Customer Reviews

The Swamp

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This book is a little known jewel that fills out anyone's nature library. The author, Bill Thomas, is an unabashed enthusiast about his subject, and this has produced a peerless book. The color photography is simply awesome, and copiously covers each selected wetland. It proves beyond doubt that not all swamps are alike, or even closely akin. The text is enjoyable, easily read, and dovetails closely with the many photographs. In each instance, the location, ecology, and human history of the subject wetland is thoroughly addressed. You will be amazed at how much you learn, and how pleasurable it is to do this.

Thomas covers 21 American swamps, ranging from the Everglades, to the Great Swamp of New Jersey, to the Dismal Swamp of Virginia/North Carolina, to the swamp atop Mount Waialeale in Kauai, Hawaii. I would like to have seen some coverage of some of the swamps of Northern Minnesota and Michigan, however.

The book is also a powerful argument to preserve our wetlands, and offers a multitude of sensible economic and aesthetic reasons in support of this plea. Thomas ends this book with a delightful chapter on how to build a swamp in your own backyard. This does not include how to educate your neighbors on the virtue of this endeavor, though!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and, as it is written for anyone with a love of nature, recommend it highly to all.