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04.08.02 Davidson, Donald; Carter, Hodding, and many others, Rivers of America Series, 65 volumes, published between 1937 and 1974.

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