Adrift: the Curious Tale of the Lego Lost at Sea

By Tracey Williams

In 1997, an enormous storm wave caused sixty-two cargo containers to fall off the side of the Tokyo Express off the coast of Cornwall. One contained 4,756,940 pieces of Lego, most of which happened to be sea themed. To this day, Lego seagrass, dragons, lifeboats, octopuses, flippers, and more wash up on Cornish beaches and further afield. For decades, that cargo spill has provided beachcombers with the ultimate treasure hunt.

In this book, Williams discusses her long affiliation with the Lego lost at sea, which she has been finding on English beaches. The book is beautiful, filled with artistic representations by fine art photographer Mandy Barker, artists André Ellis, Caroline South, and Jo Atherton, and furniture designer Brodie Neill. Felicity Price-Smith at Unicorn Publishing is credited with the gorgeous book design and contributed beautiful illustrations and maps. Many other beachcombers, artists, and researchers contributed images to the book, which is colourful and engaging throughout.

Williams discusses quirky stories related to the Lego lost at sea, ocean currents, cargo spills, flotsam, jetsam, beachcombing finds, plastic pollution and much more in this curious book about a curious event. The book is the literary equivalent of a Victorian curiosity cabinet.

Adrift is a visual treat and reading it is a lovely way to spend a few hours. I wish more books were created as visual art.

Relatedly, I recently passed this house in Ravenglass where they display the plastic they've picked up from the local beach

Plastic waste collected in Ravenglass. The board on the front of the boat is packed full of disposable vapes

Gift wrap and cable ties collected from the beach in Ravenglass

Tampon applicators, toothbrushes, combs, dummies, inhalers, lolly sticks, cable ties, and cartridges collected from beaches in Ravenglass

Bottle tops, vapes, pens, and more collected from beaches in Ravenglass

Hard hats, buoys, and more plastic waste left or washed up on Ravenglass beaches