1. The River Why, by David James Duncan
2. A River Runs through It, by Norman Maclean
3. Riverwalking, by Kathleen Dean Moore
4. The Gift of Rivers, edited by Marybeth Bond and Pamela Michael
5. Grand Ambition, by Lisa Michaels
6. River Notes, by Barry Lopez
7. There's this River, edited by Christa Sadler
8. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian, by Wallace Stegner
9. Down the Colorado, by Major John Wesley Powell
10. The Lewis and Clark Journals, edited by Gary E. Moulton
and
11. Reading Water, by Rebecca Lawton (had to include it!)
Stegner's book is a favorite of mine. In some versions they include the drawings of his geologist/artist that do for the West the same thing that O'Keeffe's did for similar space, which is made it comprehensible both in its vastness and its detail. Do you know the series of river book of which his was a part? Each one takes a river as its subject. Beautiful writing. Maybe a WPA project? Thanks for the list. The last one you mention (ahem) is in my pile of "important to read soon" books. I've read enough to be eager to read it all!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Gail! Yes I know the Rivers of America series you're referring to . . . and The Colorado is on my shelf (by Frank Waters), an amazing book. Guess I better add a second list of ten, because I've only scratched the surface, and I'm so thrilled that friends have added titles already. Thanks for your kind words on Reading Water, look forward to hearing how you like the rest of it AND can't wait to see any of your own writing on the matter!
ReplyDeleteGreat list!
ReplyDeleteI also liked The river that Flows Uphill by William Calvin
Julie
Thanks for posting Julie--you river woman! I've added Calvin to my reading list . . .
ReplyDelete