Black & White snaps up wild swimming tale

Black & White will publish Taking the Plunge: The Healing Power of Wild Swimming for Mind, Body & Soul by journalist Vicky Allan and photographer Anna Deacon in November. 

Campbell Brown, m.d. at Black & White Publishing acquired world rights from Jenny Brown at Jenny Brown Associates. Out in November 2019, Black & White said Taking the Plunge "is set to be the definitive book on wild swimming, offering motivation, inspiration and the tools needed to embark on an exhilarating adventure that has the power to last a lifetime."

Author Allan, a journalist who has written for the Herald on Sunday, the Times, Daily Express, Vogue, GQ, and the Guardian, and photographer Deacon returned to their childhood love of wild swimming when they moved to Scotland as adults, and were later introduced by a mutual friend at an event celebrating the Scottish explorer, Isobel Wylie Hutchison.

Told through the stories and photos of those who wild swim, alongside the knowledge, experience and latest science from psychologists, physiologists and other experts, Taking the Plunge shows how wild swimming can benefit both physical and mental health, and how newcomers – of all ages and abilities – can get started.

"Taking the Plunge features outstanding portraits of the swimmers in awe-inspiring, all-weather scenery by Anna Deacon, whose wild swimming photography has featured in many magazines and newspapers including the Times, the Scotsman and Hood magazine," said Black & White.