The best books about rivers and the life they create

Tim Palmer Author Of America's Great River Journeys: 50 Canoe, Kayak, and Raft Adventures
By Tim Palmer

Who am I?

I've been passionate about and engaged with rivers ever since growing up along streams in the Appalachian foothills of Pennsylvania. Now living in Oregon, I'm the author and photographer of 30 books about rivers, the environment, and adventure travel. My books include a history of river conservation, a primer on modern-day river issues, profiles of great rivers from the Youghiogheny in the East to the Snake and Columbia in the West, guidebooks, and photo essays. I've received the Ansel Adams Photography Award from the Sierra Club, the Communicator of the Year Award from the National Wildlife Federation, the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Rivers, a "paddler of the century" recognition from Paddler magazine, and numerous book honors.

I wrote...

America's Great River Journeys: 50 Canoe, Kayak, and Raft Adventures

By Tim Palmer

Book cover of America's Great River Journeys: 50 Canoe, Kayak, and Raft Adventures

What is my book about?

With America's Great River Journeys, author Tim Palmer draws on a lifetime of experience rafting, canoeing, and writing about rivers across the United States and invites readers to explore 50 of the finest streams. From the Saint John, Potomac, and Suwannee in the East to the Colorado, Salmon, and Rogue in the West, this book reveals why each river is extraordinary, what to expect in terms of difficulty and wildness, and the best ways to travel by raft, canoe, or kayak.

Each description includes directions to put-ins and take-outs, seasonal recommendations, and an engaging narrative about each journey, all illustrated with 200 spectacular photos by the author.

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The Books I Picked & Why

The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon

By Kevin Fedarko

Book cover of The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon

Why this book?

I read everything I find about rivers, and I can honestly say that this book completely blew me away. Illuminating the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon as never before done, Kevin Fedarko combines a breathtaking quality of lyricism and a gripping drama of the river's most suspenseful flood event ever. Throughout, he captures the thrill of river travel and conveys a remarkable sense of beauty and perfection in flowing water. He produced not only the best river book ever written but—in my humble opinion—the best book I've ever read! I continue to delight in every paragraph of this American masterpiece.

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Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water

By Marc Reisner

Book cover of Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water

Why this book?

In a class by itself, Marc Reisner's life-work here is the ultimate story of water in the West. It's an understatement to say that this seasoned author made history accessible. He made it compelling and fascinating, conveying an urgent sense of its importance to us all. Disclaimer here: this is not a book about the essence of rivers, but rather about the development of them for irrigation and water supply in the West. Along the way, however, the dots get connected between what we must cherish in flowing water and what we have done to eliminate it.

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The Infinite River: A Biologists' Vision of the World of Water

By William Hopkins Amos

Book cover of The Infinite River: A Biologists' Vision of the World of Water

Why this book?

This forgotten gem squarely focuses on the essence of rivers and the complex life systems and creatures they support. With a special perspective on the Northeast, biologist Amos brings to life the intricate connections between water, plants, and animals found in rivers and tells us in narrative style why they are essential to everything around them.

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Salmon Without Rivers: A History Of The Pacific Salmon Crisis

By James A. Lichatowich

Book cover of Salmon Without Rivers: A History Of The Pacific Salmon Crisis

Why this book?

Biologist Lichatowich draws on his lifetime of experience studying and working with fisheries to reveal both the persisting wonder and the ongoing shortcomings of fish-and-wildlife agencies' mismanagement of salmon that migrate up our rivers to spawn and then return to the ocean for most of their life cycles. Striking to the heart of a critical but under-recognized issue affecting rivers today, he explains why fish hatcheries that were sold to the public as a way of compensating for fish-killing dams have actually harmed wild fish further, and he urges all who are responsible to avert an ongoing tragedy.

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Recovering a Lost River: Removing Dams, Rewilding Salmon, Revitalizing Communities

By Steven Hawley

Book cover of Recovering a Lost River: Removing Dams, Rewilding Salmon, Revitalizing Communities

Why this book?

This compelling profile of the Snake and Columbia Rivers of the Northwest and Northern Rockies makes a motivating case for removing unnecessary dams and restoring some of the most magnificent runs of fish ever to grace the North American continent. Hawley manages to find humor amid the outrage and chaos, and plants in readers' minds the vision for a better future that's within grasp, if only we had the political will to make the necessary changes. 

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