Gift from the Sea

In this inimitable classic, Anne Morrow Lindbergh shares her meditations on youth and age, love and marriage, peace, solitude, and contentment during a brief vacation by the sea. Drawing inspiration from the the shells on the shore, Lindbergh's musings on the shape of a woman's life will bring new understanding to readers, male and family, at any stage of life. A mother of five and professional writer, she casts an unsentimental eye at the trappings of modern life that threaten to overwhelm us -- the timesaving gadgets that complicate our lives, the overcommitments that take us from our families -- and by recording her own thoughts in a brief escape from her everyday demands, she guides her readers to find a space for contemplation and creativity in their own lives. With great wisdom and insight she describes the shifting shapes of relationships and marriage, presenting a vision of a life lived in enduring and evolving partnership. A groundbreaking work when it was first published, this book has retained its freshness as it has been rediscovered by generations of readers and is no less current today.

Introduction to the Fiftieth Anniversary Edition by Reeve Lindbergh vii 1 The Beach 7 2 Channelled Whelk 13 3 Moon Shell 31 4 Double-Sunrise 53 5 Oyster Bed 69 6 Argonauta 81 7 A Few Shells 103 8 The Beach at My Back 113 Gift from the Sea Re-opened 121