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| The Secret Knowledge of Water : Discovering the Essence of the American Desert | 
| Author: Craig Childs
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $6.00
You Save: $8.99 (60%)
New (29) from $6.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 32228
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st Back Bay Pbk. Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0316610690
Dewey Decimal Number: 553.70979
EAN: 9780316610698
ASIN: 0316610690
Publication Date: May 1, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New - Has remainder mark. Fast shipping from trusted wholesaler with many exclusive publisher contracts.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Fascinating Read! August 15, 2003
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
I've lived in the desert, I've hiked in the desert, I've camped in the desert and I've cursed the desert but nothing I have read before made me understand and love the desert like The Secret Knowledge of Water does.
Until I read Craig Childs' essay, I never gave much thought to water in the desert except that without it you die. Childs paints a vivid picture of the juxtaposition of desert and water in all of its manifestations. I can still picture the pools of water in the tinajas of the barren, sun-baked Cabeza Prieta and the thunderstorm-fed floods on the Arizona Strip. I can feel the terror he must have felt squatting on a ledge in a feeder canyon of the Grand Canyon as flood waters rose and swirled around him and his relief as they receded, leaving behind tons of debris. I can also feel his awe at the power and majesty of nature at the same time. I can feel his exhilaration as he bathes in a deep, cool waterpocket after a long day's hike. And I can sense his deep respect for the original peoples of the desert and how they have adapted to its caprice.
It is obvious from his style that Childs has an abiding love for the desert. If you know and love the desert, you will find The Secret Knowledge of Water a fascinating read and come away with new respect for the desert and for the waters which both nurture and shape it.
Vicarious desert travel August 3, 2003
For desert hikers, the only substitute for "being there" is to be there through someone else's eyes. Childs has opted for a life that few can or will choose...although many of us may wish we had. His experiences are uncommon enough that a simple telling would be sufficient to keep the reader engaged. I could actually feel fear myself during his description of entry into a canyon-side spring against the flow...40 stories up. This book will keep me going a while longer while I wait to get back to this landscape again.
Close to Land, Close to Water October 6, 2002
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In the southwest, as one strives to get closer to the land it becomes necessary to get ever closer to the knowledge of water that Childs writes of here. Thirst in the desert without this knowledge of water will fan a killing panic long before any real threat of deadly dehydration. Beyond survival though, Childs shares beauty, science, historical anecdote and research in a nice balance. Every few generations, Childs tells us, civilization sends someone into the desert to gain and map the knowledge of water. In this generation, we are grateful Childs was chosen. Facsinating.
A Pleasurable and Informative Read! March 29, 2002
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
"The Secret Knowledge of Water" is prose poetry, without a single word wasted. Three or four months after reading it, many of the images are still in my head: images of ancient trails to waterholes; large, unexpected swimming holes, microbes so hardy their environment can go dry and they just curl up and wait... This book will become even more valuable and compelling as drinking water supplies diminish in quality and quantity. Childs leads us with great flair to a subject of unparalleled importance. His musings blend with touches of humor, history and fascinating naturalism. "Secret Knowledge" should be on every nightstand and in every science (and literature) classroom. It's truly a work of art!
Subtle Desert Poetry March 5, 2002
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Author Craig Childs offers an intimate, poetic account of his experiences with the phantom of water in the deserts of the American Southwest. Choosing his words with artistic abandon, Childs introduces an array of little-known features of the land, from the handmade beauty of the tinajas to the ephemeral wonder of the fairy shrimp to the incredible power of the summer flood. "Secret Knowledge" is a wondrous balance between rational scientific concepts and deeply-felt experience.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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