By Sheldon Greaves
Edward F. Ricketts, Jack Calvin, and Joel W. Hedgpeth, revised by David W. Phillips. Between Pacific Tides, Fifth Edition (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press), 1985. 652pp. ISBN 0-8047-1229-8.
Note: although this book is hardly new, it is both a classic in its field and a stellar example of what can be accomplished by dedicated, competent amateur scientists. And, if you wish to understand what you see in a Pacific tidepool, it is required reading. After mentioning this book in a recent post on tidepools, it seemed a good idea to say more about this excellent, well-written book.
If you have ever read John Steinbeck’s classic novel Cannery Row and its less successful sequel Sweet Thursday you may remember a curious, rough-cut but likable character named “Doc.” Steinbeck based the character on a real person: Edward “Doc” Ricketts, the primary author of this book. Between Pacific Tides is a volume that should warm the heart of the amateur scientist reader because Ricketts, despite his nickname, did not hold a degree in marine biology or zoology. In fact, he never finished his bachelor’s degree. Although he made his living from a biological supply company, he was not a “professional” scientist as we usually employ the term. His training was informal, including classes in Zoology at Illinois State Normal and the University of Chicago. He left school to become a partner in Pacific Biological Laboratories, and soon became a familiar and well-liked institution of the Monterey coast. This book was enormously important to Ricketts. Once when his biological supply company caught fire, he was only able to save two things: a pair of pants and the manuscript to Between Pacific Tides.
Ricketts’ enthusiasm for marine biology was infectious and he frequently dragged friends along on his many collecting trips. Steinbeck was among those who knew and admired Ricketts; it was Steinbeck who wrote the preface to the second edition in 1948 (How many amateur scientists have had a Nobel Prize winner write an intro for their books, even if the prize was for literature and not science?). The following paragraph from his preface admirably distills the essence of Ricketts’ work:
“This book… is designed more to stir curiosity than to answer questions. It says in effect: look at the animals, this is what we seem to know about them but the knowledge is not final, and any clear eye and sharp intelligence may see something we have never seen. These things, it says, you will see, but you may see much more. This is a book for laymen, for beginners, and, as such, its main purpose is to stimulate curiosity, not to answer finally questions which are only temporarily answerable.”
The book is organized according to the intertidal zones along the Pacific coast, both rocky and sandy beaches, along with areas such as wharf pilings. The final chapter is a treatise on Intertidal Ecology and makes a good introduction to the factors that influence animal and plant communities on the shore. I would recommend that a beginner in marine biology read it first before tackling the rest of the book.
Between Pacific Tides is not a guidebook in the conventional sense where pictures of animals and plants stare out from the page like so many mug-shots. For that reason, I find this is not a book I take with me to the beach. Instead, I read it after returning or in anticipation of an upcoming trip. When actually exploring the shoreline, a conventional guide to marine life might serve you better. I used to also resist taking the book to the shore because when I bought my copy it was only available in a ponderous hard cover. However, it is now available in softcover, which would make it easier to pack along.
The value of Between Pacific Tides is that it explores and explains the seashore environment instead of its components. Unlike conventional guidebooks, Ricketts’ book describes the dwellers of each zone together in context. At times it reads like a travelogue or the description of a fondly-remembered neighborhood. Reading it is almost like a visit to the beach in that the pieces are slightly strewn about in a way that stimulates interest, leading the reader onward. Steinbeck’s disclaimer notwithstanding, there is an enormous amount of information crammed into the text. The pages are generously, but not gorgeously, illustrated with black and white photos and line drawings. Characteristics and habits of the organisms make up the vast bulk of the text, which has been carefully updated and occasionally corrected since it first appeared in 1939.
The appendices contain some excellent tools for further research and study. First is an “Outline of the Major Taxa,” giving the names of the phyla, classes and orders most germane to intertidal life forms. Next is the “Annotated Systematic Index” which defines each major phylum, gives pertinent bibliography, and cites examples of the phylum from the text, with the section number where it is treated in detail. The “General Bibliography,” while slightly dated, contains a good guide to general texts and references, select papers, and a short collection of books and papers on geology, paleontology, and zoogeography.
If you are looking for an outstanding introduction to intertidal marine biology, it would be difficult to find a better book than this one. Moreover, it is an excellent source book and reference work of value to the advanced student and enthusiast.