Great Rivers of the World
By Volker Mehnert Illustrated by Martin Haake
Translated from the German by Paul Kelly
Published by Prestel: March, 2021
Review
Geography, geology, botany, biology, history, politics, and environmental science. Am I missing something? Probably. Great Rivers of the World is rich and beautiful. Beginning with an explanation of how rivers have influenced human civilization, Mehnert and Haake then take readers on a tour of the world's major waterways. Maps filled with people, animals, plants, and buildings draw the eye and invite exploration. Right now we're interested in the massive fold-out Nile map because we can explore ancient and modern Egypt side by side (you might recall we're on an ancient Egypt kick right now). Just like with our monster geography where we study mythology from around the world, river geography allows more engaging and meaningful understanding of what is where. For example, the Rhine two-page spread includes the Nibelung treasure, the Rhine Falls, and Innsbruck, and the Mekong spread features Thailand's floating markets, all of which T has been familiar with at some point. By starting with these personal connections, a topic that seems vast becomes more nuanced and accessible.
Great Rivers of the World is fascinating and informative. I'm learning a lot reading this with T.
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