10 BOOKS FEATURING BEAUTIFUL RIVER FLOWS

Spring thaw is underway and rivers are starting to flow ever more beautifully. We’ve got 10 beautiful books that feature the magnificence of river flows, from the Mississippi to the Nile, and more. Check them out below.

1. WEB OF WATER: REFLECTIONS OF LIFE ALONG THE SALUDA AND REEDY RIVERS

Web of Water: Reflections of Life along the Saluda and Reedy Rivers is a collection of photos of the Saluda-Reedy watershed in North and South Carolina.

Photographers John Lane, Tom Blagden, Clay Bolt, Jon Holloway, and Ben Geer Keys beautifully capture the souls of the rivers and almost 1,400 miles of streams and creeks that form the Saluda-Reedy watershed.

The book is printed nearby, in South Carolina. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of this book will directly benefit the continued work of Upstate Forever on the Saluda-Reedy watershed.

Hub City Press (2014)

2. LET THE RIVER RUN WILD!

The Neches River has a beautiful flow, starting gently at its origins as it begins to trickle from Lake Palestine, lazily meandering through peaceful meadows, watering trees and vegetation along its banks, quenching feral thirsts, until it reaches its mouth on Sabine Lake.

Let the River Run Wild!, Francis E. Abernethy and Adrian Van Dellen presents a stunning series of over 100 photographs featuring the wild river and the beautiful plant and animal life both in and around it, from cat squirrels to water moccasins, ‘possums to polecats. The book aims to help raise awareness of the fragility of this ecosystem, and thereby help to preserve it.

The Neches River is currently listed as the sixth most endangered in the world, compiled by the American Rivers organization.

Stephen F. Austin University Press (2014)

3. MICHAEL LANGE: FLUSS. RIVER.

Photographer Michael Lange’s painterly photographs are glorious in Michale Lange: Fluss. River.

The series was taken with a large format camera along the Upper Rhine in Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz between 2012 and 2014.

Lange tells us that the photos tell “of the longing for stillness and beauty, of the desire to lose oneself.” The photos have a delicate dreamlike quality, with rivers cloaked in fog, offering up ghostly reflections.

Hatje Cantz (2015)

4. DOWNSTREAM TOWARD HOME: A BOOK OF RIVERS

Oliver A. Houck traversed 30 rivers across the United States, over the course of 60 years. Relive Houck’s journeys in his new book Downstream Toward Home: A Book of Rivers.

Peek over his shoulder as he gently pokes at footprints of red wolves in the sand at the edge of a river. Paddle through the bayous, through the watery forests of Louisiana. Ride the rapids. Listen to the quiet flows.

Louisiana State University Press (2014)

5. THE ATCHAFALAYA RIVER BASIN: HISTORY AND ECOLOGY OF AN AMERICAN WETLAND

The Atchafalaya River Basin captures the flow of the Mississippi River, as its main distributary in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico in southern Louisiana.

In The Atchafalaya River Basin: History and Ecology of an American Wetland, Bryan P. Piazza takes a deep dive into the Basin, looking at its almost one million acres of expansive swamps, chock full of bald cypress, water tupelo and alligators. It is one of the most biodiverse areas in North America.

The book catalogs a vast collection of scientific knowledge while it documents the current state of this fragile ecosystem. It offers an important baseline for continued efforts in restoring and preserving this beautiful and vital part of our world.

If you are interested in this area, and you should be, because it contributes so heavily to the air we all breathe, check out the Restore the Earth Foundation, which has already restored 35,000 acres and is planning even more. We feature them in our post Gifts to Give the Beautiful Back.

Texas A&M University Press (2013)

6. THE BOOK OF MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS

The Book of Mountains and Rivers is the most recent publication by the brilliant Chinese storyteller and essayist Yu Qiuyu. In this collection of essays, Qiuyu draws inspiration from both the geography and the people of China, personifying his traits and culture in his characters.

The book focuses on the relation between these natural landscapes and the culture. "I sought a path across mountains and rivers, plastering my brief life across a rugged corner of this planet," explains Yu Qiuyu.

He personifies the mountains and rivers that he features, calling them "facial expressions of the land."

CN Times Books (2015)

7. SHOULD YOU BE A RIVER: A POEM ABOUT LOVE

In his latest book, Should You Be a River: A Poem About Love, Ed Young flows through the winding river of love. While his poetry brings the concept of unconditional love into colorful view, his beautiful plays with cut paper, photographs, and calligraphy are sure to win your heart.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2015)

8. CANOEING THE GREAT PLAINS: A MISSOURI RIVER SUMMER

Patrick Dobson quit his job and spent 2 ½ months walking 1450 miles from his home in Kansas City, across the Great Plains, to reach Helena, Montana, and the top America’s longest river, the Missouri. Then came the amazing part. He got into its flow with a simple canoe that carried him back to Kansas City.

In Canoeing the Great Plains: A Missouri River Summer, Dobson tells tales of his adventures, the colorful characters he meets along the way, and the busy work of basic survival.

“This is a work of strength and beauty, of care and courage. Patrick Dobson’s voyage down the length of the Missouri River is not simply one of self-discovery, but a journey that allows the reader to look inward as well. . . . We are fortunate to be able to share in his odyssey of exuberance and discovery.”

— Alan Boye, author of Just Walking the Hills of Vermont and Sustainable Compromises

Bison Books (2015)

9. RED NILE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST RIVER

The Nile is a powerful river, not so much because of the force of its waters, but because of the influence it has wielded throughout history. Red Nile: A Biography of the World's Greatest River, by Robert Twigger, tells stories of love, passion, violence, and thrill, from the pyramids to the Arab Spring.

“Robert Twigger’s Red Nile: A Biography of the World’s Greatest River abounds in … tales of grand dreams and thwarted ambitions…. A book that, like the Nile itself, teems with life.”

— The New York Times Book Review

Thomas Dunne Books (2014)

10. WILD RAN THE RIVERS: ONE FAMILY’S WESTERN ODYSSEY

You are in for a wild time with Wild Ran the Rivers: One Family's Western Odyssey (Five Trails West), by James D. Crownover. You’ll meet pioneers and pirates. You’ll ride out floods and earthquakes. And you’ll hold on tight as you navigate the story of a Cherokee family who tries survives a whitewater rapid run on life.

Teenage siblings Ruth and Jerry Harris are captured and held prisoner on Pirate Island. They escape only to tumble into a rough life, full of heartbreak, danger, and loss all with grace and ultimate triumph.

Thorndike Press (2015)

Read more about Beautiful Flow, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science,Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Flow in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 03.22.15. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Photo: by Jon O. Holloway.
2. Image: Courtesy of Hub City Press. Web of Water: Reflections of Life Along the Saluda and Reedy Rivers.
3. Image: Courtesy of Stephen F. Austin University Press. Let the River Run Wild!
4. Photo: Courtesy of Texas Park and Wildlife Department. Producer Lee Smith Shooting at Rocky Shoals on the Neches River 2.
5. Image: Courtesy of Hatje Cantz. Michael Lange: Fluss. River.
6. Image: Courtesy of Louisiana State University Press. Downstream Toward Home: A Book of Rivers.
7. Image: Courtesy of Texas A&M University Press. The Atchafalaya River Basin: History and Ecology of an American Wetland.
8. Photo: by Dave Allen Photography. Smokey Mountains Solitude.
9. Image: Courtesy of CN Times Books. The Book of Mountains and Rivers.
10. Image: Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Should You Be a River: A Poem About Love.
11. Image: Courtesy of Bison Books. Canoeing the Great Plains: A Missouri River Summer.
12. Image: Courtesy of Thomas Dunne Books. Red Nile: A Biography of the World’s Greatest River.
13. Image: Courtesy of Thorndike Press. Wild Ran the Rivers: One Family’s Western Odyssey.
14. Photo: by Jon O. Holloway.