyone who is lucky enough to be considering heading off for their own first summer at a Field Stationn. -oh the illustrations nicvely complement the text & overall this is a book to read, pass on & get another copy of.