Book Review: Waterfall Atlas of the United States
reviewed by William Rafter
Plumb, Gregory A. Waterfall Atlas of the United States. First edition. Seattle: Mountaineer Books, 2023. 318 p. $45.00. ISBN: 978-1-68051-554-1
The Waterfall Atlas of the United States is a thorough survey of waterfalls (identifying over 13,000 waterfalls) throughout the United States. Written by Gregory Plumb, the author of previous books on waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest and another on waterfalls of Tennessee. The book is a labor of love and goes into detail about waterfalls in general and examines each state in the United States and in the US territories. The volume is arranged into three sections addressing waterfalls in nature, then the interaction between humans and waterfalls and finally the largest section is the state-by-state study of waterfalls. Each state section is highly illustrated with photographs of the waterfalls as well a variety of maps illustrating general locations of waterfalls, physiology of states, and rain fall as well as other related subjects. The atlas begins with a short section discussing the types of maps included in the volume of which there are many. This is especially helpful for the layperson audience, which this atlas will attract.
Part one discusses waterfalls in nature exploring topics related to the distribution of waterfalls across the country and showing how factors such as temperature, precipitation and terrain explain the presence or absence of waterfalls. Maps are used to illustrate how the relationship between these elements has led to the presence of waterfalls in specific regions or states in the United States. In part one there is also discussion of the magnitude of waterfalls, how it is measured, as well as the form of waterfalls and how these elements play a role in falls being described as scenic.
Part two looks at waterfalls and how humans have interacted with them throughout history. Beginning with how many waterfalls were named by native peoples and the falls’ role in their culture, including everything from fishing to ceremonial purposes. The way in which waterfalls impacted the colonization and the location of towns and cities on the eastern seaboard is explored. The place waterfalls have had in industrialization from the creation of water powered mills to the generation of hydroelectric power is examined. The author’s passion for waterfalls is evident in the discussions centered around the proximity of waterfalls to population and the proliferation of the word falls in streams across America, identified using the Geographic Names Information Systems from the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as populated places that include falls in their names. There are sections on how waterfalls have been used in advertising, how they have attracted dare devils, how they have been depicted in art and the place they have had in both movies and TV, with an interesting map showing the falls that have been identified in those programs. The only section that seems out of place is the section on photography as it is more about photography than waterfalls.
Having set the stage in parts one and two the author then explores each state and US territory going into the density and frequency of waterfalls in the state. Each state section features a map with county lines and waterfalls plotted and a separate map showing the state’s physical geography. To fully explore some of the smaller detailed maps a magnifying glass may be of help. The state chapters are beautifully illustrated with photographs of the falls in the state and a discussion of the qualities of the state leading to existence of waterfalls and noting significant waterfalls in the state.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in waterfalls. The author has tried to bridge the gap between entertainment and scholarly work, and it mostly works. There is a lot of data present in the atlas via the maps and charts included but it also does an excellent job of simply being a relaxing and entertaining book to peruse. It does give one a more scholarly way to look at waterfalls and the role they have played throughout all aspects of life in the United States. The author has included extensive bibliographies for each section and for each state.
William Rafter West Virginia University Libraries Morgantown, West Virginia
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