Evening star. [volume], March 08, 1953, Page PAGE 4, Image 151

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
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Miss Corson inspects a starfish in her summer laboratory at Woods
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. Muffin, her cot, checks one of the author's manuscripts.
—THE WASHINGTON STAR PICTORIAL MAGAZINE. MARCH 8. 1953
PAGE 4
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Gathering material for her book on seashore life, Miss Carson and Artist Bob Hines hunt for
specimens off the Florida Keys. Pfcoto Courtesy (/. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Rachel carson, author
of “The Sea Around Us,”
acquired most of her marine
knowledge while living in
Washington.
Although the slim, blue
eyed author has often visited
the beach and worked in sea
side laboratories, her inten
sive studies of the ocean were
made during the years when
she was a biologist here and
later editor-in-chief of the
United States Fish and Wild
life Service.* '
Miss Carson worked In the
Department of the Interior
from 1936 until she resigned
last year to devote more time
to her books. On her job, she
followed the increasing inter
est in marine investigation
that reached Its highest peak
during World War 11.
During the war years, many
phases of oceanic life were
investigated in great detail.
For example, the Navy, in
co-operation with private
agencies, made recordings of
underwater sounds to distin
guish between marine animals
and submarines. Detailed
studies of waves in many
parts of the world were made
in the planning of overseas
invasions.
Miss Carson had always
been interested in the ocean
despite the fact she has to
fight sunburn on the beach.
As she learned more from
these studies, she caught the
vision of presenting her own
story of the sea in language
that laymen could easily
grasp.
The result was “The Sea
Around Us.” published first
in July, 1951. Reaching best
seller lists soon after its re
• By Emily To we
lease, the book has hovered
persistently In the top bracket
in non-fiction lists ever since.
A Book-of-the-Month Club
alternate selection, it has al
ready passed the 350,000 sales
mark in the United States.
In England, more than 75,000
copies have been sole!. It has
been published in 10 other
countries.
Now, Miss Carson is work
ing on another book about
the sea. At her home on
Williamsburg drive, Silver
Spring, she stays so closely
at her desk that her mother
often serves her meals on
trays. Her best writing hours
are late at night when she
synthesizes her vast amount
of research material and
translates data into a hand
book for people to study
marine life at the beach. The
new book will cover shells,
birds and a myriad of other
creatures inhabiting the At
lantic Coast as far out as
low-tide mark and within
wading distance of the shore.
Classified as an escological
presentation, it will be pub
lished next year.
Accompanied by her mother
and her beloved cat Muffin,
Miss Carson made studies in
1952 from the rocky coastline
of Maine, along the sandy
Reaches of States to the
South, to the coral rocks of
Key West.
Wearing dungarees rolled
high for wading, she delved
into rocky pools off the New
England coast with her home
made water telescope, a knap
sack and instruments for
collecting specimens. In the
South, she wore an Old shirt
over her swimming suit to
prevent sunburn.
“Muffin was just a kitten
when we started the trip,”
Miss Carson relates. “But as
he grew, he became Interested
in the specimens I brought in
each day from the beach. So
many of my collecting trips
had to be made during low
tide hours that I had plenty
of time around hotel rooms to
organize my material. Nearly
always, Muffin was around
and I do believe he could be
called jin authority on marine
life."
Miss Carson says her own
interest in nature goes back
to childhood, when her
mother called her attention
to the beauties of field and
stream near their home in
Springdale, Pa.
“To this day, I am very in
terested in birds,” she adds.
“Ornithology is my hobby
when I can find time for it.
In my new book, I am urging
beach groups on picnics to
be kind to birds and not dis
turb their nests.”
The author, who is soft
voiced with a subtle sense of
humor, says she has been a
disappointment in some re
spects to her friends, who ex
pect her to be completely
nautical.
“I don’t swim very well,”
she explains. “I am only
mildly enthusiastic about
seafoods and do not keep
tropical fish as pets. Muffin
probably wouldn’t like other
animals around the house.
Besides, he takes up enough
of my time crawling around
the typewriter trying to push
the keys.”