Beyond the Outer Shores: The Untold Odyssey of Ed Ricketts, the Pioneering Ecologist Who Inspired John Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell : Reviews, Prices, Deals
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Beyond the Outer Shores: The Untold Odyssey of Ed Ricketts, the Pioneering Ecologist Who Inspired John Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell Editorial Review: In the 1930s, while the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression sent most of America into the doldrums, a lively intellectual and artistic community formed in the West, revolving around three legendary friends: Ed Ricketts, John Steinbeck, and Joseph Campbell. Steinbeck immortalized Monterey’s bohemian spirit in Cannery Row, but the area’s true lifeblood was his best friend and mentor, Ed Ricketts.
Today he’s usually remembered as "Doc"—the beer-drinking philosopher-scientist who presides over Monterey’s population of "whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches" in Cannery Row—but Ricketts was actually a trailblazing ecologist who did seminal work in the emerging field on the Pacific coast. His two books, Between Pacific Tides and Sea of Cortez (coauthored with Steinbeck), are still considered classics. This is a thoughtful and revealing portrait of symbiotic friendship, a suspenseful tale of adventure at sea, and the story of how an unbecoming, outcast scientist became a legend in the annals of American literature.
This book contains over 60 illustrations, including photos, maps, and line drawings.
Customer Reviews: An inspiring biography I picked up "Beyond the Outer Shores" because I was looking for more adventures with "Doc" of Cannery Row. The book certainly delivers on his adventures, but it did much more than entertain me. It has been a pleasure getting to know the real Doc. As a scientist and a lover of the sea I felt a kinship with Ed Ricketts. The book gave me an admiration of his spirit and his dedication to science and to his friends. I have read many biographies of famous scientists but never have I read one that felt so human. Biography tends to put people on pedestals. While their is certainly admiration for Ed in the book you get a sense of his struggles as well as his triumphs. Considering the current economic climate it is reassuring to read about a man who lived and managed to thrive through the great depression. A person who could be down on his luck but never down in his spirit to explore and become closer to nature and to his own humanity.
Tamm's book also has had the wonderful benefit of guiding me to new reading material. Because of this book I have become interested in Joseph Campbell's work on myth and human spirituality as well as the riveting novels of Henry Miller. That is only the tip of iceberg. In Beyond the Outer Shores we'll of course become more familiar with the man and his famous and infamous friends, but also the seashores of the Pacific, the native peoples on the west coast and lives of the people who made changed our views of society and nature.
I absolutely recommend this book to anyone. If you have read Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" you will love getting to know the real Doc. Even if you are a stranger to Ed Ricketts while reading this book one cannot help but be moved by his life and be inspired to be a bit more like Ed.
Beyond the Outer Shores: The Untold Odyssey of Ed Ricketts, the Pioneering Ecologist Who Inspired John Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell
The bestest... This is truly a phenomenal book. Not a novel, but a true life story about
John Steinbeck and his pal, marine biologist, Ed Ricketts, up in Northern
waters. The book is well documented, factual and best of all, a fun book to read.
Vancouver focus distorts picture Although I enjoyed the first part of the book and scattered sections throughout, Tamm did not succeed in capturing Rickett's ecological worldview by a kind of non-lineal, disorganized presentation of information. It is also unbalanced by his love 'em/hate 'em view of Steinbeck, and his love 'em like crazy view of Campbell, which in most cases obfuscates the story (except in telling of actual facts, such as Steinbeck's poor judgment in taking Rickett's name off the Viking edition of Sea of Cortez).
Tamm's inordinate fixation on personality conflicts affected the development of the book most particularly in his not exploring the trip to Baha. It is oddly and disappointingly skipped, and at this point the book becomes centered on Rickett's journeys to the Vancouver Is. area, which, lo and behold, is where Tamm is from.
There are a lot of interesting spots in this book, but it would have been better served by good editorial direction (much as Rickett's writings were served by Steinbeck's pen).
Beyond a mere Biography I was drawn to this book by my curiosity regarding the "Doc" character from the Steinbeck novels. I had expected a short biography that would cover most of the facts of his life and perhaps stress some of the more sensational moments that may have been inspirational to Steinbeck. What I found instead was a very finely crafted piece of non-fiction writing.
What sets this book apart from a mere biography is how the author develops many secondary themes that relate to Ed Ricketts and then weaves them together in a rich tapestry of ideas. There are the secondary characters of Steinbeck and Campbell, but there are also other significant themes such as ecology. There are wonderful descriptions of the Pacific Coast, particularly Vancouver Island, which I am sure Ricketts himself would have been very enthusiastic about.
Beyond the Outer Shores is also attractively illustrated and features many interesting photographs. Whether you are a Biologist or a fan of Steinbeck you will find this non-fictional account of a life lived with passion more compelling than any fictional character ever created.
My favourite read of 2007 My favorite read for 2007 was Beyond The Outer Shores, Eric Enno Tamm's insightful and illuminating biography of ecological pioneer and polymath Ed Ricketts. The book's tagline mentioned Ricketts as an inspiration for John Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell, and this is what initially caught my attention (being a fan of Campbell). Tamm tells the story of how Rickett's personal philosophy and humanist outlook inspired them both. In particular, the "Doc" character of Cannery Row was directly modeled on Ricketts.
A biologist with the outlook of a philosopher and heart of a poet, Ricketts lived a fascinating yet shortened life, never receiving his due recognition as a scientist and thinker until well after his death. His environmental philosophy permeated the works of Steinbeck in the late 1930s. In this way, Tamm shows The Grapes of Wrath can be read as a warning against anthropogenic environmental degradation, and Cannery Row read as a human reflection of the diversity of tidepools. Likewise, his revolutionary work on the western American and Canadian shores remains influential to this day. Tamm's book is a fantastic read that brings to light the life and spirit of a true Renaissance Man.
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