Her new book, “Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water," traces the history of the sport with the precision and grace of an Esther Williams tableau (more on Williams shortly).

It is a "mix of ballet, gymnastics, swimming and Esther Williams aquatic spectacle", said The New York Times (NYT). Williams was a swimmer and actor who competed and acted in the 1940s and 50s.

The story of Esther Williams is that of an improbable encounter. That of the glamorous Hollywood of the 1940s with a swimming champion. A meeting that gave birth to the most kitsch and flamboyant ...