By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer
After 90 years, the second of Jack Calvin’s young adult novels, “Fisherman 28,” is back in print.
Calvin, who died in 1985, is remembered locally as the environmental activist who sponsored the Wilderness designation for West Chichagof-Yakobi Islands, and as collaborator with naturalist Ed Ricketts in a classic study of marine ecology, “Between Pacific Tides.”
But as a freelance writer in the 1920s and 30s, Calvin wrote two novels published by a major Boston publishing house, Little Brown and Co.
Those books, “Square-Rigged” and “Fisherman 28,” were long out of print before being reissued by the Sitka Sound Science Center as a remembrance of the author.
“Between Pacific Tides,” first published in 1939, introduced and popularized the concept of marine ecology. It is still in print and retains its scientific significance.
Nancy Ricketts, daughter of author Ed Ricketts, and Jack Calvin are pictured in 1979 at Stratton Library with a copy of “Between Pacific Tides” at Stratton Library on the SJ campus. (Sentinel file photo)
“What made the book special is that it didn’t just list things taxonomically, it grouped things by community. That was called ecology, which was not a familiar part of the lexicon at that time,” explained Lisa Busch, executive director of the Sitka Sound Science Center.
“That book established marine ecology as a discipline. Ricketts and Calvin are considered by many to be the grandpas of modern marine ecology,” Busch said.
She said that while Ricketts has claimed a spot in American pop culture, Calvin has not experienced the same boom. While retaining his close personal contact with Ricketts until Ricketts’ death in 1948, Calvin relocated from Monterey to Sitka in the 1930s and lived here the rest of his life.
“In the last 20 years there’s been a big resurgence in interest in Ed Ricketts,” Busch said. “Down in Monterey, Jack Calvin really isn’t a part of the conversation. We think Ed Ricketts is really important too, but we wanted to raise the profile of Jack Calvin.”
She said republishing “Square-Rigged” and “Fisherman 28” was a way to do that.
“Fisherman 28” is based on Calvin’s own experiences in Alaska’s renowned Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery. Busch said that the book showcases Calvin’s storytelling abilities.
“He was a good writer – he’s got a great sense of suspense, he’s very descriptive of his characters, in the books he shows his love and appreciation of the natural world in the way he describes Bristol Bay,” she said.
Bob King, a former public radio reporter at KDLG in Dillingham, said the same.
“One of the things that struck me about Jack Calvin is that he was a good writer,” King told the Sentinel. “Some of the other books I’ve read ... aren’t quite as good. Calvin was a talented guy.”
During his tenure at KDLG, King read both of Calvin’s novels aloud in broadcasts to a listening audience including the Bristol Bay fishing fleet.
“Half an hour a night, five nights a week,” he said of the radio reading program. “It was just an interesting program, and sure enough, the fishermen enjoyed (the novels).”
But today’s readers may face challenges not acknowledged by the readership of years past. Certain language used in the book’s dialogue and description is considered derogatory today.
“The language was difficult for us,” Busch said, speaking of the decision to republish the books. “It is outdated, but if you look at the things he’s saying, he’s often poking fun at the people who are racist in the book.”
Busch said the language is also a part of the book’s historical context – a context that makes the book valuable for historians.
“We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback in the historical community,” she said. “One of the things that makes these books so special is their authenticity. They’re very very accurate in terms of descriptions of boats.”
The project was financed by Larry Calvin of Sitka, a nephew of Jack Calvin, and supported by Jack’s granddaughter Mary Purvis, also of Sitka. Carolyn Servid, a former Sitkan, designed the new edition.
Larry Calvin told the Sentinel that he felt publishing the books was “the right thing to do.”
“I had some money, so that was the thing to do,” he said. “I’m sure (Uncle Jack) never suspected I’d do it.”
Both novels are available at Old Harbor Books and the Sitka Sound Science Center gift shop. They can also be purchased online at sitka-sound-science-center.square.site.
