America’s Founding River focus of ‘James River Reflections’

If you are a lover of the outdoors, the James River, photography and history, there is new book to check out. James River Reflections is the work of Will Daniel, who spent the better part of two years exploring, photographing and writing about America’s Founding River. Below is some information from his website, but Daniel shared a […]

May 3, 2011; 7:05 AM • by Phil Riggan

If you are a lover of the outdoors, the James River, photography and history, there is new book to check out. James River Reflections is the work of Will Daniel, who spent the better part of two years exploring, photographing and writing about America’s Founding River.

Below is some information from his website, but Daniel shared a couple more tidbits about the book and his efforts to compile the information, including some of his biggest surprises and favorite places.

“The unexpected treasures were Bailey’s Beach and the drunk fishermen who helped me find a great spot from which to shoot the James River Reserve Fleet of merchant ships, known locally as the ‘Ghost Fleet.’ Bailey’s Beach alone was one of my favorite places just because of its beauty,” he wrote in an email.

 He retired in 2009 from a U.S. government job in which he was senior writer-editor for an employee information web site. He now teaches part time in the School of Mass Communications at VCU, and continues to photograph rivers and other landscapes in and around Virginia.

“I have joked that I could write a book about writing the book,” he wrote. ”Every trip was an adventure for a guy in his 60s like me. I’m lucky I survived some of the crazy stuff I did to get some of those shots.”

He also wrote to me about missing his chance to meet with Jimmy Dean in person. Dean’s estate is in eastern Henrico in a beautiful turn of the James. He had to work hard to get comments from politicians, including Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones and “at the eleventh hour, I got comments from Sen. Mark Warner, and those comments lead off the introduction,” Daniel wrote.

“Through the prism of history, no single river in America can top the James. The James River is America’s Founding River, the front door to a new nation, the path to a new world filled with hopes and dreams. Explore the James River from Botetourt County, Virginia, to the Chesapeake Bay. Discover Richmond’s Class IV river rapids and encounter natural beauty along the James River’s banks.”

Over 250 photos and eloquent text reveal the majesty of Virginia’s James River. Explore the river from its humble beginnings on private property to the point where it meets one of the nation’s busiest seaports. See Class V rapids in the heart of Richmond as nowhere else in America….As the author notes, no one can write a book about the James River without including some of its history. There is jut too much of it. However, this is not a history book. This is a look at the river’s modern-day beauty through the lens of a digital camera.

The book sells for $29.99 and can be purchased through the publisher at www.schifferbooks.com or your local bookseller, as well as, numerous online retailers.

May 3, 2011 7:05 AM 0