Land of Rivers: America in Word and Image

For everyone who has listened to river's song or floated along its surface or played on its banks, here is a book of images and voices which does justice to the beauty and diversity of rivers. The selection range from Samuel Sewall's mournful praise of the River Merrymak to John Wesley Powell's triumphant narrative of exploring the Colorado River, from Walt Whitman's ode on crossing Brooklyn Ferry to Oscar Hammerstein's melodic tribute to Ol'Man River. More than fifty descriptions, meditations, and songs, with brief introductory notes, are balanced by sixty illustrations, including the elegant landscape paintings of Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Church and the haunting photographs of Ansel Adams.

Land of Rivers is a rich, evocative expression of the power and majesty of America's waterways. It shows the role that clean rivers once held in our nation's soul, and will hold again.

Not since Bakeless's Eyes of Discovery have we had a book this good, a book written by those who have been shaped by the rivers in their lives.

Editor Mancall's 1990 version of this book was entitled Roll On, Rivers: Rivers in the Life of the American People (National Council on the Aging); this latest revision contains more of the stories and legends he's collected since. From those who consider rivers to be the work of God to those who fear they will be destroyed by the work of humans, these waterways have been at the forefront of virtually every major political, historical, and social turning point in American history. The editors have taken writings ranging from Thomas Jefferson to Oscar Hammerstein III that feature rivers as their centerpiece. The result is a mixed bag that will appeal to any reader living on or near a river, as well as to readers looking for a truly eclectic collection of literature. Recommended for large public libraries and for those located in cities where rivers play an important role in the daily lives of residents.?Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base Lib., Cal.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.