The Rivers of America was a series publication consisting of 65 volumes which were published separately over a period of 38 years (1937-1974). Four different publishing houses were involved and many editors. This series was written by well-known writers who were not professional historians, each of whom wrote on the long history of a particular river and its region. A good many of the titles are on Southern rivers and contain much information not otherwise available.
Of particular note are the two volumes on the important Tennessee River that was researched and written by Donald Davidson, who is well-known to Society members for his various contributions to the understanding of Southern Culture. Davidson’s two volumes are The Tennessee, The New River and The Tennessee, The Old River. See information on these two books at 03.08.01
Other major rivers that played a huge role in Southerner’s pioneering westward from Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia were the Ohio, the Cumberland, the Lower Mississippi, the Missouri and the Arkansas. Note below those books in the series and other’s of interest to understanding this migration westward by the Southern people.
Books published by Farrar & Rinehart
3. The Suwannee: Strange Green Land, Cecile Hulse Matschat, 1938
5. The James, Blair Niles, 1939
9. The Arkansas, Clyde Brion Davis, 1940
15. The Kentucky, Thomas D. Clark, 1941
19. The Lower Mississippi, Hodding Carter, 1942
25. Rivers of the Eastern Shore: Seventeen Rivers, Hulbert Footner, 1944
26. The Missouri, Stanley Vestal, 1945
27. The Salinas, Anne B. Fisher, 1945
28. The Shenandoah, Julia Davis, 1945
Books published by Rinehart & Co.
31. The Tennessee: the Old River, Donald Davidson, 1946
33. The Everglades: River of Grass, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, 1947
34. The Tennessee: The New River, Donald Davidson, 1948
39. The Ohio, R. E. Banta, 1949
40. The Potomac, Frederick Gutheim, 1949
43. The Savannah, Thomas L. Stokes, 1951
47. The Yazoo, Frank E. Smith, 1954
48. Great River: the Rio Grande, Paul Horgan, 1954
49. The Susquehanna, Carl Carmer, 1955
50. The French Broad, Wilma Dykeman, 1955
52. River of the Carolinas: The Santee, Henry Savage, Jr., 1956
Books published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston
56. The Cape Fear, Malcolm H. Ross, 1965
62. The Cumberland, James McCague, 1973
63. The Hillsborough: River of the Golden Ibis, Gloria Jahoda, 1973
More on Donald Davidson
For our commentary on Donald Davidson and all of his writings, go to 20.00.07.
Availability of these Books
Go to Amazon, or a similar outlet. Reprints are available as well as used books.
CNW and HRW