Swell : a waterbiography / Jenny Landreth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Landreth, Jenny, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Landreth, Jenny.

Swimming for women--History.

Swimming for women.

Women swimmers--England--Biography.

Women swimmers.

History.

England.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

vi, 330 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Swell : a water biography

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Sport, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2017.

Summary:

These days, swimming may seem like the most egalitarian of pastimes, open to anyone with a swimsuit - but this wasn't always the case. In the 19th century, swimming was exclusively the domain of men, and access to pools was a luxury limited by class. Women were (barely) allowed to swim in the sea, as long as no men were around, but even into the 20th century they could be arrested and fined if they dared dive into a lake. It wasn't until the 1930s that women were finally, and reluctantly, granted equal access. This is the story of the women who made that possible, a thank-you to the fearless 'swimming suffragettes' who took on the status quo, fought for equal access, and won. Interspersed with the text are the author's own recollections of becoming a "keen swimmer".

Contents:

1 My Waterbiography (Part I) 5

2 The Great Outdoors 23

3 Going Indoors 43

4 Exceptional Women (Part I) 64

5 The Clubbable Woman 84

6 My Waterbiography (Part II) 102

7 Women of the World 120

8 In Praise of Lidos 137

9 We Are What We Wear 157

10 Olympic Flames 180

11 My Waterbiography (Part III) 201

12 The Channel 219

13 My Waterbiography (Part IV) 241

14 Exceptional Women (Part II) 254

15 Why Do Women Swim? 272

16 My Waterbiography (Part V) 297.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-321) and index.

ISBN:

9781472938947

1472938941

OCLC:

983560481