Skip to content
FREE SHIPPING ON ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS $35+
FREE SHIPPING ON ALL US ORDERS $35+
River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River - Paperback | Diverse Reads

River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River

Availability:
in stock, ready to be shipped
Save 8% Save 8%
$24.95
$24.95 - $24.95
$24.95
$22.99
$22.99 - $22.99
$22.99
First explored by naturalist William Bartram in the 1760s, the St. Johns River stretches 310 miles along Florida's east coast, making it the longest river in the state. The first "highway" through the once wild interior of Florida, the St. Johns may appear ordinary, but within its banks are some of the most fascinating natural phenomena and historic mysteries in the state. The river, no longer the commercial resource it once was, is now largely ignored by Florida's residents and visitors alike.

In the first contemporary book about this American Heritage River, Bill Belleville describes his journey down the length of the St. Johns, kayaking, boating, hiking its riverbanks, diving its springs, and exploring its underwater caves. He rediscovers the natural Florida and establishes his connection with a place once loved for its untamed beauty. Belleville involves scientists, environmentalists, fishermen, cave divers, and folk historians in his journey, soliciting their companionship and their expertise. River of Lakes weaves together the biological, cultural, anthropological, archaeological, and ecological aspects of the St. Johns, capturing the essence of its remarkable history and intrinsic value as a natural wonder.

ISBN-13: 9780820323442

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Publication Date: 09-25-2001

Pages: 246

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.85(d)

BILL BELLEVILLE, an award-winning environmental journalist and filmmaker, is also a veteran diver. His books include River of Lakes and Deep Cuba (both Georgia). His articles, which have appeared in such publications as Sierra, Oxford American, Islands, and Salon, have been anthologized in six other collections. Belleville lives in Sanford, Florida. BILL BELLEVILLE, an award-winning environmental journalist and filmmaker, is also a veteran diver. His books include River of Lakes and Deep Cuba (both Georgia). His articles, which have appeared in such publications as Sierra, Oxford American, Islands, and Salon, have been anthologized in six other collections. Belleville lives in Sanford, Florida.

Read an Excerpt




Chapter One


Headwaters to Blue Cypress Lake


The St. Johns takes its rise in a small lake ... [and beyond the lake] extends a marsh as far as the eye can reach ... with as level and uninterrupted a horizon as the sea itself.... It is constantly underwater and may be considered as one great spring from which water is slowly but continually oozing out —Naturalist John Eatton Le Conte, who explored the river for the U.S. government in 1822<

What People are Saying About This

Alison Hawthorne Deming

A wise and inspired book...Belleville has the journalistic skill to render complexicty into lucid and lyrical storytelling, and he has the heart to discover that the river still can be a salve, even against the wound one experiences in witnessing its destruction. This is an important adn beautifully written work that deserves to be widely read as a lesson in learning to know and love the damaged places that surround us.
—(Alison Hawthorne Deming, author of Temporary Homeland; Monarchs)

Christopher Camuto

A thoughtful and engaging book about a great American river...a compelling case for the preservation of what is left of its native ecology and wild spirit.
—(Christopher Camuto, author of Another Country: Journeying toward the Cherokee Mountains)