Wind, Waves, and Sunburn: A Brief History of Marathon Swimming

From the English Channel and the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the famous swims of Lord Byron, Conrad Wennerberg gives us an erudite and eccentric tour of the world of endurance swimming. He lauds such heroes as Captain Matthew Webb, the first to swim the Channel in 1875, and the life-and-death swimming of shipwreck victims and pilots of planes ditched at sea, and he traces the histories of the great races and the stars of the sport. Wennerberg's engaging, accessible style and his beguiling obsession with the subject make this a fascinating book for anyone who has ever swum, competetively or recreationally.

First published in 1974 and out of print for over a decade, this paperback edition includes a new afterword covering recent developments in the sport.