Description

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In 1908 John Neihardt (1881–1973) and two companions traveled the Missouri River—about two thousand miles—in a twenty-foot canoe. Originally published in Outing Magazine as a series of articles, The River and I describes their adventures on that wild waterway before it was dammed by the Army Corps of Engineers and points out storied sites along the shore. The result transcends journalism; Neihardt does for the Missouri what Twain did for the Mississippi. This Landmark edition makes available once more the book that was issued in 1910, two years before Neihardt began work on A Cycle of the West and twenty-two years before the publication of Black Elk Speaks.

About the Author

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Internationally known for Black Elk Speaks (also available as a Bison Book), John G. Neihardt wrote in almost all major genres: fiction, lyric and epic poetry, biography, autobiography, travelogue, literary criticism, and the familiar essay. Timothy G. Anderson is an editor at the New York Times. He is currently conducting research for a biography of John G. Neihardt.

Praise For…

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"An exhilarating adventure story . . . also a significant description of life in the region [of the Missouri River] as it was . . . years ago, enlivened by humor, social criticism, and philosophic speculation."—Western American Literature

"For pleasure reading, the story has much charm and interest. The reader gets the ‘feel’ of the journey but escapes its actual hardships."—Journal of the West

"A memorable blending of poetry, realistic on-the-spot reporting, fur trade history, Greek mythology, and love for the river . . . that reaches a high-water mark in the literature of the West."—Denver Westerners Monthly Roundup

"It is hard not to be caught up in this enthusiastic young man’s glimpse of Americana."—Christian Century