Beyond Walden

cover beyond walden
Cover design by Natalie Slocum of Walker, based on a photo taken by Galen Rowell wilderness west of Hudson Bay. This photo was the same one my textbook was using at the time.

 

This was my second book in what was planned as a series of signature landforms, the stone walls of New England being the first.  It was contracted by Walker & Company, which was sold to Bloomsbury just before publication in 2009, so the marketing plans fell mostly by the wayside. It was my first book to go out of print and the first to be remaindered.

Jacket Text

Lakes are a beloved part of the American landscape, and kettles are the most common type, spanning the northern part of the country from New England to the High Plains. Kettle lakes are depressions formed by meltdown of glacial ice and filled with freshwater. Unlike other kinds of lakes that have significant inlet or outlet streams, kettle lakes are natural wells tapping the groundwater table.  Each kettle lake tells a story, and in Robert Thorson’s hands their collective saga—and the threats to their health—give us crucial insight into the dangers facing our vulnerable freshwater system.

Blurbs

“This book will be delightful reading for anyone who heads ‘to the lake’ every summer…Thorson writes with intellegence and pleasure.”  Bill McKibben

“Beyond Walden should be required reading for all lakefront-property owners, other lake users, and those who manage our land and water resources.” Kenneth Wagner 

Michigan kettle with marshy shoreline.

Reviews

Kirkus — “A “lively chronicle of a hitherto obscure environmental feature… A rich, exhaustive account of one of America’s threatened ecological jewels.” “The author’s enthusiasm shines through as he uses personal experience, literary references and the history of American popular culture.”

NPR – National Public Radio, Robin Young: “You tell us everything anyone’s ever wanted to know about kettle ponds.”

Boston Globe – “Robert M. Thorson’s account mixes hands-on geology, boyhood reminiscence, and a good dash of Thoreau.”

Library Journal – “Thorson “pulls the most amazing geological and human data out of kettle ponds and explains why these lovely bodies of water bring such pleasure to those who live by them or make use of them for recreation.”

Ten Takeaways

Ten key ideas from the book.

Walden to Wobegon

In conjunction with the launch of this book, my wife Kristine and I took a freshwater Journey to visit all 19 states with kettle lakes from the Laurentide Ice Sheet from Maine to Montana.  This trip was bookended between two NPR-National Public Radio Broadcasts between Walden (i.e. Boston, WNPR, Robin Young, Here & Now in June) and Wobegon (i.e. Minneapolis, MPR Minnesota Public Radio, Jeff Jones)  on July 10.) Since then, Garrison Keillor’s profile fell flat during he #MeToo Movement.

The result was this Free E-book. Link to the PDF if you like.

Reviews

Link to Reviews 

Talk Handout

I found this Beyond Walden Handout on a website from Michigan State University, likely from one of the conference talks I gave out that way.