Kaufman's original perspective, as a traveler along the urban creek that is now hidden to most Atlantans, helps connect the past to the present through facts, stories, and legends about this natural lifeline. This book will serve as an excellent tool to educate the community about the importance of our rivers and their tributaries throughout history and in the present time.
- Sally Bethea ― Executive Director of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
This is a beautiful account of a tenacious journey through space and time. Kaufman has given an environmentalist's testimony entwined intimately with a historical lesson about Atlanta's development. He captures the tragedy and the poignancy of a watershed clinging to its identity within a civilization gone mindless. Read it to reawaken a sense of reverence and wonder for nature's resilience.
- Ray Anderson ― Chairman of Interface, Inc., and Executive Board member of the Georgia Conservancy
A compelling mix of urban travelogue, local history and call for conservation . . . reveals fascinating aspects of Atlanta. . . . Peachtree Creek is chock full of history and beautiful photography. What an accomplishment!
- McCormick Messenger
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic history of Atlanta and... Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2019 What the creek is like now. Hopefully, more people read this and become motivated to bring the Peachtree creek back to it's former glory. David R. Kaufman doesn't miss a beat. Way to go!
- Rick (Amazon Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars I love to hike and discover and visit historic areas around ... Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2018 I love to hike and discover and visit historic areas around where I live in North Atlanta. Peachtree Creek has a lot of history and you can find evidence of a lot of that history because of the flood plains surrounding Peachtree Creek. The author delivers an interesting tale of his exploration of Peachtree creek in his canoe. What I especially like is his research into the history of structures, homes, farms etc along the creek and giving a detail description where the modern day location of these historical areas. This book has beautiful photographs of items and areas of interest along the creek and its tributaries feeding the creek. I would be surprised if most of the millions of citizens of Atlanta knew that a huge civil war battle was fought on Peachtree Creek involving 100,000 federal and 60,000 confederate soldiers in a 3 day battle on or about July 20, 1964. This book has earned a position at the top of my favorites on my bookshelf. Great reference book and very good read.
- Books (Amazon Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars A Lively Urban Adventure Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015 Exquisitely done. This book is a must-have for current and former Atlanta residents wanting to develop a stronger sense of place, for Peachtree Creek (along with other creeks) define the City over a longer and more historical respect than even its famous highways do. Kaufman demonstrates a profound curiosity for the sights, history, physical dynamics and people associated with the Creek. Moreover he shares with the reader his sense of adventure, and by experiencing Peachtree Creek first-hand his accounts of it become alive.
-Twotom (Amazon Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2008 I can't add anything to the prior reviews.. Simply a great book about the history of Peachtree Creek.
- J. Walker (Amazon Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars Learn about Atlanta's Peachtree Creek ! Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2014 It was great to read about the creek I played in when I was a boy. Great pictures too!
- WD Werker (Amazon Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars Peachtree Creek: A Natural & Unnatural History of Atlanta's Watershed Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2008 For lovers of Atlanta and Georgia history this is a must have book. Certainly more than "a coffee table" book. It is full of interesting facts and fabulous photos. The author is to be commended on his research.
- SuziQ (Amazon Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars All of the above and more Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2008 I grew up on Peachtree Creek in the fifties and sixties, on Woodward Way. So of course I was interested in this book. And the interest turned out to be much more than just the chapters about my own neighborhood. I affirm that the other reviews say the right good things about it, I just want to add something. The author is a good writer, plain and simple. I don't know how to describe it, if I could I would be a good writer myself, I guess. The best I can say is that I found myself thinking, "This guy is not only taking me to interesting places, showing me interesting things, I'm enjoying a pleasant and comfortable ride." That aspect adds a lot to any book. Enjoy it for yourself.
- Fletcher Lokey (Amazon Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars Trip through my backyard. Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2007 Everyone in Georgia is familiar with the Chattahoochee River, but few of us are aware of the history of Atlanta's Peachtree and Nancy Creek. Nancy Creek flows through my back yard on its way to the Chattahoochee and onto the Gulf of Mexico. I have always wondered where it started and what happens to it after it leaves my neighborhood. This wonderful book tells in great detail the paths that these creeks take, their colorful history and suggest things to do to keep them cleaner, more useful and better preserved. It is loaded with many stunning photos of the area and its history. This is a great book for one who is interested in Atlanta and knowing more about the waterways we cross and casually take for granted every day. The only thing that I am sorry about it that I did not get to meet the author as he canoed past my veranda.
- Rowland D. Stanfield (Amazon Reviews)
Author David Kaufman uses tales of his urban adventure canoeing down parts of Peachtree Creek as a framework for a narrative history of Atlanta’s endangered watershed. Kaufman points out at the beginning of the book that attempting to navigate Peachtree Creek and its tributaries is a dangerous and not advisable undertaking because most of the waterway is not safely navigable due to fallen trees, trash, sewer pipe crossings and possibilities of flash flooding, not to mention extremely poor water quality. Kaufman undertook his canoe trips in the early 1990s and broke his journey into four parts: the South Fork and North Fork tributaries, Nancy Creek and finally an eight-mile stretch of the main branch of Peachtree Creek starting at Piedmont Road and arriving eventually where the creek flows into the Chattahoochee River, once the site of the Creek Indian village Standing Peachtree. As he journeys down the creek, we learn about the history of the watershed, the development and overdevelopment of the land around it, and how this overdevelopment has led to problems of flooding and contamination of the creek by sewage and ground water runoff. The reader also learns about the history of many of the people who came and settled near the creek and helped to establish the city of Atlanta. The troubled history of Atlanta’s sewer system is covered as it is intimately intertwined with the history of the watershed. Peachtree Creek is a cautionary tale of a beautiful natural resource barely surviving within an urban jungle. The author offers hope that while the watershed will never be returned to its original pristine state before man intervened, it may, with work and dedication, be brought up to a healthier quality for future generations. The text is interspersed with archival photographs and photographs taken by the author. Also included is a chronology of the watershed and a selected bibliography. Enthusiastically recommended for all libraries.
- Tomblin, Kim (2008) "REVIEW: Peachtree Creek: A Natural and Unnatural History of Atlanta’s Watershed," Georgia Library Quarterly: Vol. 45 : Iss. 1 , Article 18 https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1185&context=glq