Inland: The Abandoned Canals of the Schuylkill Navigation

Sandy Sorlein has photographed the 'skeleton' of The Schuylkill Navigation; the locks, canals, dam remains and slackwater pools that enabled the upstate Pennsylvania coal bounty (the fuel of the Industrial Revolution) to be transported to Philadelphia and New York in the pre-Civil War, pre-railroad era.

If all you know about the historic canals is the song 15 miles on the Erie Canal, then this book will be a surprise. The topic of this book, the Schuykill Navigation, was a well used, but little known navigation (a mix of man-made canals and natural rivers, or what the author calls 27 canals that connected navigable sections of river). In all the navigation reached 130 miles into the heart of Pennsylvania, creating a water route for coal to reach the Atlantic Ocean. Inland presents the history of the canal in the first 50 pages, including maps and historic prints. Then the author takes you through a journey along the waterway from This is a gorgeous book, beautifully photographed and well presented. It is a "coffee-table" size book which will stop you from reading it in bed. But the size allows the images to pop and let you see the fine details. If you enjoy canal history or photography, Inland is a wonderful work of art and well worth the price.

Inland is a fascinating read from a clearly gifted writer and photographer as well as an explorer and discoverer in the course of creating this tribute. I love having this rare glimpse into the waterways that helped shaped early America, actually the first of its kind. The quality of the photographs and printing are also first rate. I highly recommend this book!

INLAND is an outstanding book by an author with a rare combination of skills. This book combines intense scholarship, highly accessible writing, and spectacular photographs. I was not expecting to be captivated by a discussion about old canals, but this is a lively book that combines history, geography, industry, transportation, river life, man's need to dominate nature, and what happens when industry turns its attention elsewhere and nature reasserts itself. Sorlien personally found and photographed every part of the Navigation, and the photographs are both elegant and haunting.

Photographer Sandy Sorlien once again produces a collection of stunning beauty. Ms. Sorlien takes us through southeastern Pennsylvania, tracking the evidence of the long-gone canals. dams, and locks of the Schuylkill with extraordinary photographs of both natural and built beauty. This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

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