What do you think?
Great Rivers of the World
Coffee Table Book
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
May 11, 2021
I read this book for two reasons:
1. I'm interested in learning more about broad topics and was curious to know more about the rivers of the world.
2. I like crossword puzzles and there are frequently items related to rivers of the world.
This book met both expectations. After doing some research this book came highly recommended as a broad review of the world's rivers. At first I was worried because it seemed more like a picture book, but as I read through I realized that only 25-30% of the book is photographs. The rest of the book are compelling stories about the rivers under discussion. The book is organized by continent. Each continent gets an introductory write-up that broadly touches on its various rivers. Afterwards, 2 to 4 key rivers for that continent are selected for greater focus and get their own "chapters".
The content of the book reads more like a magazine article. These are not strictly scientific accounts of rivers. Instead, these are stories from people who are exploring these rivers. This means you get a broad range of information. You hear about geographic details like how long the river is, when it was formed, how it flows, and where its source is found. You also get cultural and historical details. You'll read about how the Volga played into the Russian revolution and helped influence where major cities were founded. You'll read stories of how the people of Africa use the Nile and Congo for commerce and fishing. You'll learn about the spiritual function the Ganges plays in India. The writing style is easy to follow, narrative with historical details and facts blended in well. This is not dry, boring material. The content transports you. You can sense the cold of the Yukon, you can feel the pleasing warmth of the Rio Grande, you can hear the life of the Amazon.
1. I'm interested in learning more about broad topics and was curious to know more about the rivers of the world.
2. I like crossword puzzles and there are frequently items related to rivers of the world.
This book met both expectations. After doing some research this book came highly recommended as a broad review of the world's rivers. At first I was worried because it seemed more like a picture book, but as I read through I realized that only 25-30% of the book is photographs. The rest of the book are compelling stories about the rivers under discussion. The book is organized by continent. Each continent gets an introductory write-up that broadly touches on its various rivers. Afterwards, 2 to 4 key rivers for that continent are selected for greater focus and get their own "chapters".
The content of the book reads more like a magazine article. These are not strictly scientific accounts of rivers. Instead, these are stories from people who are exploring these rivers. This means you get a broad range of information. You hear about geographic details like how long the river is, when it was formed, how it flows, and where its source is found. You also get cultural and historical details. You'll read about how the Volga played into the Russian revolution and helped influence where major cities were founded. You'll read stories of how the people of Africa use the Nile and Congo for commerce and fishing. You'll learn about the spiritual function the Ganges plays in India. The writing style is easy to follow, narrative with historical details and facts blended in well. This is not dry, boring material. The content transports you. You can sense the cold of the Yukon, you can feel the pleasing warmth of the Rio Grande, you can hear the life of the Amazon.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review