The Canoe: An Illustrated History
What do Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald, Pierre Trudeau, Marilyn Monroe, and Eric Sevareid have in common? According to this entertaining history, all of them experienced defining moments in a canoe. Enlivening his story with dry humor, Poling moves through the long, sometimes obscure history of the canoe as easily as if he were paddling a calm lake at dawn. He captures the canoe's central role in the lives of Stone Age people, Native Americans, European explorers, and Canadian and American fur traders, and he describes the way contemporary North Americans have made the canoe not only a source of recreation but also a link to the continent's history. Combining careful research with unbridled enthusiasm, and making the most of a well-chosen selection of black-and-white and color photos, Poling almost makes the reader believe that canoes are the world's most perfect transportation.John RowenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved