''Ring of Bright Water'' is a book by
Gavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell FRSL FZS FRGS (15 July 19147 September 1969) was a British naturalist and author, best known for his non-fiction writing and his work with otters. He wrote the book ''Ring of Bright Water'' (1960) about how he brought an otter ba ...
about his life in a remote house in coastal Scotland where he kept several wild otters as pets.
First published in 1960, it became a best seller and is considered a literary masterpiece,
[ eventually selling over two million copies.]
Book
The book describes how Maxwell brought to England a smooth-coated otter
The smooth-coated otter (''Lutrogale perspicillata'') is an otter species occurring in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 and is threa ...
, from the Marshes of Iraq (before Saddam Hussein drained them)
Maxwell named the otter Mijbil. He raised Mijbil at Camusfeàrna (the name Maxwell gave his house at Sandaig near Glenelg), on the west coast of Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. Maxwell took Mijbil to the London Zoological Society
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park.
History
On 29 N ...
where it was determined that Mijbil belonged to a previously unknown subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...
, subsequently named after Maxwell: ''Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli'' (or colloquially, "Maxwell's otter").
'"Into this bright, watery landscape Mij moved and took possession with a delight that communicated itself as clearly as any articulate speech could have done," he wrote. "The waterfall, the burn, the white beaches and the islands; his form became the familiar foreground to them all."'
The book's title was taken from a poem by Kathleen Raine
Kathleen Jessie Raine CBE (14 June 1908 – 6 July 2003) was a British poet, critic, and scholar, writing in particular on William Blake, W. B. Yeats and Thomas Taylor. Known for her interest in various forms of spirituality, most prominently ...
,
Reception
A reviewer in the ''Sunday Herald
The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...
'' described the book as having "inspired a generation of naturalists" and referred to it as a "classic account of man and wildlife". The review calls ''Ring of Bright Water'' "one of the most popular wildlife books ever written", as over two million copies had been sold worldwide by 1999.
Legacy
Two sequels were published: ''The Rocks Remain'' (1963) and ''Raven Seek Thy Brother'' (1968), which were less idyllic than the first, chronicling accidents and misfortunes involving both the otters and Maxwell's life.
References
British autobiographies
Science autobiographies
Books about Scotland
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