Richard Fred Arey; Gaylord Schanilec (illus.)
Waterfalls of the Mississippi, 1998
Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Outdoors Press
One of 200 copies. Signed by the author and the artist.
102
Small quarto. 72pp. An account of a modern-day expedition to explore the eight waterfalls along the Mississippi, all of which are located in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gaylord Shanilec...
Small quarto. 72pp. An account of a modern-day expedition to explore the eight waterfalls along the Mississippi, all of which are located in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gaylord Shanilec illustrated each of the falls with detailed and atmospheric multicolored wood engravings, some of which are double-panel. Concludes with a fold-out map of the region. Latent in Arey's text is a nervousness about the state of the waterfalls in the years to come, whether they will preserve their power in the face of erosion and rapid environmental change, whether the detritus and machinery of contemporary society will overwhelm them, or whether there is room to enjoy these natural spaces, even as their futures become increasingly uncertain. A handsome production, bound in brown cloth over boards with waterfall motif in gilt to upper cover and leather spine label. Fine. Housed in slipcase with one of Schanilec's illustrations pasted on. Laid in are prospectuses for the edition, including a "guide to the making of the book" and an account of Schanilec's illustration of Minnehana Falls.