the rivers series was conceived and planned by constance lindsay skinner in the mid 1930s. she selected well-known authors who were familiar with the subject river and paired them with talented and often well known illustrators such as andrew wyeth and roz san -- ross santi. almost 40 years later, there were 65 series titles including a songbook, songs of the rivers of america, published between 1937 and 1974 by reinhart and company and later by hoke, reinhart and winston. skinner died in 1939 while editing the hudson by carl carmer, the sixth book in the series. but her vision would continue for another 35 years under the editorial guidance of three noted literary figures of the time. steven vincent bonet, then herbie allen and the last editor, carl carmer. the series was diverse in content and thrived longer than any other such publishing effort. it was one of the most successful literary ventures in publishing history. in addition to the 65 trade editions, there were signed limited editions. there were armed services editions, british editions, young readers' editions an