The Crossing: The Glorious Tragedy of the First Man to Swim the English Channel

by Kathy Watson

Book Overview

The Crossing tells the colorful story of Matthew Webb, the first person to swim across the English Channel. Webb was born in 1848, learned to swim as a boy in the River Severn, and joined the merchant... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158542109X
• ISBN13: 9781585421091
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Tarcher
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

excellent reading

This is a good reading if you are planning to attempt any challenging swim or if you simply want to be inspired.

A Swimming Star is Born

THE CROSSING is the biography of daredevil sailor Matthew Webb who in 1875 became the first man to swim The English Channel...a feat which brought him acclaim and indirectly contributed to his demise by the trappings of notoriety. This is an absorbing (and sad!) study of the emergence, glory, descent, and eventual debasement of an icon...as well as an interesting commentary on the addictive nature of fame. THE CROSSING is also noteworthy as a chronicle of the birth of modern swimming and a satisfying glimpse into mid-Victorian culture and social mores. Well written, insightful, and quite fascinating.

'Boy's Own Paper' stuff!

Time was when every schoolboy in Britain knew about Capt.Webb; matchboxes carried his name and image; he figured high on the list of heroes and tales of derring-do - I'm not sure if the same holds true nowadays, so this book is an attempt to set the record straight (even so, we are surprised to discover that someone had beaten Webb to it ... but not by swimming),Written in an accessible, flowing conversational style, it goes beyond 'the Crossing' to trace the life and exploits of this remarkable man. Incidentally, Ms.Watson (no relation) aspires to be a channel swimmer - this lends a certain authority and credence to the rest of the book; not that it needs it, the research into Webb's life is meticulous.At the time, swimming the channel was as daunting as climbing Everest; many authorities stating categorically that it was an impossible feat. However, Webb seems to have suffered from no such fears - totally confident, he persuades backers with his no-nonsense charm, incidentally laying the basis of the British love-affair with swimming.After the success of the crossing, we see more of Webb's bravado and determination ... but directed into increasingly desperate money-making schemes, culminating in the one that would end his life.One feels for the man, driven as he was by some inner need, but reduced to exhibitionism instead of taking an easier option on life.A very enjoyable read. *****

A Tiny Treasure, by fermed

Kathy Watson has crafted a jewel of a book, an exotic Victoria portrait that goes far beyond the simple description of Captain Webb and his extraordinary swimming of the English Channel - the first person ever to do so in recorded history.For in this miniature we certainly see bits and pieces and touches of ouselves in ways that force us to immediately recognize the subject of the book: the having done a daring, or honorable, or brave, or even brilliant act in our past, one that defined us as eminently worthwhile members of the human family. Perhaps only we knew about what we had done, perhaps we did it only in silence, perhaps there was never outside recognition; but most of us have one or more of those moments, just as Capt. Webb had when he did his extraordinary feat, only less so. He was certainly recognized and feted and admired; he received cash and other rewards for demonstrating British pluck in his accomplishment. And then...glory was taken away from him. Not in one fell swoop, but gradually and ignominiously over a period of 8 years, when he ended his life as a boastful freak who attempted to swim the Whirlpool Rapids at Niagara Falls and failed.The story of this brilliant meteor and its crash is splendidly narrated; the prose is redolent with Victorian language without being Victorian prose. Meticulous research has obviously been used to underpin the narrative, and the author's joy and enthusiasm is everywhere: "Niagara," she explains "had become the primary port of call in North America for daredevils, con men, suicides, sensation-seekers, and nutcases" in 1883 when Capt. Webb arrived.Ms. Watson gives statistics, but does not burden us with them; since Capt Webb there have been 500 or so people who have swum the Channel, but today it is much easier (but not easy) because of the expert knowledge that has built over the years on how to prepare for, and execute, a crossing. Not so when Jabez Wolffe made his first attempt in 1906, nor in the ensuing years, when he tried 22 times and never succeeded in his quest.Whether one swims or not, this is an exciting and delightful book. Yes, it ends in the defeat of Capt. Webb, but somehow this failure totally pales when compared to his success; and because of that, this is an upbeat book of optimism and hope, brilliantly written.

An extraordinarily exhilarating little book!

An intriguing title and the book more than lived up to the promise. Matthew Webb was a sportsman, a dreamer and a true eccentric. Kathy Watson gets under the skin of the man and his world. You share his triumph in crossing the Channel and feel his pain at his later decline. I've already given this book as presents to friends and family and it's always been much appreciated even by people who aren't interested in swimming or who don't usually like biography.