First edition ofBig River byPatrick ODell (2023)
First impression
Medium format hardback in new condition
Signed byPatrick ODell to title page
Published by Deadbeat Club
About
Rivers have always been one of the great metaphors for time, and since the earliest days of North Americas exploration and exploitation, the Mississippi has served as perhaps the most reliable American clock and barometer for tracking where we are as a country and where weve been. For centuries the river has also been an irresistible magnet for all manner of desperados and dreamers, and has inspired generations of writers, artists, and musicians. Yet anyone familiar with the history and romance of the Mississippi knows that a central part of its mythology is its dark undertow, and its ability to thwart dreams and desire. In 2017, Patrick ODell, Heath Kirchart, Ky Tait, and June, traveled from California to Hannibal, Missouri (Mark Twains hometown), and embarked on a 34-day, 1,057-mile canoe trek to Morgan City, Louisiana.Big Riveris a visual diary of that odyssey, equal parts road novel (the Mississippi is, after all, the original Highway 61) and buddy movie. Through his bleary yet clear-eyed and tender portrait of both the river and America, O’Dell makes his own contribution to the mythology (and the demythologization) of the Mississippi.
