“River Notes is both a love song and a paean of regret to America’s most spectacular river. Wade Davis weaves his own story of running the river with history, geology and quotations from those who knew it in its free days. This is also a warning about how easy it is to lose America’s precious landscape.” Denver Post

"[A] beautifully concise history of the Colorado River." Men's Journal

“With hard facts and river adventures rendered in gorgeous prose, Davis exposes the vulnerability of the Colorado in our time of drought and global warming in the hope that his findings will inspire the restoration and protection of this crucial river.” Booklist

"In short, River Notes is everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the Colorado and more....If you’ve ever pondered a trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon it’s definitely worth a pre-trip read. When the time comes, you’ll appreciate the journey all the more. And those who have had the great opportunity to travel by way of the river will cherish having this book by their side so they can slip back into the canyon and down the river whenever they feel the urge." River Currents

"River Notes: A Natural and Human History of the Colorado is both a requiem for a river lost and a tale of a river rebounding. Wade Davis floods our imagination not just with facts but stories, the kind of stories that enter our bloodstream with the memory of red water and the force of erosion. River Notes is a literary and historical testament to change, one that believes in the sustaining power of reciprocity over greed, while giving us an adventure story through time. The first six pages of this book will break your heart. The remaining pages will repair what has been broken." Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge and When Women Were Birds

"Wade Davis' River Notes engagingly draws the reader in from the very first page—creating the perfect primer for Grand Canyon river guides, passengers, and arm chair adventurers. He eloquently captures and distills the broad sweep of the Colorado River system's geologic and human history. His words flow smoothly as he highlights the destruction of spectacular Glen Canyon and then weaves Major Powell's historical journey though the canyon with his own river experience." George Wendt, Founder and President, O.A.R.S.

"In this slender meditation, Wade Davis deftly interweaves the past, present, and future of the greatest of all American rivers. Although I've explored the Colorado myself, Davis opened my eyes to many a new and surprising fact or insight. It's dazzling to see an author wield comprehensive erudition with such a light and masterly touch." David Roberts, author of Finding Everett Ruess