Baikal Sacred Sea of Siberia [Hardcover]

Peter Matthiessen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 1992

Baikal, the largest and deepest freshwater lake in the world, contains more than 1,200 rare species of plants and animals, including the world's only freshwater seals. Now it has become the centerpiece of the emerging Russian environmental movement, as nearby factories threaten its vitality. Here Matthiessen details its fate. A portion of the royalties to go to Baikal Watch to save the lake. 50 color photographs; 1 map.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Until recently Siberia's Lake Baikal, the world's oldest and deepest lake, remained nearly pristine because of its great depth. The construction of a cellulose plant on its southern shore and the advent of other sources of industrial and agricultural pollution, however, seriously threaten the ecological balance of the lake, which contains about one-fifth of all the fresh water on the earth. In the summer of 1990, National Book Award winner Matthiessen ( The Snow Leopard ), composer Paul Winter and a group of Russian environmentalists traveled around Baikal, which had previously been off limits to foreigners as well as to most citizens of the former Soviet Union. During the journey, Matthiessen kept a journal describing the lake, its flora and fauna and the people who live on its shores. Together, the brief text and 50 of Norton's spectacular color photographs make an eloquent plea for the preservation of one of the earth's great natural treasures; the foreword by poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, who was born in Siberia, is especially moving. The Sierra Club will donate a share of the book's proceeds to Baikal Watch, a nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation of Lake Baikal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The largest, deepest, and oldest freshwater lake in the world is also unique in much of its ecosystem. Long a spiritual center for the natives of Siberia and Mongolia, Baikal has recently become a focus for an emerging Soviet conservation movement. Noted author and traveler Matthiessen ( Far Tortuga , LJ 4/15/75) visited Baikal in August 1990 and kept a journal from which this work evolved. Enriched by color photos on nearly half the pages, plus numerous historical sidebars, this short work calls for the environmental defense of a treasure already damaged by industrial pollution. Baikal's condition is generating attention in the world's popular as well as scientific periodical literature, but this is the first English-language book to consider its plight. Recommended for public and academic libraries with an interest in international environmental issues.
- Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 89 pages
• Publisher: Random House, Inc. (October 13, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871565846
• ISBN-13: 978-0871565846
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the spirit of Siberia, November 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Baikal: Sacred Sea of Siberia (Paperback)

The hardcover book is a jewel: the pictures are absolutely beautiful, and the texts which accompany them is interesting. The excerpts from Valentin Rasputin's books on Lake Baikal are well chosen. It is extremely interesting to "meet" this controversial Russian author in the way we do through this book. He deserves praise for his environmental work, especially in such a country as Russia. The book definetely makes you wish to visit the place. It sounds loike a spiritual enriching experience, the lake seems alive...