Book Description

The ultimate pictorial and travel guide.

Whether you're planning to visit Ontario's many waterfalls in person or in the comfort of your favorite reading chair, this superbly illustrated book is an absolute must.

Waterfalls of Ontario lists and describes 80 falls. Each is listed alphabetically and organized by region: - Algoma - Cottage Country - Golden Horseshoe - Ottawa Valley

Each waterfall is illustrated with a full-page color photograph and a concise description that includes detailed driving instructions, relevant geological features, and a brief history. Regional maps are included for those who wish to visit the waterfalls. A sidebar features handy at-a-glance information such as the nearest settlement, walk time, trail conditions, size, and map co-ordinates. ... Read more

Book Description

"As a boy, I had the Huck Finn dream that many do of letting the river carry me to adventure."

Now some 30 years later accomplished outdoor writer Michael Tougias lives that dream. Trading Huck Finn's log raft for canoe and kayak, Tougias journeys the length of the Connecticut River - from its source near the Canadian border through four New England states to where it meets the sea in Connecticut.

Recently designated an American Heritage River, the Connecticut provides the perfect setting for Tougias' narrative - a wonderful blend of adventure, fishing tales, history, and natural history. ... Read more

Book Description

"One hundred and forty years after Speke's visionary predictionthat Lake Victoria would prove to be the source of the Nile, I had come toAfrica to see for myself. I arrived laden with a great store of knowledge aboutthe Nile - all the lore and learning amassed since Speke's great discovery. Ihad all the facts, but I was not satisfied." - Christopher Ondaatje

Long fascinated with historical exploration, writer Christopher Ondaatje hererelives explorer Richard Francis Burton's 1856 expedition to discover the sourceof Africa's mighty Nile River. In 1996, with a lifetime of world travel behindhim and after extensive research, Ondaatje set off to retrace the steps ofBurton and other Victorian explorers. "Journey to the Source of the Nile" bringsto life this incredible voyage.

Like the early explorers, Ondaatje put together a support team and, followingthe Victorians' routes, encountered the geography, peoples and nature in alltheir manifestations. With a constant mind to the words of Burton, Speke,Livingstone and the others, Ondaatje views the journey through their eyes but inthe light of modern scientific knowledge. His trek across the Serengeti Plainsto Olduvai Gorge provides the most striking revelation of all: the forces thatshaped the Nile may also have triggered the evolution of the human race.

In a time of breathlessly fast change, "Journey to the Source of the Nile"returns us to a slower time, when knowledge was the goal and exploration themeans. A fascinating tapestry of history and travel writing, Ondaatje's personalaccount and his dramatic photographs of this truly extraordinary expeditionbring us closer to solving the riddle of the world's most mysterious river.

"Between 1902 and the present, [Africa] has evoked the highest despair of anycontinent in the world. In a way, perhaps I felt that understanding thedifficult puzzle of the Nile's source might also give me some insight into a farmore challenging riddle: the turbulent, complex, paradoxical enigma of Africaitself."

Christopher Ondaatje was born in Ceylon and educated in England. He has workedfor several magazines and newspapers and is the author of six books, includingthe best-selling biography of Victorian explorer Richard Burton, "SindhRevisited." A director of the World Wildlife Fund and a Fellow of the RoyalGeographical Society, he lives in London, England. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A gift of travel and photography
Christopher Ondaatje has given us a superb travelogue, blended skillfully with perspectives on the great 19th-Century Nile explorations. His maps, both current and historical, are well-crafted. The book's best feature, however, is its multitude of stunning photographs that bring to life this enormous, majestic realm of water, wilderness, and vibrant inhabitants both human and animal. Ondaatje must be an even better photographer than he is a writer, and is obviously in tune with the people he meets. They gaze directly and warmly into his lens as if he were a member of their own group. The depictions of rivers, mountains, and savannahs are simply breathtaking. ... Read more

Book Description

Full guide and mile by mile pictorial full color tour of the C&O Canal from Georgetown, DC to Cumberland, Maryland. Also cover the Potomac River and adjacent places such as Harpers Ferry, Antietam battlefield, and more. ... Read more

Book Description

In images and narratives Native River recreates the Mid-Columbia untamed—the river as it once was, before the building of seven major dams. Featuring a wealth of illustrations, maps, and photographs, many never before published, this finely crafted book focuses on the 350-mile reach of the middle Columbia River—from Priest Rapids in south-central Washington to the U.S.-Canadian border. Layman gives us the unique opportunity of picturing the great river, and man’s relationship to it, prior to the building of seven major dams that now harness the Columbia’s power and obscure its former features under reservoirs.

The author affords each segment of this waterway its own unique rich visual documentation. This forms a backdrop to compelling river stories, told in a variety of perspectives and voices. Included are Native American legends and lore, the cryptic messages of ancient rock art, accounts of white explorers and immigrants, and Layman’s own insightful observations. In his research, Layman forged a special, co-operative relationship with the indigenous peoples who still call the Columbia River valley their home. The artful blending of geological, cultural, and historical story telling in Native River unifies the reader's experience of the untamed Columbia. ... Read more

Book Description

To the uninitiated, water policy seems a complicated, hypertechnical, and incomprehensible subject: a tangle of engineering jargon and legalese surrounding a complex, delicate, and interrelated structure. Decisions concerning the public's waters involve scant public participation, and in such a context, reform seems risky at best.

Searching Out the Headwaters addresses that precarious situation by providing a thorough and straightforward analysis of western water use and the outmoded rules that govern it. The authors begin by tracing the history and evolution of the uses of western water. They describe the demographic and economic changes now occurring in the region, and identify the many communities of interest involved in all water-use issues. After an examination of the central precepts of current water policy, along with their original rationale and subsequent evolution, they consider the reform movement that has recently begun to emerge. In the end, the authors articulate the foundations for a water policy that can meet the needs of the new West and discuss the various means for effectively implementing such a policy, including market economics, regulation, the broad-based use of scientific knowledge, and open and full public participation. ... Read more

Book Description

The Charles River Basin, extending nine miles upstream from the harbor, has been called Boston's "Central Park." Yet few realize that this apparently natural landscape is a totally fabricated public space. Two hundred years ago the Charles was a tidal river, edged by hundreds of acres of salt marshes and mudflats. Inventing the Charles River describes how, before the creation of the basin could begin, the river first had to be imagined as a single public space. The new esplanades along the river changed the way Bostonians perceived their city; and the basin, with its expansive views of Boston and Cambridge, became an iconic image of the metropolis.

The book focuses on the precarious balance between transportation planning and stewardship of the public realm. Long before the esplanades were realized, great swaths of the river were given over to industrial enterprises and transportation -- millponds, bridges, landfills, and a complex network of road and railway bridges. In 1929, Boston's first major highway controversy erupted when a four-lane road was proposed as part of a new esplanade. At twenty-year intervals, three riverfront road disputes followed, successively more complex and disputatious, culminating in the lawsuits over "Scheme Z," the Big Dig's plan for eighteen lanes of highway ramps and bridges over the river. More than three hundred photographs, maps, and drawings illustrate past and future visions for the Charles and document the river's place in Boston's history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Gorgeous, and so intelligent
This extraordinary book brings together a confluence of compelling themes: The history of a city and its self concept; the evolution of city planning and the politics of public space; visionary thinking and the implications of decisions on the future of urban living; and the visual record of 19th century Boston through historical photographs and maps. These ideas have been woven into a highly readable book, stunningly designed by Yasuyo Iguchi. For anyone who lives in or has lived in Boston, this book is the best history of the city's evolution. For others who may not be as compelled by the specific story of how the Charles River came to be or the significance of the Big Dig, this book is a fascinating and provocative exploration of the implications that face all cities as they envision themselves into the future. How should public space be used? Who decides what is the public good? Haglund cares passionately about these issues and has assembled a thoughtful, readable and provocative response to these important questions. Don't miss it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fascinating History of the Sacramento Valley
If you've ever taken a guided factory tour, you know the difference between someone reciting memorized facts and someone who can call upon a deep reservoir of knowledge, accumulated over a lifetime, for information that will illuminate a particular subject. Mr. Kelley clearly belongs in the latter class. Reading his book, it is apparent that we are only scratching the surface of what this remarkable historian knows about the complex interplay of history, politics, personality and nature that conspired to produce the water system northern California has today.

The story of California water is fascinating, although perhaps only of real interest to Californians. Nevertheless, even if only for that audience, Mr. Kelley has written an entirely readable, yet simultaneously scholarly volume. Anyone interested in an introduction to the state of northern California's water situation should begin with this book.

In a general sense, however, this book is also about changing political and sociological trends in America beginning around 1850. The focus is on flooding in the Sacramento Valley, and its battles between gold miners and valley farmers, or between Republican engineers and Democratic populists, but parallels are probably found elsewhere in our country during the same period of history. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

Essentially the same book as "Gold v. Grain"
I am a big California rivers environmental history buff, and I found this book to be too similar to his publication "Gold v. Grain" which debuted over 40 years ago. This book is essentially an extension of "Gold v. Grain" that covers the 1960s-1980s. Much of the earlier chapters are virtually cut and pasted verbatim from his previous book. Despite these criticisms, it remains (to my knowledge) the most comprehensive book written about the Sacramento River to date. Until a better book on the Sac comes along, this is probably the one to read for factual information, and for more conceptual/abstract stimulation, I recommend "Organic Machine" by Richard White.

Comprehensive but compelling
For a native of the flood-prone Sacramento Valley, Battling The Inland Sea is the bible. Nowhere else is the history of a fitful battle against the annual floodwaters unleashed on the Sacramento Valley by the powerful Sierra Nevada watersheds captured so comprehensively. Kelley, however, informs us in a style that is relevant and entertaining. The valley resident treasures it for its history of the Big Fight. Political scientists enjoy it for its history and the lively way Kelley uses the fight over flooding in Northern California as a study in California and national politics. ... Read more

Book Description

Instream Flow Protection is a comprehensive overview of Western water use and the issues that surround it. The authors explain instream flow and its historical, political, and legal context; describe current instream flow laws and policies; and present methods of protecting instream flow. They provide numerous examples to illustrate their discussions, with case studies of major river systems including the Bitterroot, Clark's Fork, Colorado, Columbia, Mimbres, Mono Lake, Platte, Snake, Wind, and others.

Policymakers, land and water managers at local, state, and federal levels, attorneys, students and researchers of water issues, and anyone concerned with instream flow protection will find the book enormously valuable. ... Read more

Book Description

The Trinity River is the "bluebird capital of Texas." The Red River once marked the southern boundary of Indian country. And stories of Judge Roy Bean's frontier justice, "law west of the Pecos River," have found their way into Texas folklore. In short, Texas' rivers give life to the state and impart to it a rich history. In Rivers of Texas, Verne Huser explores the majesty and background of Texas' waterways. He explains that the quality and quantity of river water affects nearly everything in Texas and profoundly conditions people's daily lives.

Huser identifies four groups of rivers: border rivers, such as the Sabine; heart-of-Texas rivers that include the Trinity; regional rivers such as the Neches; and Gulf Coast rivers such as the Guadalupe. He provides information about the size, location, tributaries, and special sites along each river and combines his descriptions with colorful legends and personal anecdotes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Too Much Polemic
I was so looking forward to a good book on the geology and history of Texas rivers.I was disappointed.The travelogues are sketchy but useful.In every chapter, over and over again, we hear that industrilization is bad for rivers, dams stop the free flow of rivers, and that Ango settlers stole the land from native Americans.Yes, that's true and probably can be profitably discussed in a preface.Something like John Graves "Good Bye to a River"engenders sympathy and makes you care about the rivers.Huser's treatment of the subject leaves the reader merely irritated at the author. ... Read more

Book Description

This stunning photographic journey follows the path of the Hudson River from north to south, through the Catskills and the surrounding valley region, all the way to New York City.

Bursting with historical, cultural, and natural abundance, the Hudson River Valley region has captured the imaginations and the hearts of generations of writers, artists, and adventurers. Now two Hudson Valley natives have teamed up to capture the beauty and the passion of this special region.

More than 100 full-color photos lavishly display the varied terrain from the sheer, abrupt cliffs of the Shawangunk range to the quiet, tidal backwaters along the river and the serene mystique of the fertile countryside. From covered bridges to lighthouses, from ice climbing to bucolic vistas, there is something here for every set of eyes. Photos are gracefully complemented with rich text from one of the region's most experienced and dedicated travel writers. 95 color photographs, appendix. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Gorgeous
This is a fantastic celebration of the Hudson River and its environs. Beautifully photographed, with just the right amount of narration, interestingly told. A unique feature is the addition of driving directions to each one of these exquisite places, at the end of the book. Very nicely done overall! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Reader Beware - Enjoyment Ahead
This compilation of exceptionally well-written excerpts is a wonderfully varied introduction to, or refresher of, longer works from some of the best authors of books about the Colorado River and its environs. The works range from the predictable, e.g., the writings of John Wesley Powell, Edward Abbey, and Ann Zwinger, to the unexpectedly insightful, e.g., the Paiute Indian Legend and a chapter about the Datura plant by Linda Hogan. Author Richard F. Fleck has carefully chosen writings that portray a variety of perspectives, each an invitation to a longer, more developed work of comparable quality. This is not the only collection of writings about the Colorado River, but it is one of the best edited. If you are looking for a listing of masterworks as recommendations for further reading you have to look no further than the Table of Contents of A Colorado River Reader. But beware, this introduction to the mythology, history, sport, philosophy, ecology, geology, and biology of the Colorado River may cause you to spend additional money on the books from which these passages were excerpted. Of course, and I know from personal experience, money spent on any of these books will be money well spent. ... Read more

Book Description

Before the novel and the film Deliverance appeared in the early 1970s, any outsiders one met along the Chattooga River were likely serious canoeists or anglers. In later years, untold numbers and kinds of people have felt the draw of the river’s torrents, which pour down the Appalachians along the Georgia–South Carolina border. Because of Deliverance the Chattooga looms enigmatically in our shared imagination, as iconic as Twain’s Mississippi—-or maybe Conrad’s Congo.

This is John Lane’s search for the real Chattooga—-for the truths that reside somewhere in the river’s rapids, along its shores, or in its travelers’ hearts. Lane balances the dark, indifferent mythical river of Deliverance against the Chattooga known to locals and to the outdoors enthusiasts who first mastered its treacherous vortices and hydraulics. Starting at its headwaters, Lane leads us down the river and through its complex history to its current status as a National Wild and Scenic River. Along the way he stops for talks with conservation activists, seventh-generation residents, locals who played parts in the movie, day visitors, and others. Lane weaves into each encounter an abundance of details drawn from his perceptive readings and viewings of Deliverance and his wide-ranging knowledge of the Chattooga watershed. At the end of his run, Lane leaves us still fully possessed by the Chattooga’s mystery, yet better informed about its place in his world and ours. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Chatooga, a flowing book
Chatooga is a flowing book - pun intended. John Lane
talks about the effect of the book Deliverance
and the movie on the people living around the Chatooga
in North Georgia. He talks to the people,
he hikes on the banks of the river and he kayaks the river.
This is a personal book, as much about Lane as
about the river. A good read!

Traveling the River with John Lane
Once again, John Lane has succeeded in writing a book that really connects with the regular fan of the wilderness with a desire to read. As a person that grew up in the area of the Chattooga, and have rafted the river myself, John's insights and stories were wonderfully written and a treat to have read. John Lane is the writer of my people.

John Lane...A Man's Man
John Lane has done it again... John never siezes to amaze me with his timeless writings. John Lane paints the most vivid pictures with his words. In all my years I have never read such brilliant literature. This book really hit home with me. All my life I've traveled on rivers, namely the Chattooga. The rhythmic beauty of its current is captured in John Lane's words. I am haunted by waters. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A Splendid Juggernaut of a book
For anyone living along the upper Mississippi river, especially in the Twin Cities, who has an interest in our river this book is a must read.John Anfinson comprehensively examines the history and development of the upper Mississippi river from several perspectives.The upper Mississippi's development and health are still unfolding, as Anfinson suggests, and he leaves us with the open-eneded question how economics, environment, recreation, and politics will shape policy regarding future development and sustainability.At times the book overly bombards the reader with very specific historical minutiae that become hard to remember as the book progresses.Despite the minutiae, though, the book is thoroughly researched and organized clearly.It's an overall great read. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As the 20th century neared its close, few corners of the globe remained unexplored. One exception was a "monstrous and largely obscure river in southeastern Tibet" that had already resisted several British expeditions: the Yarlung Tsangpo. Raging through a nearly impenetrable gorge in one of the most remote places on the planet, it was a place variously reported as the source behind the Western myth of Shangri-La and the "Everest of rivers." In 1998 a team of middle-aged American men--all of them expert river runners--aimed to notch their paddles with this last great stretch of virgin whitewater that many knowledgeable river people considered "beyond the means of what humans could do in a boat." But after securing crucial funding from National Geographic and flying halfway around the world, the team of four paddlers (three in expedition kayaks, one in a whitewater canoe) arrived in-country to find the river at flood stage. Their leader, a man with a "stubborn allegiance for things that look hopeless," decided they would continue anyway. Those familiar with the story know what happened next.

Fans of the man-versus-nature genre popularized by Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm will not be disappointed by Todd Balf's fast-flowing reconstruction of events. All the elements are on board: rugged individuals, intensive logistical planning, a strange, unforgiving landscape--and death. While Balf, a former editor at Outside magazine, delivers the expected adrenaline-fueled adventure, the nuanced emotional and psychological dimensions that allowed Krakauer and Junger to rise above the genre are less in evidence in The Last River. Portages through personal histories, for instance, bog down with character portraits that sometimes read more like screen treatments ("His face bears out the Baby Boomer ideal: seasoned but searching"). But once Balf plunges into the heart of his narrative--the river navigation itself--he finds the right stroke:

Paddling hard to get to the protected shore-side of a house-sized rock, he missed the move, then plunged over another small drop. Flipped again, Jamie got spit out and tried to roll but couldn't. Seconds later he felt the boat getting pushed beneath an undercut rock....

What happened on the Tsangpo is not so much a tragedy as another sad loss in the increasingly competitive realm of extreme sports. One wonders about the actual tragedies (i.e., cultural fallout, environmental degradation) ready to unfold as the world's last remote places become playgrounds for the burgeoning adventure-travel industry. The Last River avoids speculating. It's first and foremost an action-packed chronicle of an expedition gone bad that will appeal to landlubbers and water rats alike. --Langdon Cook ... Read more

Reviews (35)

This book makes me want to run high risk rivers
A caveat -- I've never done any river running. Now, after reading Todd Balf's book, I feel like I partially understand, in a white water sense, much more of the sport. The best thing about this book is that you fully experience the running of this mad river in Tibet! The river is awesome, beautiful, and irrestible. The guys running the river were nuts but somehow believed they knew what they were doing - and that they could survive. Not true. Not only do you learn a ton about the sport of extreme river running but also about the politics, and second guessing, of putting together an expedition to a far off country. I recommend the book highly and predict a breathless reading experience. Maybe someday I will go to Tibet and experience the last river!

The River Wild
Anyone who enjoys stories about the Himalayas, Tibet, or people pushing themselves to peak performance, needs to read this. It's not quite the five-star material of Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", but it's very close. Mr. Balf uses the accounts passed to him by the members of the doomed October 1998 Tsangpo expedition so well that you forget he wasn't there. The History is well used and interesting. The descriptions of the mammoth arena in which the story takes place are highly vibrant. And, the relationships of the men on the team are portrayed with realism, as well as a careful depth that could rival the Gorge itself. These are not people out for glory alone. These are people with a passion. Read this book, and see how they fare against one of the last untamed patches of earth we have left.

Last River or Diamond Sow?? It's a toss up.
My comments come after finishing the books "The Last River" and "Courting the Diamond Sow", both of which I read over the last 2 weeks, and was provoked to write by a couple of factors. Reading the existing reviews for "The Last River" particularly, I was struck by the number of people who felt it necessary to slam the book.

First, after reading these books I have a better appreciation for the writing skill needed to write a book that is entirely engaging, brings the personalities to life, allows the reader to become part of the adventure, all the while being true to its subject.

Second, I appreciate that the writers made the story available so that we could learn about this trip and I don't mean to suggest that either effort was a waste of time and that the writers should hang up their quills.

Sadly, in my opinion neither of the books written about the same 1998 Tsangpo journey is terribly engaging. Last River is an easier read while I found the first half, particularly, of Sow a literary slog. Not sure if it was bogged down in description or what; I just found it slow going.

Neither book had much of an ebb and flow in the narrative. Even as the tragic events of Doug Gordon's death neared, there was nothing to indicate that one's blood should be heating up and that now was not the time to put the book down. They were very flat in that regard. I differentiate between sensationalism and a literary tidal cycle; perhaps the authors were extremely cognizant of avoiding the former.

The Last River spends a greater percentage of ink relating the experiences of the 4 paddlers on the river and off while Sow balances more equally the stories of both paddlers and support team. Also, Wickliffe Walker in Sow deals with the 'fallout' from Gordon's death much more comprehensively than does Todd Balf; Walker spends several pages relating the effort needed to battle rumours and judgments that were circulating at home half-way around the world.

While the actual journey and the salient events I expect to remember, these books I expect to forget quickly (but then, I forgot Into Thin Air fairly quickly also). If there are poignant moments from the tale and thoughts to come away with, the one I recall most easily is the second-guessing of Gordon's paddling buddies as described most clearly in The Last Rivers account of Roger Zbel's "What if" self-flagellation. As a paddler, I pray that I am never faced with that.
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It was disappointing that The Last River did not have any photos at all of the area and only a minimalist map. On the other hand, Sow's small collection of photos was hardly comprehensive though the satellite photo was helpful in placing the story.

Nether book rates more than a 2.5 - 3, in my mind, nor does one stand head and shoulders above the other.

My context: Canadian class IV kayaker; 3 Himalayan river trips in Nepal (in fact and unbeknownst, I was on the Tamur River at exactly the time this group was on the Tsangpo); read years ago the American Whitewater article of the Gordon/McEwan trip down the Homothko in BC.

The Last River
This book is a true story about a team that goes on an expedition to kayak the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet. The book begins out in the United States describing how the characters have grown and why they came to like kayaking so much. It tells of their families and how they met, and also if they had any influences to the sport of kayaking. After it describes the characters and their backgrounds, it goes into the team coming together and meeting one another to get the idea of planning an expedition to go to the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet. They get to the planning stage of the expedition, which was to try to kayak the gorge as long as they can. The planning goes over for them to all take a flight to the Tsangpo Gorge. Once they are there they meet many different people who are on other expeditions. They practice techniques for kayaking the river and even practice safety techniques in case of any danger on the expedition. Once it gets into the part where they're in the gorge it gets exciting and really tells in detail what happened. It contains many surprises and lots of information.

I recommend this book to any adult who wants to read an exciting true story and that wants to learn about a kayaking adventure on the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet.

Book-on-Tape Review
Although I "listened" to this book on tape, I too was lulled into thinking this is like Jon Kraukauer's "Into Thin Air" -- hardly. It is interesting and at first I didn't realize it was a true story. Balf's book does give a bit of a behind-the-scenes glance at how a trek like this is set up & the importance of the personalities of the people undergoing the trek....but I agree with previous reviewers that this was no page-turner (or let's put it this way, I wasn't sitting in my garage, after coming home from my commute, to stay listening to the tape). If you are a kayaker, maybe this is for you - having trekked in Nepal, I found some of the countryside info of interest, but can't really recommend this book. ... Read more