 Cover of first edition | |
| Author | Gavin Maxwell |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Peter Scott |
Publication date | 1960 |
| ISBN | 0-14-003923-6 |
Ring of Bright Water is a book by Gavin Maxwell about his life in a remote house in coastal Scotland where he kept several wild otters as pets. [1] [2] First published in 1960, it became a best seller and is considered a literary masterpiece, [3] eventually selling over two million copies. [4] A fictionalised film of the same name was made from it [4] and released in 1969. [3]
The book describes how Maxwell brought to England a smooth-coated otter, from the Marshes of Iraq
Maxwell named the otter Mijbil. He raised Mijbil at Camusfeàrna (the name Maxwell gave his house at Sandaig near Glenelg), on the west coast of Scotland. Maxwell took Mijbil to the London Zoological Society where it was determined that Mijbil belonged to a previously unknown subspecies, subsequently named after Maxwell: Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli (or colloquially, "Maxwell's otter"). [5]
'"Into this bright, watery landscape Mij moved and took possession with a delight that communicated itself as clearly as any articulate speech could have done," he wrote. "The waterfall, the burn, the white beaches and the islands; his form became the familiar foreground to them all."' [6]
The book's title was taken from a 1952 poem, The Marriage of Psyche by Kathleen Raine, who said in her autobiography that Maxwell had been the love of her life. The Marriage of Psyche was written as a love poem, in reference to her deep feelings towards Maxwell, however in Ring of Bright Water it is reproduced in full, unattributed on the page, and seemingly reframed to refer to the otters. Her relationship with Maxwell deteriorated after 1956 when she indirectly caused the death of Mijbil. [4] [7]
In 1962 Gavin Maxwell edited the original text to create a new book, The Otters' Tale. This was also published by the same publishers, Longman in the UK, Dutton in the USA. It was intended as a version of Ring for children, however Maxwell largely stayed with the original wording, the text is not simplified. Some material in The Otters' Tale was not present in Ring of Bright Water. But it is shorter, printed in a more informal square orientation rather than traditional portrait, and events that didn't take place in Sandaig were invariably chopped out of this version. There is a plea to readers, in the foreward, that otters should not be considered suitable as pets - this does not feature in Ring. There are many additional black and white photos and drawings in The Otters' Tale, and a few colour photos, almost all of which are of the otters. [8]
A reviewer in the Sunday Herald described the book as having "inspired a generation of naturalists" and referred to it as a "classic account of man and wildlife". The review calls Ring of Bright Water "one of the most popular wildlife books ever written", as over two million copies had been sold worldwide by 1999. [9]
Two sequels were published: The Rocks Remain (1963) and Raven Seek Thy Brother (1968), which were less idyllic than the first, chronicling accidents and misfortunes involving both the otters and Maxwell's life. [10] All three books were republished as Ring of Bright Water: A Trilogy in 2011 by Nonpareil Books. [11] The trilogy does not include the full text of the latter two volumes, but removes the tangential travel sections which take place outside Scotland. [10]
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