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Garnet Books
Under the Dark Sky: Life in the Thames River Basin
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Steven G. Smith showcases the picturesque Thames River basin, which extends from southern Massachusetts through Connecticut to the Long Island Sound. The river and its watershed help define the borders of a valley that is unique among its East Coast neighbors, considered to be the last place where dark night sky can be viewed between Washington, D.C. and the Boston metro area. Locals like to call the area the "Quiet Corner" or the "Last Green Valley." In 1994, the U.S. Congress designated parts of the area as a Natural Heritage Corridor because it is one of the last remaining stretches of green in the area and boasts some of the largest unbroken forests in southern New England. This full-color documentary photo essay explores this Atlantic gem, through the faces of the people and the landscapes. An excellent gift and an educational resource, the book includes a foreword by noted outdoor writer Steve Grant.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 8, 2018
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October 23, 2019
Calling all armchair travelers: this hundred page photo essay by Steven G. Smith provides a visually rewarding armchair travel experience with informative captions by an award-winning photographer.
I picked up this book (absent its dust jacket) thinking it might be about England — I mean, there is an awfully well-known Thames River in Great Britain— and the cover title is Under the Dark Sky: Life in the Thames River Basin. Well, what would YOU think? Anyway, I was mistaken. The book isn’t about England, it’s about (a part of) NEW England!
And the book is lovely and quietly informative.
So...while making an actual visit to New England appeals to many travelers, especially in autumn—the season when I serendipitously encountered this book —even the travelers themselves are unlikely to have sufficient time and knowledge to appreciate the rich history, culture, and natural splendor of the area of the Thames River Basin of....Eastern Connecticut and South Central Massachusetts. But no worries. The author roamed there for three years with his camera and artistic sensibility so all readers need to do to absorb the essence of the place and catch a glimpse of the colonial past is to sit back with this attractive volume, read a bit, and look at the pictures.
As Steve Grant in the foreword wrote: “Enjoy the photos...for they amount to a distillation of the landscape and culture of a region that may well be the last remaining expression of an idyllic nineteenth century Connecticut.”
And don’t miss page 71 and 73 if you like your frogs and cardinals up close — very close.
I picked up this book (absent its dust jacket) thinking it might be about England — I mean, there is an awfully well-known Thames River in Great Britain— and the cover title is Under the Dark Sky: Life in the Thames River Basin. Well, what would YOU think? Anyway, I was mistaken. The book isn’t about England, it’s about (a part of) NEW England!
And the book is lovely and quietly informative.
So...while making an actual visit to New England appeals to many travelers, especially in autumn—the season when I serendipitously encountered this book —even the travelers themselves are unlikely to have sufficient time and knowledge to appreciate the rich history, culture, and natural splendor of the area of the Thames River Basin of....Eastern Connecticut and South Central Massachusetts. But no worries. The author roamed there for three years with his camera and artistic sensibility so all readers need to do to absorb the essence of the place and catch a glimpse of the colonial past is to sit back with this attractive volume, read a bit, and look at the pictures.
As Steve Grant in the foreword wrote: “Enjoy the photos...for they amount to a distillation of the landscape and culture of a region that may well be the last remaining expression of an idyllic nineteenth century Connecticut.”
And don’t miss page 71 and 73 if you like your frogs and cardinals up close — very close.
Displaying 1 of 1 review