{"product_id":"the-mississippi-a-visual-biography-volume-1-9780826218407","title":"The Mississippi: A Visual Biography (Volume 1)","description":"\u003cp\u003eConsider the Misi-zibi  the Great River: what natural forces took sixty thousand years to shape  we Americans molded to our needs in three hundred  damaging its wetlands  in some cases  beyond repair. Photographer Quinta Scott has documented the progression of the Mississippi River from its source at Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico  with hundreds of stopping points along the way. In this remarkable volumethe only book to focus on the topography of the whole river and its floodplainshe blends images and text to weave a comprehensive view of the riparian landscape as a living organism and of the effects of human intervention on its natural processes.  Scott began photographing sites along the Mississippi just before the flood of 1993  and her images reflect the sweep of the rivers history  from formations from the Pleistocene era to damage left by Hurricane Katrina. Wielding her large-format camera along the rivers entire stretch  she captures important sitesplaces like Bayou de View in the Arkansas Big Woods  where the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was sighted in 2004  and the Timbalier Island  a barrier island and hurricane speed bumpthat represent both what Americans have done to change the river and our current attempts to restore its damaged ecosystems.  In 200 dramatic color photographs  Scott illustrates the geographical and botanical features of the river and shows how its wetlands were formed by glacial melt and the rivers meandering. In accompanying text  she explains how we have changed each site depicted and how we try to manage it and notes the wildlife that occupies it. She describes what is being done to restore the islands and side channels on the Upper Mississippi  forests in the lower alluvial valley  and coastal marshes along the Gulf of Mexico. She also reveals the role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first in changing the river  then in working to restore it  as well as the Corps relationship with Congress.  No one has ever before attempted such a vast photographic documentation of the Mississippi River  capturing so many sites in all their diversity and complexity while also discussing ongoing geologic processes and human history. This majestic book is nothing less than a natural biography of the Mississippi  showing that  to understand the river and its floodplain today  we must understand the natural processes we have disrupted. It is both a rich documentary source and a fascinating overview for anyone captivated by this quintessential feature of the American landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45651735707701,"sku":"ByrdShop_0826218407","price":42.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780826218407.jpg?v=1781838718","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-mississippi-a-visual-biography-volume-1-9780826218407","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}