Land of rivers

the long version

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.