The Secret History Library is a growing collection of essential readings that illuminate the histories, cultures, and experiences of those who have lived, traveled, and worked on Americaâs waterways. This archive brings together memoirs, travelogues, historical accounts, and social analyses to deepen our understanding of river lifeâits struggles, its independence, and its enduring spirit.
Shantyboats, Boatbuilding, and DIY River Travel
A collection of stories and guides on building, living aboard, and traveling by shantyboat, from historical narratives to modern DIY adventures.
| Boatbuilding with Plywood (1978) by Glen L. Witt Guide to plywood boat construction. (Collected Works) | |
| Handmade Houseboats: Independent Living Afloat (1992) by Russell Conder A practical guide to building self-sufficient, floating homes, covering construction techniques, materials, and case studies of houseboat dwellers. (Collected Works) | |
| James: A Novel (2024) by Percival Everett A reimagining of *Huckleberry Finn* from Jimâs perspective, emphasizing Black agency and resistance. (Essential Reading) | |
| Mostly Mississippi: A Very Damp Adventure (2004) by Hal Speakman A travel narrative about a journey down the Mississippi River, full of humor, historical insights, and encounters with river people. (Collected Works) | |
| Old Glory: A Voyage Down the Mississippi (1998) by Jonathan Raban A literary travelogue chronicling a solo journey down the Mississippi, blending history, reflection, and adventure. (Collected Works) | |
| River Journey (1964) by Clarance Jonk A detailed travel memoir chronicling a journey along the river, blending historical context with personal reflection. (Essential Reading) | |
| River-Horse: The Logbook of a Boat Across America (2001) by William Least Heat-Moon Travel narrative of a cross-country boat journey. (Community Contribution) | |
| Shanty Boat Girl (1951) by Kirk Westley A fictionalized but realistic portrayal of life on the river, based on real shantyboat communities and their struggles. JK. This is a sensational pulp novel whose cover proclaims: “An earthy, untamed girl wages a passionate struggle with an experienced, glamorous woman for the love of a man.” (Community Contribution) | |
| Shanty-boat (1930) by Kent Lighty, Margaret Lighty Description of a journey by houseboat down the Mississippi from St. Paul to New Orleans. (Collected Works) | |
| Shantyboat Journal (1994) by Harlan Hubbard, David Wallis A detailed journal of Hubbardâs years on the river, reflecting on art, philosophy, and river culture. (Essential Reading) | |
| Shantyboat: A River Way of Life (1977) by Harlan Hubbard A memoir of life on a homemade shantyboat, exploring self-sufficiency, adventure, and the rhythms of river life. (Essential Reading) | |
| The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain A classic novel about Huck Finn and Jim’s journey down the Mississippi, exploring themes of freedom and morality. (Essential Reading) | |
| The Cabin Boat Primer (1973) by Raymond S. Spears Containing descriptions and diagrams, photographs and chapters on the construction, navigation and use of house-boats for pleasure and profit. (Collected Works) | |
| The Floating Boathouses on the Upper Mississippi River: Their History, Their Stories (2009) by Michael G. Phillips An oral history of the floating boathouse communities along the Upper Mississippi, documenting their traditions and ways of life. (Collected Works) | |
| The Last River Rat: Kenny Salweyâs Life in the Wild (2015) by Kenny Salwey, J. Scott Bestul Memoir of a modern-day hermit who has lived off the land in the Mississippi River bottoms for decades. (Community Contribution) | |
| Unsinkable: How to Build Plywood Pontoons & Longtail Boat Motors Out of Scrap (2012) by Robnoxious A punk-DIY guide to building a cheap, functional riverboat and setting out on a floating adventure, infused with a spirit of independence. (Essential Reading) | |
| Water Squatters: The Houseboat Lifestyle (1975) by Beverly Dubin Ethnography of houseboat communities. (Community Contribution) |
Environmental, Social, and Political Histories of Rivers
Exploring the transformation of rivers by industry, infrastructure, and policy, and the environmental and social consequences of human intervention.
| Backing Hard Into River History (2000) by James V. Swift 100-year history of U.S. inland waterways and their development. (Collected Works) | |
| Houseboat and River-Bottoms People (1939) by Ernest Theodore Hiller A classic sociological study of river-dwelling communities along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. (Essential Reading) | |
| In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations (1992) by Jerry Mander Critiques the utopian promises of technological progress and its devastating effects on Indigenous cultures and natural ecosystems. (Essential Reading) | |
| Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America (1998) by John M. Barry Explores the catastrophic 1927 flood and its long-term consequences on river engineering, race relations, and federal flood control policy. (Essential Reading) | |
| The River We Have Wrought: A History of the Upper Mississippi (2005) by John O. Anfinson Analyzes the transformation of the Upper Mississippi from a natural waterway into an engineered system, exploring economic and environmental impacts. (Essential Reading) |
Labor, Race, and Social Justice in River Communities
Examining the intersection of labor, race, gender, and power along the rivers, from the experiences of Black steamboat workers to the radical traditions of river communities.
| Black Life on the Mississippi: Slaves, Free Blacks, and the Western Steamboat World (2004) by Thomas C. Buchanan Examines how Black labor shaped the Mississippi steamboat industry, looking at both enslaved and free workers from the early 19th century onward. (Essential Reading) | |
| Black Skin, White Masks (2008) by Frantz Fanon Seminal work on race, colonialism, and identity. (Essential Reading) | |
| Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology (1991) by Howard Zinn A critique of American political ideology, exploring how dominant narratives obscure systemic inequalities. (Collected Works) | |
| Doing History from the Bottom Up: On E.P. Thompson, Howard Zinn, and Rebuilding the Labor Movement from Below (2014) by Staughton Lynd Explores radical approaches to history and labor activism, emphasizing the power of grassroots movements. (Collected Works) | |
| Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th-Century America (1992) by Ronald Takaki A comparative analysis of white American attitudes toward Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Mexican communities in the 19th century. (Collected Works) | |
| The Art of Free Cooperation (2007) by Trebor Scholz, Geert Lovink Examines capitalism’s interest in collaboration and how free cooperation can be a form of resistance. (Collected Works) | |
| The River Flows On: Black Resistance, Culture, and Identity Formation in Early America (2008) by Walter C. Rucker Explores African American river communities and resistance movements. (Collected Works) | |
| The Wages of Whiteness: Race and the Making of the American Working Class (2007) by David R. Roediger Influential book on race and labor history in America. (Collected Works) |
Regional River Histories
Diving into the specific histories of Americaâs major waterways, capturing the unique cultural and environmental stories of the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Hudson Rivers.
Mississippi River
| Old Man River: The Mississippi River in North American History (2013) by Paul Schneider A sweeping history of the Mississippi River, examining its role in indigenous cultures, colonial expansion, industrialization, and modern environmental struggles. (Collected Works) | |
| The Mississippi River in Maps & Views (2008) by Robert A. Holland Collection of historic maps showing the changing geography of the river. (Collected Works) | |
| Wicked River: The Mississippi When It Last Ran Wild (2011) by Lee Sandlin Explores the wild and dangerous Mississippi of the 19th century. (Collected Works) |
Upper Mississippi
| A Mississippi Diary: From St. Paul, Minnesota to Alton, Illinois, October 1894 to May 1895 (2013) by Eliza Oddy A first-person account of a late 19th-century river journey, filled with adventure, hardships, and observations of life along the Mississippi. (Collected Works) | |
| Deck on Deck: Towboating in the Twin Cities (2010) by Captain Bob Deck First-person account of working on the Mississippi River. (Collected Works) | |
| Muscatineâs Pearl Button Industry (2007) by Melanie K. Alexander Examines the pearl button industry of Muscatine, Iowa, on the Mississippi River. (Community Contribution) | |
| Riverworld: The Vanished World of Illinois Riverfolk (2006) by R. Hosking (Editor) Rivers once sustained distinct Illinois river communities, labeled “river rats,” who lived off the waters. Social shifts, commerce, and ecological change erased their traditions. (Community Contribution) | |
| Slavery in the Upper Mississippi Valley, 1787-1865 (2011) by Christopher P. Lehman A study of how slavery persisted in the Upper Mississippi despite being officially prohibited, detailing its social and economic impact. (Collected Works) | |
| The Boat of Longing (1933) by O. E. Rølvaag The story of Nils Vaag and his travels from a poor region of Norway to urban Minnesota in 1912 (Collected Works) | |
| The Bohemian Flats (1975) by Federal Writersâ Project A historical and cultural study of the Bohemian Flats community along the Upper Mississippi River. (Collected Works) | |
| The Freedom of the Streets: Work, Citizenship, and Sexuality in a Gilded Age City (2005) by Sharon E. Wood Examines the lives of working women in Davenport, Iowa, and the blurred boundaries between respectability and vice in the 19th century. (Collected Works) |
Lower Mississippi
| They Called Us River Rats: The Last Batture Settlement of New Orleans (2024) by Macon Fry Explores the history of batture settlementsâunofficial riverbank communitiesâin New Orleans, highlighting their struggles and resilience. (Collected Works) |
Ohio River
| Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad (2004) by Ann Hagedorn Brings to life the dramatic story of the forgotten heroes of the Ripley, Ohio, line of the Underground Railroad. (Collected Works) | |
| Payne Hollow: Life on the Fringe of Society (1974) by Harlan Hubbard A poetic and meditative memoir of simple living on the Ohio River, chronicling the authorâs self-sufficient lifestyle in Payne Hollow. (Essential Reading) | |
| Western Rivermen, 1763â1861: Ohio and Mississippi Boatmen and the Myth of the Alligator Horse (1994) by Michael R. Allen Documents the lives of professional boatmen on the Ohio and lower Mississippi Rivers before the dominance of steamboats. (Collected Works) |
Tennessee River
| Suttree (1992) by Cormac McCarthy A semi-autobiographical novel about a man who rejects his privileged upbringing to live on a houseboat in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Essential Reading) | |
| The Photographs of Maggie Lee Sayre: A Personal Vision of Houseboat Life (1995) by American Folklife Center Maggie Lee Sayre was born deaf near Paducah, Kentucky, in 1920. She lived 51 years of her life on a river houseboat as her family made a living fishing throughout Kentucky and Tennessee. This collection of her photos, accompanied by descriptive captions from Sayre, reveals a traditional river culture that is rooted in subsistence living (Collected Works) |
Hudson River
| Life on a Canal Boat: The Journals of Theodore D. Bartley, 1861-1889 (2004) by Theodore D. Bartley First-hand account of canal boat life in the Northeast. (Community Contribution) |
Art, Storytelling, and Public Memory of River Communities
Investigating how rivers shape artistic expression, public memory, and cultural resistance, from site-specific art to oral histories and community-driven storytelling.
| A People’s History of the United States (1980) by Howard Zinn A radical retelling of U.S. history from the perspective of marginalized groups, including those living along rivers. (Essential Reading) | |
| Art and the Public Sphere (1993) by W. J. T. Mitchell (Editor) What is the fate of art in an age of publicity? How has the role of traditional public (i.e., government-owned) art changed in contemporary culture, and how have changing conditions of public space and mass communications altered the whole relationship between art and its potential audiences? (Collected Works) | |
| Art in Action: Nature, Creativity, and Our Collective Future (2007) by Natural World Museum In the environmental realm, science and art are inextricably linked. While science determines how we measure the health of our planet, art allows us to visualize our relationship to the natural world (Collected Works) | |
| Art Nature Dialogues: Interviews with Environmental Artists (2004) by John Grande Conversations with artists working at the intersection of nature, environmental activism, and public engagement. (Collected Works) | |
| Assuming the Ecosexual Position: The Earth as Lover (2021) by Annie Sprinkle, Beth Stephens The story of the artistic collaboration between the originators of the ecosex movement, their diverse communities, and the Earth (Essential Reading) | |
| But Is It Art?: The Spirit of Art as Activism (1994) by Nina Felshin (Editor) Criticism and Theory. An anthology that explores the rise of activist public art that agitates for social change. (Essential Reading) | |
| Conversation Pieces: Community and Communication in Modern Art (2013) by Grant H. Kester Some of the most innovative art of the past decade has been created far outside conventional galleries and museums. (Essential Reading) | |
| Critical Issues in Public Art: Content, Context, and Controversy (1998) by Harriet Senie Explores the role of public art in creating a national identity, analyzing how commissioned works interact with their cultural context. (Collected Works) | |
| Cultural Resistance Reader (2002) by Stephen Duncombe (Editor) From the Diggers seizing St. George Hill in 1649 to Hacktivists staging virtual sit-ins in the 21st century, from the retributive fantasies of Robin Hoods to those of gangsta rappers, culture has long been used as a political weapon. (Collected Works) | |
| Grounds of Dispute: Art History, Cultural Politics and the Discursive Field (1992) by John Tagg Looks at art history as it relates to cultural politics and practices. (Essential Reading) | |
| How Art Can Be Thought: A Handbook for Change (2018) by Al-An (Allan) deSouza What terms do we use to describe and evaluate art, and how do we judge if art is good, and if it is for the social good? (Collected Works) | |
| Memory (2012) by Ian Farr (Editor) Investigations into the wide array of artistic relationships to memory, repetition and reappearance, and forgetting, in artworks from the late 1940s to the present. (Collected Works) | |
| Nature (2012) by Jeffrey Kastner Contemporary artistsâ radical investigations of nature, juxtaposed with the eclectic scientific and philosophical sources that inform their art. (Collected Works) | |
| One Place after Another: Site-Specific Art and Locational Identity (2004) by Miwon Kwon A critical history of site-specific art since the late 1960s. (Essential Reading) | |
| Participation (2006) by Claire Bishop Critical essays on participatory art and social engagement. (Essential Reading) | |
| Relational Aesthetics (1998) by Nicolas Bourriaud Explores the rise of interactive and participatory art practices in the contemporary era. (Essential Reading) | |
| Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century (1997) by James Clifford Anthropological study of migration and cultural memory. (Essential Reading) | |
| The Oral History Workshop (2009) by Cynthia Hart A guide to conducting oral history interviews and preserving community narratives. (Collected Works) |