Confluence: Merrymeeting Bay

by Franklin Burroughs, Heather Perry

* 2009 John Burroughs Medal for Best Nature Writing * There are said to be only four places in the world where two major rivers--with entirely separate watersheds--converge at their mouths to form a common delta. Three are famous, having loomed large in the histories and economies of their the Sacramento, San Joaquin delta in California; Tigris, Euphrates delta in Iraq; and the Ganges, Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. The fourth is Merrymeeting Bay in Maine. It is unfamiliar to most people, even within its immediate vicinity. Frank Burroughs has lived and knocked around on Merrymeeting Bay for three decades, gaining a familiarity with its natural and human history--with its birds, fish, and mammals, and with the local people who know it best. His wonderfully fluid essays explore the ecology, environment, and activities in this unusual bay, as Heather Perry's beautiful photographs show us the details. Color Photography throughout

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2006

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live just downriver from the Bay and hike out to a promontory to catch a glimpse of the lower part of the Bay every day. I love it dearly.

Burroughs is a masterful writer and this is a book about the flora and fauna of Merrymeeting Bay that is worthy of its subject matter. I learned so much about what swims and floats in the Bay and about those who float on its waters.

[Krista Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living near MM Bay could be lovely.....actually, it was!

[Jim Krosschell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Franklin Burroughs is an essayist and retired Bowdoin professor who lives in Bowdoinham. Confluence is an excellent book, with compelling photographs, about a unique place.