Donovan Hohn’s essay “Moby-Duck, or The Synthetic Wilderness of Childhood,” from the January 2007 issue of Harper’s, is one of the best essays I’ve read in months–a detailed account of the aftermath of a cargo of rubber ducks and other plastic toys that dumped into the ocean more than a decade ago. In 22 fascinating, sometimes beautifully meandering pages, Hohn traces the ducks to beaches around the world, and visits an eccentric character who has devoted years of his life to the inspection, collection, and analysis of flotsam, in particular the rubber ducks. I read the essay when it first arrived in my mailbox, and months later am still thinking about it–it’s that good.

You can find a more detailed account of the essay on treehugger, which links to an interesting page about plastic pollution in the ocean.