Old Times on the Upper Mississippi (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Recollections of a Steamboat Pilot from 1854 to 1863By George Byron Merrick
Length11h 23m
About this audiobook
Old Times on the Upper Mississippi is a vivid memoir of river life during the great steamboat age, chiefly from 1854 to 1863, when the Upper Mississippi was a bustling artery of commerce, migration, danger, and local legend. Written in a plain yet evocative reminiscence style, the book blends anecdote, technical detail, and social observation, preserving the language and rhythms of pilots, clerks, roustabouts, captains, and river towns. It belongs beside classic American river literature, illuminating the world that also shaped Mark Twain's imagination. George Byron Merrick was not an armchair historian but a participant-observer of the era he records. Beginning as a boy on the river and later working in steamboat service, he knew firsthand the discipline of piloting, the hazards of shifting channels, and the camaraderie and rivalries of packet-boat culture. His memories are informed by practical knowledge, nostalgia, and a desire to preserve a vanished profession. This book is recommended to readers of American history, transportation, memoir, and regional literature. Merrick offers more than reminiscence: he provides a richly textured documentary portrait of a river civilization at its height and on the brink of transformation.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreHistory
Length11 hrs 23 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 23, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The History of Louisiana, Or of the Western Parts of Virginia and Carolina (Annotated)
2Chapter I Early Impressions
3Chapter II Indians, Dugouts, and Wolves
4Chapter III On the Levee at Prescott
5Chapter IV In the Engine-room
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter V The Engineer
7Chapter VI The "Mud" Clerk — Comparative Honors
8Chapter VII Wooding Up
9Chapter VIII The Mate
10Chapter IX The "Old Man"
11Chapter X The Pilots and Their Work
12Chapter XI Knowing the River
13Chapter XII The Art of Steering
14Chapter XIII An Initiation
15Chapter XIV Early Pilots
16Chapter XV Incidents of River Life
17Chapter XVI Mississippi Menus
18Chapter XVII Bars and Barkeepers
19Chapter XVIII Gamblers and Gambling
20Chapter XIX Steamboat Racing
21Chapter XX Music and Art
22Chapter XXI Steamboat Bonanzas
23Chapter XXII Wild-cat Money and Town-sites
24Chapter XXIII A Pioneer Steamboatman
25Chapter XXIV A Versatile Commander; Wreck of the "Equator"
26Chapter XXV A Stray Nobleman
27Chapter XXVI In War Time
28Chapter XXVII At Fort Ridgeley
29Chapter XXVIII Improving the River
30Chapter XXIX Killing Steamboats
31Chapter XXX Living It Over Again
32Appendix
33Appendix A List of Steamboats on the Upper Mississippi River, 1823-1863 (pt. 1)
34Appendix A List of Steamboats on the Upper Mississippi River, 1823-1863 (pt. 2)
35Footnote
36Memorable Quotes
More from George Byron Merrick
The Two Swords of ChristRaymond Ibrahim15h 55m$30
Black AF HistoryMichael Harriot15h 43m5.0 (1)$33 · $0.00
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn21h 56m$46 · $0.00
The Redeemer’s ReturnArthur W. Pink13h 18m$20
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m$7 · $0.00
MotherlandJulia Ioffe17h 52m$40 · $0.00
Where Cowards Go to DieBenjamin Sledge8h 42m$20 · $0.00
Frederick Douglass: All 3 Memoirs in One VolumeFrederick Douglass44h 9m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
I've Been to the MountaintopMartin Luther King48m5.0 (1)$11 · $0.00
RevolutionariesSanjeev Sanyal11h 23m$29 · $0.00
We Crossed a Bridge and It TrembledWendy Pearlman6h$24 · $0.00
Unbroken Bonds of BattleJohnny Joey Jones8h 31m$8 · $0.00
The Daughter of AuschwitzTova Friedman, Malcolm Brabant7h 54m$26 · $0.00
Lily's PromiseLily Ebert, Dov Forman8h 54m$29 · $0.00
Saving My EnemyBob Welch9h 11m$20
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m$29 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m$29 · $0.00
Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir - Israel, Palestine and BeyondJohn Lyons12h 37m$33 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
You may also like
Old Times on the MississippiMark Twain3h 37m$7 · $0.00
Dotty Dimple Out WestSophie May2h 23m$2 · $0.00
Whistler, or, the Manly BoyWalter Aimwell6h 12m$2.30
Hudson BayR. M. Ballantyne9h 32m$2.30
Personal Reminiscences and Some Short StoriesR. M. Ballantyne5h 34m$2.30
Mark Twain; his life and work. A biographical sketchWilliam M. Clemens, Mark Twain4h 28m$1 · $0.00
The Sex Lives of CannibalsJ. Maarten Troost8h 36m$17 · $0.00
The Bobbsey Twins in the CountryLaura Lee Hope5h 28m$1 · $0.00
Happy EnglandMarcus B. Huish3h 57m$2 · $0.00
Little Sunshine's holiday : A picture from lifeDinah Maria Mulock Craik4h 26m$1 · $0.00
To Nuremberg and Back: A Girl's HolidayAmy Neally1h 33m$1 · $0.00
Secret Sisters of the Salty SeaLynne Rae Perkins3h 13m$18 · $0.00
Watch Yourself Go ByAl. G. Field18h 30m$2.30
Marjorie's Life and Adventures – 5 Children's Books in One Volume (Annotated)Carolyn Wells30h 45m$2 · $0.00
Courage, True Hearts: Sailing in Search of FortuneGordon Stables8h 49m$2 · $0.00
Three Poets of the Harlem RenaissanceLangston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Georgia Douglas Johnson3h 12m$15
The Autobiography of Charles DarwinCharles Darwin2h 25m$15
Olivia in IndiaO. Douglas3h 24m$2 · $0.00
A Little Bear on Paw (Pixi Bedtime Stories 52)Rüdiger Paulsen4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Patty Series (All 14 Children's Classics in One Volume)Carolyn Wells87h 21m$2 · $0.00