The Hudson: America's River - Softcover

Frances Dunwell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0231136412 ISBN 13: 9780231136419

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Frances F. Dunwell presents a rich portrait of the Hudson and of the visionary people whose deep relationship with the river inspires changes in American history and culture. Lavishly illustrated with color plates of Hudson River School paintings, period engravings, and glass plate photography, The Hudson captures the spirit of the river through the eyes of its many admirers. It shows the crucial role of the Hudson in the shaping of Manhattan, the rise of the Empire State, and the trajectory of world trade and global politics, as well as the river's influence on art and architecture, engineering, and conservation.

About this title

About the Author

Frances F. Dunwell is the author of Hudson River Highlands and has spent over thirty years in a number of nonprofit and governmental positions dedicated to conserving the natural and historic heritage of the Hudson River.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The magnificent Hudson River is emblematic of America’s dreams of freedom, bountiful nature, and uplifting beauty. And yet, for all its wild splendor and historic sites, America’s “most important waterway” became “grossly polluted.” Dunwell, a key figure in the river’s conservation, reawakens appreciation for the Hudson in a richly illustrated book graceful and capacious enough to capture the spirit and significance of its subject. Combining natural and human history, Dunwell tracks the river from its Adirondack headwaters to the tip of Manhattan, from Revolutionary War battles to Millionaire’s Row, where such prominent families as the Roosevelts and Rockefellers built grand estates, to the industries that poisoned the river and the activists—among them Pete Seeger, with the sloop Clearwater—who rescued, restored, and continue to protect the Hudson.  Dunwell’s clear, fast-moving prose conveys a wealth of information to form a commanding and inspiring biography of a river that gave rise to an art movement (the Hudson River school), progressive social quests, landmark environmental cases, and heroic approaches to preservation. The story of the Hudson River is the story of nature’s resiliency and civilization’s evolution. --Donna Seaman

Edition details

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0231136412
• ISBN 13: 9780231136419
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 392