Dave Manby wrote:

The book is divided into three. In the first section - entitled
"Horizon Lines" - the tales tell of learning, discovery and the joys of
youthful naivety and enthusiasm. In this section is the eponymous "The
Laugh of the Water Nymph", a summer afternoon reverie half way through
a relaxed river trip.

Thanks for the book report, Dave.

The second section, called "Other Truths", is Doug's musing on the state
of the kayaking world. His satirical attack on the destruction of the
soul of extreme sports by their commercialisation in "The Attack Of the
Killer Radical Extremes" pulls no punches and is as subtle as a sledge
hammer.

I want to read this, so I guess I'll buy the book.

The companion piece "The Tahiti Room" is the answer and through
the introduction to the reader of the sport of underwater climbing in
rivers tells how enjoyment of a sport can become a pursuit of dreams and
then a dangerous single-minded fanaticism.

You mean they downclimb from the waterline using snorkeling equipment?

The final section of the book "Beyond Class V" details some of Doug's
major trips: trips to the Stikine and Aqua Azul and others but as you
would expect these are not just accounts of how the trip went, with a
list of the logistics and a few descriptions of the bigger rapids. Doug
goes further and reveals to the reader his emotions, the ebb and flow of
the trip giving you more than just a flavour of the exploit.

Could be good, who knows. I'm usually not big on ego trips, which is
what most accounts of Big Expeditions are at their core.

Sandwiched in the middle are 32 superb pages of colour photos from
around the globe: British Columbia and the Stikine, Nepal and the Thule
Beri, Mexico, Bolivia, and more.

This means it'll cost over $50, I suppose.