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Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The Survival of the Bark Canoe

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Description

In Greenville, New Hampshire, a small town in the southern part of the state, Henri Vaillancourt makes birch-bark canoes in the same manner and with the same tools that the Indians used. The Survival of the Bark Canoe is the story of this ancient craft and of a 150-mile trip through the Maine woods in those graceful survivors of a prehistoric technology. It is a book squarely in the tradition of one written by the first tourist in these woods, Henry David Thoreau, whose The Maine Woods recounts similar journeys in similar vessel. As McPhee describes the expedition he made with Vaillancourt, he also traces the evolution of the bark canoe, from its beginnings through the development of the huge canoes used by the fur traders of the Canadian North Woods, where the bark canoe played the key role in opening up the wilderness. He discusses as well the differing types of bark canoes, whose construction varied from tribe to tribe, according to custom and available materials. In a style as pure and as effortless as the waters of Maine and the glide of a canoe, John McPhee has written one of his most fascinating books, one in which his talents as a journalist are on brilliant display. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 10th edition (May 1, 1982)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 114 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374516936


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 32


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #123,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #149 in Nature Writing & Essays #182 in Travel Writing Reference #1,256 in U.S. State & Local History


#149 in Nature Writing & Essays:


#182 in Travel Writing Reference:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • epic canoe trip in northern maine
Craftsman and 4 friends paddle and drag two birch-bark canoes through wind, waves, and portages, braving black flies and each other. Adventure of a lifetime, vividly described.
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2023 by Clifford Gilpin
    • Skill Story.
Tells of how done in days of old. Skill story of hands and knowledge way. Matching martial today ? Findings ? Is a knowledge know how too. Good if you know the way in how.
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2024 by Aaron Customer
    • Suprisingly adventurous book. Half about the bark canoe. Half about an epic canoe trip!
I recently discovered John McPhee and really enjoyed "looking for a ship." This book has the same journalistic integrity, where he profiles a guy who obsessively teaches himself how to make traditional birch-bark canoes with incredible skill. But them about halfway through the book, the author and the canoe maker and a few of his friends go on an epic canoe trip in their bark canoes, and that's where it gets even more interesting and enjoyable. There are a lot of surprises and near-disasters along the way, and you learn quite a bit more about the subject of the book, as well as the author himself. Highly enjoyable, highly recommended! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023 by J. Fredrickson
    • great writer!
anything this writer writes about is fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2023 by trishainseattle
    • A GREAT book by Mc Phee.Makes you want one.
This is the second of many of McPhee's books that I have read. He is a very good writer. His detailed information about the suject of his books is amazing. But the way he interlaces information about the people and places he has met & been in gathering that information is absorbing. He has the ability to draw you into the scenes and carry you along on the journey. While his book about Florida oranges was the first of his books that I have read, and I liked it best, this one is written in that same way. I wish I could afford one of these canoes. I would recommend this book for all high school students and any adult looking to learn about the canoe or just looking for a good book to read. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2010 by Pamela
    • Tough and Respected
The headline here is a line from the book wherein it's applied to the birch bark canoe and why one cd last 10 years. The book just arrived and looks to be awesome — the writing is itself 50 years old and the author is at the time I write this, 90. Bark canoes as a craft, and a craft, are centuries older. Don't know if Henri Vaillancourt, the book's subject as much as the vessels, is still alive. If not, the bark canoe may be dead by now. McPhee writes on what fascinates him and so it can do the same for us. He is widely — widely — known and said to be a craftsman himself. This is for fans, then, of craft and of slow and of lore, and perhaps who have read Shop Class as Soulcraft as well. Four stars because the printer's craftsmanship is sorely lacking, at least in my copy and the glued — not sewn — pages began to peel away from the spine alomst immediately. [See that typo / misspelling in the previous sentence? That's what it's like to get a book on craft that is in its own making shabby.] Cheers, Paul ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2021 by Poet And Priest
    • Interesting story, highly amusing
John McPhee is at his best, as he explores the history of the bark canoe in America, and tells of a canoe trip gone wrong. The character development and the story line are both excellent. They provide endless opportunities for humor, as the characters struggle to keep their canoes afloat, and their emotions in check, while mother nature and human nature conspire against them. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2014 by Geekless in NC
    • My First McPhee
This was the first book I read by John McPhee about forty years ago. I actually read it in the "New Yorker" where he is a staff writer. I was completely mesmerized by this book. It is beautifully written and packed with details about making a canoe as an American Indian would. If you have never read anything by this author, I urge you to try this small book. When you are done, you will not be able to wait to get your next McPhee book. Luckily, he has written a bunch of books. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2013 by John Komdat

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