A View of the River (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

The strength of this book is the force of intellect and experience Leopold brings to his subject. His writing style is clear, his explanations lucid, the coverage comprehensive. This is an extremely personal, almost autobiographical book--it is certainly not a dry, equation-filled treatise. It ranks with the best of John McPhee, but in this hook the scientist speaks in his own voice. I recommend it highly.
--Edwin E. Herricks, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Leopold is one of the most creative scholars in the field of river morphology in the last fifty years. A View of the River is the synthesis of a lifetime's work by Leopold and his colleagues. There is nothing like it.
--M. Gordon Wolman, The Johns Hopkins University

This book fills an important gap between popular writing and scientific texts at a time when public awareness about natural resource issues, especially those relating to water, is rising. Students in hydrology and ecology, natural resource managers at local and national levels, scientists in collaborative fields, and non-scientists curious about the world around them should find A View of the River instructive, relevant, and interesting reading.
--Jay L. Taft, Harvard University

Luna Leopold is responsible for perhaps the most important research on rivers over the past 50 years. In this very personal book he reflects upon that experience, providing insights that go far beyond mere research results.
--Vic Baker (Science )

Product Description

With the Midwest under water, America had a chance to see how effectively it had "improved" its rivers. We've straightened and dredged them, revetted and rerouted them, made massive efforts to control them, yet our actions have been less than successful. Too often, physical changes made to a river conflict with natural processes, resulting in--rather than alleviating--damage. Applying available knowledge on how rivers form and act could prevent such problems. In this book, Luna Leopold seeks to organize such knowledge. Widely regarded as the most creative scholar in the field of river morphology, Leopold presents a coherent description of the river, its shape, size, organization, and action, along with a consistent theory that explains much of the observed character of channels.

The laws of physics that govern rivers allow for variations, many of them dictated by random chance. Thus, a river's adaptation, as Leopold describes it, tends toward the most probable form, the one with the least variance among hydraulic parameters. We see how this probabilistic tendency plays out as Leopold views the river as a whole from headwater to mouth, in the drainage net, in the behavior of meanders, and in aspects of sediment transport.

Grounded in hydraulics, geomorphology, and surveying, as well as in extensive fieldwork on rivers in the eastern and Rocky Mountain states, Leopold's view of a river is at once technical and personal, providing both a firm foundation for understanding the behavior of rivers--including instructions for getting started in backyard hydrology--and a wealth of firsthand observations by a thoughtful and experienced scientist. It will be of immediate interest and great use as we seek to develop, preserve, and appreciate our most fluid natural resource.

(19941125)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674018451
• ISBN-13: 978-0674018457
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #283,456 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magnificent book for anyone interested in fluvial systems, April 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A View of the River (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books about river systems that I have yet read. The author covers the basics of fluvial hydrology and geomorphology as he explains what he has learned about rivers over his many years of study. Written for the general public the author speaks to you as a mentor, not a professor lecturing his students. Chapters cover the following topics: The river channel; River measurement; Meanders and bars; Distribution of discharge in space and time; Rivers of the world; Flow variability and floods; Relationships between channel and discharge; Hydraulic geometry; Sediment load; The drainage network; Energy utilization; River morphology - the most probable state. Each chapter could be the topic of a college-level symposium or course. The references include many classic USGS Professional Papers. As a geologist I have gained a deeper appreciation for fluvial systems and their deposits because of the material contained in this book. Any fluvial stratigrapher, sedimentologist, hydrologist or geomorphologist should have a copy of this book. I recommend it for anyone whose livelihood depends upon rivers as well as those who just want to learn why rivers behave as they do. C. J. Donofrio

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly, college level text., January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A View of the River (Hardcover)

Excellent, and up to date,overview of rivers and the hows' and whys' of their existence. Great book for a college course or to keep around for professional reference. Loaded with diagrams, well organized, and very comprehensive. Covers; river channels, measurement, flow, distribution of discharge, floods, hydraulic geometry, drainage networks, river morphology, sediment load, etc, etc. Includes just enough equations that are light to moderate in complexity, about college sophomore level. Moderately easy to read, but not for casual reading. Overall a super book for those who are interested in the "nuts and bolts" of how and why a river works.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luna Leopold: the godfather of hydrology., July 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A View of the River (Hardcover)

This book is a must-have for your library if you will only have ONE book on freshwater hydrology. Leopold thoroughly explains the essential processes in a way that is clear and understandable. Also show ways to put this knowledge to work near your home. Reading this book is critical to your competent understanding of basic hydrologic processes, so you can be an intelligent consumer of the stuff put out by the mass media. Get it. Read it. Re-read it.