The Comedian
01-07-2010, 12:19 PM
A review of The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons (1875) by Major John Westley Powell.
It's a bit of a stretch to compare this first-hand account of Powell's exploration of the Colorado River (which included runs through the ill-fated Glen Canyon, Marble Canyon, and the Grand Canyon) to Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. But not as big a stretch as you might think.
Overview
The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons is made of three distinct parts: a geological study of an extensive system of canyons from the lower Green river in southern Wyoming to the lower Colorado river in Arizona. This part is dry, if your interest lies in tales of adventure. And it's like a spring in the desert for those who enjoy reading about how landscapes are made.
The second and most extensive part is the story of Powell's expedition down the Colorado in wooden boats and with a largely inexperienced crew. But the reader has to know this: most of the lower Colorado at this time was a "black spot" on the map. Powell and his crew were running one of the most dangerous rivers in the world with no maps. There was mystery, exhilaration, and hardship around every bend.
Anyone who loves adventure and description of wild country will love this section.
Once the story of the trip concluded, Powell spends a considerable amount of time with the natives of the area and his account of his time there is devoted almost exclusively to anthropology. He documents customs, dress, local knowledge of landscape, language, and much more.
Oh yeah, and the book is filled pictures. Tons of 'em: black and white sketches of landscape and people like this one of upper Colorado:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/geology/publications/inf/powell/images/fig2.jpg
So how again is this book like Moby-Dick? The main channel of The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons is a tale of adventure and of Powell's drive to know the unknown, often through great challenge and risk. Just as Ahab's quest is a romance to embrace the danger and thrill of the unknown.
The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons is also a book for historians and anthropologists who seek a greater understanding of Native and mainstream cultures alike. Similarly, Melville's book offers the reader a detailed account of whaling processes and life.
I will say that this book is probably not for the reader who doesn't already love books of landscape and human adventures therein. So, if you love the books of Edward Abbey, Thoreau, Edwin Way Teale, David James Duncan, Mary Austin, Terry Tempest Williams, and others of this ilk, then you'll be sure to enjoy Powell's The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons.
My rating: 8.5 lost oars out of a possible 10.
It's a bit of a stretch to compare this first-hand account of Powell's exploration of the Colorado River (which included runs through the ill-fated Glen Canyon, Marble Canyon, and the Grand Canyon) to Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. But not as big a stretch as you might think.
Overview
The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons is made of three distinct parts: a geological study of an extensive system of canyons from the lower Green river in southern Wyoming to the lower Colorado river in Arizona. This part is dry, if your interest lies in tales of adventure. And it's like a spring in the desert for those who enjoy reading about how landscapes are made.
The second and most extensive part is the story of Powell's expedition down the Colorado in wooden boats and with a largely inexperienced crew. But the reader has to know this: most of the lower Colorado at this time was a "black spot" on the map. Powell and his crew were running one of the most dangerous rivers in the world with no maps. There was mystery, exhilaration, and hardship around every bend.
Anyone who loves adventure and description of wild country will love this section.
Once the story of the trip concluded, Powell spends a considerable amount of time with the natives of the area and his account of his time there is devoted almost exclusively to anthropology. He documents customs, dress, local knowledge of landscape, language, and much more.
Oh yeah, and the book is filled pictures. Tons of 'em: black and white sketches of landscape and people like this one of upper Colorado:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/geology/publications/inf/powell/images/fig2.jpg
So how again is this book like Moby-Dick? The main channel of The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons is a tale of adventure and of Powell's drive to know the unknown, often through great challenge and risk. Just as Ahab's quest is a romance to embrace the danger and thrill of the unknown.
The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons is also a book for historians and anthropologists who seek a greater understanding of Native and mainstream cultures alike. Similarly, Melville's book offers the reader a detailed account of whaling processes and life.
I will say that this book is probably not for the reader who doesn't already love books of landscape and human adventures therein. So, if you love the books of Edward Abbey, Thoreau, Edwin Way Teale, David James Duncan, Mary Austin, Terry Tempest Williams, and others of this ilk, then you'll be sure to enjoy Powell's The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons.
My rating: 8.5 lost oars out of a possible 10.