Beyond Walden
The Hidden History of America's Kettle Lakes and Ponds
Thorson, Robert M.
Hardcover
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BOOK SYNOPSIS
The geology, ecology, and cultural history of kettle lakes from Maine to Montana. Lakes are a beloved part of the American landscape, and kettles are the most common type, spanning the northern part of the country from New England to the High Plains. Kettle lakes are depressions formed by meltdown of glacial ice and filled with freshwater. Unlike other kinds of lakes that have significant inlet or outlet streams, kettle lakes are natural wells tapping the groundwater table. A source of joyful relaxation and recreation for generations, kettle lakes also have historical and cultural significance. Within a few years of the 1836 publication of Ralph Waldo Emersons Nature, a pivotal book combining nature with spirituality and religion, H enry David Thoreau had permanently linked Walden PondAmericas most famous kettle laketo the Transcendentalist movement. Each kettle lake tells a story, and in Robert Thorsons hands their collective sagaand the threats to their healthgive us crucial insight into the dangers facing our vulnerable freshwater ecosystem.
AUTHOR BIO
Robert M. Thorson is a professor of geology at the University of Connecticut and an environmental columnist for the Hartford Courant. The author of Stone by Stone and Exploring Stone Walls, he lives in Storrs, Connecticut.
BOOK REVIEWS
Kettle lakes are natural wells refreshed from deep groundwater filtered through grit-free sand, all formed more than 10,000 years ago when glaciers retreated and isolated slabs of ice meltedThe authors enthusiasm shines through as he uses personal experience, literary references and the history of American popular culturegoing up to the lake for the summer generally meant a kettle laketo illustrate this lively chronicle of a hitherto obscure environmental feature. A rich, exhaustive account of one of Americas threatened ecological jewels.Kirkus Reviews This book will be delightful reading for anyone who heads to the lake every summer. (It belongs on the cottage bookshelf next to the frayed copy of the Peterson bird book and the local trail guide.) Thorson writes with intelligence and pleasure, and you will come away understanding your place in a new way.Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy Beyond Walden should be required reading for all lakefront property owners, other lake users, and those who manage our land and water resources. Robert Thorson takes the reader on a ten-thousand-year stroll through the geological, chemical, and biological history of kettle lakes, weaving in enough human cultural ties to make for great reading, preferably by your favorite lake.Kenneth J. Wagner, Ph.D., past president of the North American Lake Management Society
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0802716458
ISBN(13-digit): 9780802716453
Dewey Decimal: 551.48/20973
Library of Congress: 2008041839
Book Publisher: St Martins Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 308
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