The complete guidebook for paddling the rivers and streams of Mississippi

Grab your paddle and enjoy Illinois' beautiful rivers. This comprehensive guidebook--the only one for Illinois--features 64 trips on 33 rivers. Rivers covered include Cashe, Des Plains, Embarras, Fox, Galena, Mackinaw, Middle Fork, and Spoon. This is the ultimate guide for canoe or kayak enthusiasts of all abilities.

Back in print: A revised second edition of a classic how-to book on canoe building. The new edition is updated to include advances in glues and techniques since the original was published, as well as five new canoe plans, builder tips and paddle carving.

By kayak and canoe, an appreciative adventure along America's last unaltered river system

The stories that became Paddling South, Winnipeg to New Orleans by Canoe stem from a voyage a high school friend and I took in the fall of 1969. Although there was a forty year wait between voyage and publication, the book retains its accuracy because both John Van Landeghem and I kept separate journals.While I was writing the book John lent me his diary so I was able to refer to both accounts. After forty years it was a revelation to see what John actually thought of the trip and me, so much so that at one point I phoned John in Edmonton and said:"You didn't like me much did you."Personal faults aside this was an amazing adventure in the Mark Twain tradition. This was not so much a man against nature saga, although there was that element, the trip was just two kids on an adventure. And it was an adventure.We couldn't find a place to camp so we spent three nights in The Fargo City Jail as guests of the Fargo Police."But you gotta be out by Thursday. We need the space. Thursdays is when we start getting our regulars."While on the Mississippi we almost sank a half a dozen times, we almost got swamped by a ship, a barge, waves, you name it. Getting almost killed was a daily event.We met a collection of characters; from the merely odd to the melancholy and to the downright dangerous. It was as if Samuel Clements was writing our itinerary.Paddling South was nominated as The Best Non Fiction Book by a Manitoba Author 2008.

From Bayou Bartholomew in the north to the Atchafalaya Swamp in the south, from the Sabine River in the west to the Pearl River in the east, Louisiana abounds with water to explore. Canoeing Louisiana is your guidebook for paddling through a Deep South region that boasts a great variety of waterways. The book takes a broad focus, covering the state in a way that anyone--local or visitor, day-floater or wilderness tripper--can enjoy. The book especially highlights waters that are in or near public lands, including wildlife management areas, parks, national forests and national wildlife refuges. In Louisiana there's no shortage of options, from easy day jaunts to semi-wilderness expeditions. Although there is no whitewater in this bayou state, there is nature galore--a wealth of woods, water, and wildlife. And there's considerable variety: clear sandy streams like Tangipahoa and Whiskey Chitto; vast swamps like Atchafalaya and Honey Island; hill-country bayous like Bodcau and D'Arbonne; gorgeous lakes like Chicot and Bistineau; and sea kayaking destinations such as Grand Isle and Lake Pontchartrain. Paddlers who still want an adrenaline thrill can try finding a way through seemingly endless cypress swamps, dodging cottonmouth snakes, or paddling among alligators. Author Ernest Herndon has identified more than thirty waterways which meet criteria for good paddling. Canoeing Louisiana provides general descriptions and specific information on where to go and what to expect. It also discusses types of boats and gear most suited to Louisiana, as well as techniques for camping, navigation, and fishing. And it explores relevant facets of history, ecology, folklore, and biology since most paddlers want to know more than just the logistics of a paddling destination. This is the only comprehensive guidebook about Louisiana's waterways. It will appeal to all those who have an interest in the natural wonders of the Bayou State. Ernest Herndon is a staff writer and outdoors editor of the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He is also the author of Canoeing Mississippi (University Press of Mississippi). See the author's Web site at www.ernestherndon.com.