Book Review: Between Pacific Tides (Fifth Edition) by Ricketts, Calvin, Hedgpeth. Revisted by Phillips
One of the first definitive guides to the intertidal and its life on the West Coast of the U.S. is Between Pacific Tides, a reference book originally penned by Ed Ricketts, a good friend of the author John Steinbeck. Now in its fifth edition, the book has since been updated and edited by several others authors but is still one of the best and most complete guides West Coast to the intertidal out there.
I’ve had this book for a while now and it has become my go-to reference for many things about the intertidal. While it lacks the beautiful images of modern guides and isn’t the most accessible to the newcomer, Between Pacific Tides is a must-have for the tide pool enthusiast on the West Coast.
Information: 9/10
You can’t beat this book for information depth and breath. It has some of the most thorough information about the intertidal and its inhabitants on the U.S. West Coast out there. Unlike many field guides published today, this book focuses more on ecology, behavior and interaction between species. Although it does provide information for subtle identification between similar species, identification is not the focus. Instead, understanding the entire ecosystem is the main thrust; refreshing after so many identification-centric books that ignore much of how the animals interact. There is also considerable space given to the shore itself and how the living organisms interact with it — things we tidepoolers often don’t give enough attention to.
However, some of the information and taxonomy are outdated, simply because of age, although it’s not usually too hard to find the new name if you google the old one. Also, some generalizations about the coast, like which species are abundant, are also outdated and no longer true.
Images: 4/10
Alas, this book does not have the beautiful color images of modern guides. Instead, there is a mix of black-and-white images and drawings for identification and illustration. While they do add to the book and are very helpful in showing what the author is describing, they aren’t the focal point. This isn’t a coffee table book
Readability and Format: 8/10
This book is written in a readable style, with full sentences and easy prose. It’s more fun to pick up and begin reading than field guides, which usually have very little narrative style but instead read like lists. Despite the text being readable, the information is quite dense for a newcomer/nonscientist who may not be familiar with all the terms. You will need a little background in the intertidal and scientific thought to fully enjoy this book.
The format and organization of this book is beautifully done. The sections are organized around substrates and shore types (high intertidal exposed rocky, mid intertidal sheltered muddy, etc.) with paragraphs describing the animals and how they interact with one another. Plus, it includes numbered species if you are looking for information on a specific animal.
Portability: 0/10
This book is big and not designed to take into the field with you. Use it as a reference book, not a field guide.
Overall usefulness: 9/10
This book is incredibly useful and includes so much information that is difficult to find elsewhere. Although it’s not great for ID by photo, it contains physical descriptions of the animals, along with their habits and habitat. It also includes a section called “Between and Beyond the Tides” which discusses zonation and some principles of intertidal ecology.
While I wouldn’t recommend this as the first book you buy as a new tidepooler, it’s a great resource for the more avid tidepooler wanting to see less common animals, learn more about the common ones, and better understand the habitat they life in.
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