Splash! 10,000 Years of Swimming

We rated this book:

$28.00


Author and swim enthusiast Howard Means steers the reader through a historic review of man’s navigational feats in the aquatic world. What is now the arid Sahara, in prehistoric times was a wet lake bed with relics of mollusks and cave paintings of swimming figures. Readers will pursue the wave of a swimming culture through Greek and Roman chronicles and observe the aquatic mastery of island and coastal natives. They will learn about the fear of water that infected European civilization during the middle ages as well as the swimming marvels who defied cultural water phobias to swim the Bosphorus, the English Channel, and even the Antarctic waters. We live in a world that is three quarters water; our limbs are related to piscine fins, so swimming should come naturally to us. Yet too often an uncanny fear of water prevents too many from learning to float or swim, leading to untold numbers of drownings.

Splash! tells the absorbing story of the joy of swimming and the personalities who have shone in this sport. It also describes the change in bathing attire from the nude Greeks, to the prim coverups demanded in the 19th and early 20th centuries, to the now common bikini and speedo gear. Readers will recall names such as Annette Kellerman,, Gertrude Ederle, and Olympic champs like Mark Spitz, Michael Phelps, and so many others. Full of delightfully detailed information, this entertaining book submerges the reader into the subject of swimming.


Reviewed By:

Author Howard Means
Star Count 5/5
Format Hard
Page Count 336 pages
Publisher Hachette Books
Publish Date 02-Jun-2020
ISBN 9780306845666
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue August 2020
Category Sports & Outdoors
Share

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “Splash! 10,000 Years of Swimming”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*