Gino Watkins - "Northern Lights

Numerous books have been written either about Gino Watkins or concerning his exploits in the 1920's and early 1930's prior to his untimely death in the waters of eastern Greenland, an area which very few modern paddlers complete with the equipment of the 21st Century venture into.  How much more demanding must have these travels been when undertaken in the equipment of the day?

Watkins is credited with being the first English man to be able to roll his kayak.  A  skill which he thought was essential to master if the aim was to supplement the food supplies with locally caught species.  It was this desire to live off the land which probably cost Watkins his life, although no body was ever found his kayak was recovered and is preserved today at the Royal Geographical Society in London.   

The book, which is probably easiest to acquire today, is simply called "Gino Watkins" by J M Scott.  It seems that most second hand bookshops, which are searched, will reveal a copy of this book. 

A less common title is "Northern Lights" by Spencer Chapman.  It was the official record of the expedition in the 1930’s, which was trying to find an air route from Europe to North America.  I had been looking for a copy for several years when I came across a copy at a bookseller in London.  The fact that it was store in a locked glass cabinet should have been enough of a signal that this was a book, which was out of my price range, but curiosity got the better of me and I needed to see exactly what it was like.  Once I had regained my composure after seeing the price, it cost more than some of the cars I have bought in the past.  It was a joy to behold though and as I opened the covers it only got better.  The author Spencer Chapman signed it, but more importantly it contained the original cutting from The London Times announcing the death of Watkins.  This was before the contents of the book were reached.  I knew that this was an important volume but one that I was unable to justify without discussing at home.  Marriages have probably fallen apart for a lesser sum!

I reluctantly placed the book back in the hands of the shop assistant and left with his card in my hand and hope in my heart.  After discussion at home it was decided that there could be no better Christmas present for the paddling bibliophile than this particular volume.  It was with some relief that I was able to order the book over the telephone a few days later.  Today it occupies pride of place on my paddling bookshelf.     

Canoeing and Kayaking Books

I have finally completed cataloging my paddling book collection as I was finding it more and more difficult to keep track of the titles I already owned so deciding whether to buy a particular title when it became available was a real challenge.   My final tally was 539 titles, the challenge now is to ensure that it is kept up to date as each new title arrives through the door.

It has proved to be a fascinating exercise and I re-discovered many kayaking gems which I had read years ago but which had slipped from my memory over the years.  In particular I have been motivated to read again many of the books which describe canoeing on the rivers of North America, some from the early part of the 20th century whilst others are more recent. One of my favourite paddling books of all time must be "Water and Sky" by Alan Kesselheim, it is well worth seeking out a copy.
Although it is not a definite bibliography of canoeing and kayaking it is a fairly comprehensive list so if anybody would like a copy, perhaps as a starting point for their own collection, then please get in touch and I will forward you a copy.

 A selection of sea kayaking titles, most from North American authors, although clearly there are a number by British authors such as Derek Hutchinson.  The sea kayaking titles alone occupy nearly 4 metres of shelf space on their own.

 A few recently acquired titles including a French sea kayaking manual.  The older titles, for example the classic "Canoe in Australia" by Raven Hart, first published in 1948 can often be found in sites such as ebay but regular monitoring is required plus a pre-set budget otherwise you could get really carried away. 

 The glass fronted bookcase for some of the more delicate/valuable titles.  This was a necessary purchase as I ended up with quite a valuable title in 1996 which I wanted to protect.  A first edition of "Northern Lights" by Spencer Chapman, which is signed by the author and inside was the original cutting from The Times of the 7th September 1932 announcing the death of Gino Watkins, whilst kayaking off the east coast of Greenland.

I did tell the BCU about the book, as it was in an antiquarian book sellers in London, and I happened to be at a meeting in Nottingham later the same day.  The BCU declined the offer of this important title but fortunately my wife decided to purchase the book for Christmas for me.

Many people are surprised by the number of paddling books which are available and it is a market which is growing all the time.  It is just another aspect of this hobby of ours.