August 2013 Guest Editor, Lauren St John "I read this book as a set book at school in Zimbabwe and it had a big impact on me. Gavin Maxwell’s beautifully written book about his life with otters on Scotland’s remote west coast has been called a ‘masterpiece’ and ‘one of the outstanding wildlife books of all time.’ For me and millions of other people, there was something utterly enchanting in the idea of a man adopting an otter on a whim while in Irag, bringing it back to London, and then walking away from the city and his life so that he could be at one with his otters in the wilderness. Ever since I’ve routinely dreamed about doing the same – maybe with cats and horses. Anyone who loves animals and nature would enjoy this special book. Ring of Bright Water was later made into an outstanding film starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers."
Hailed a masterpiece when it was first published, the story of Gavin Maxwell's life with otters on the remote west coast of Scotland remains one of the most lyrical, moving descriptions of a man's relationship with the natural world.
