Let's Go to the Beach: A History of Sun and Fun by the Sea - Hardcover

Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805062351 ISBN 13: 9780805062359

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2001

Synopsis

An intriguing exploration of a favorite pastime -- a trip to the beach.

"One night in 1883, David Bradley's candy stand was swamped by a storm. Not one to take a direct hit from adversity, the next day he decided to call his candy salt water taffy. Although the taffy's been dry ever since, the name has stuck for the past hundred years."

Did you know that women once wore corsets under their bathing suits (all drowning risks aside)? Or that beach-goers donned everything from wings to webbed gloves in hopes of learning how to swim? Or that hotel entrepreneurs lured wealthy customers to their seaside resorts with breakfast serenades from a forty-piece orchestra?

From the bathhouses of the ancient Greeks to Muscle Beach and Coney Island, Let's Go to the Beach takes a historical, sociological, and geographical look at beaches and their attant customs. With humor and intelligence, and a fascinating collection of-black-and- white photographs, Elizabeth Van Steenwyk offers up an impressive overview of one of the world's greatest pastimes.

About this title

About the Author

Elizabeth Van Steenwyk has written more than twenty books for young readers. The recipient of the Texas Bluebonnet Award and Vermont's Rebecca Caudill Award, Elizabeth lives in San Marino, California with her family.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

In 1759, a British doctor, Richard Russell, published an essay on the uses of seawater for internal and external purposes. Four years later he built a house by the sea at Brighton, England, and originated a strange new practice called strip and plunge. He hired a strong person, man or woman, to plunge a semiclothed bather into the sea and hold him down until he swallowed a lot of water. Semidrowning was thought to be good for one's health. After all, the patient felt so good when the treatment stopped, he must be healthier. Strangely, people allowed themselves to be treated this way at seaside resorts for days at a time, and even paid for the dubious privilege.

Then along came Vincent Priessnitz with a good story to tell. Traveling around Europe during the early 1800s, he told anyone who'd listen that a wagon accident had left him with broken bones and bruises everywhere. He claimed to have made himself well by dunking himself in ice water. Perhaps he could be seen as the first member of the Polar Bear Club! After he convinced his listeners that he'd found a miracle cure for all his aches and pains, he went home to Grafensberg, in what is now Poland, and opened Water University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0805062351
• ISBN 13: 9780805062359
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160