Explore a small tidal river that enters Massachusetts Bay between Boston and Plymouth.
​
It is the first state-designated scenic river, brimming with history from pre-colonial times.
It survived state-approved plans to dam the river and develop its extensive salt marshes.
Its story informs our future with climate change.
-
Tales of the river and its amazing people (and fish) —- shipbuilders, toolmakers, storytellers, ministers, river pilots, fishermen, farmers, salt hayers, scientists, and politicians John Quincy Adams and Daniel Webster
​ -
More than 140 images, some rare, including before, and after, the 1898 storm that transformed the river
-
A readable record of the river, its people, towns, marshes, their relationships, and environmental issues
​
On a River results from years of research by historian Lyle Nyberg. His books include On a Cliff (2021), Summer Suffragists (2020), and Seacoast Scituate By Air (2022). More about him is here.
More about the river — sub-tabs under River tab.
On a River
Acclaimed by academics, hailed by historians, lauded by locals
This is a real history book. It is loaded with sources, maps, charts, graphs, backstories, explanations, and footnotes. It is also loaded with a sly sense of humor. The reader gets a complete education as the story evolves and gets to smile at subtle asides that hide among the facts. That is a great combination.
— Bob Gallagher, 25-year history teacher, co-author of Legendary Locals of Scituate
​
A timely exploration of a historic estuary in twenty-first-century contexts —
cherish its flow.
​
— John R. Stilgoe, Harvard University
​
​
Available now at
747 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy
Cohasset, MA 02025 Tel (781) 383-2665
Available online
In paperback and hardcover, 8 1/2 x 11 inches
ISBN: 978-1-7354745-8-8 (paperback)
ISBN: 979-8-9925277-0-4 (Kindle)
ISBN: 978-1-7354745-9-5 (hardcover)
Library of Congress Control No.: 2025901787
​
Bookstores and libraries may order hardcover copies from IngramSpark
