Reflections of the Brazos Valley

Many years ago, John Graves said goodbye to a wild river that tumbled out of the Hill Country and was forever changed by dams and people. In this book we say hello to that same river farther down its course, in the valley that carries its name. When naming the signature landscapes of Texas, if you have never said “Brazos Valley” in the same breath as “Hill Country” or “Big Bend,” this book could change your mind. In the fine, penetrating photography of D. Gentry Steele and the revealing, affectionate reflections of M. Jimmie Killingsworth, the Brazos Valley has found its champions in two adopted sons who have learned to love its quiet, uncelebrated beauty. In words and pictures, Killingsworth and Steele remind us that this valley was the birthplace of a republic, was once the agricultural heart of Texas, and was the ancestral home of a great alluvial river. Here, the Brazos is—and isn’t—John Graves’s river, the one with clear-running waters flowing beneath limestone cliffs. A little south of Waco, the river gets bigger, slower, muddier. In its middle reaches it creates a wide swath of bottomlands and prairies where, if you take the time to look, you will discover the natural virtues of this place: peaceful glens, watered forests, flowers, birds, and backyard wildlife. This book will inspire all who live and work here—and those who just visit—to see the Brazos Valley anew and form a fuller appreciation of what it offers.

Many years ago, John Graves said goodbye to a wild river that tumbled out of the Hill Country and was forever changed by dams and people. In this book we say hello to that same river farther down its course, in the valley that carries its name.

When naming the signature landscapes of Texas, if you have never said "Brazos Valley" in the same breath as "Hill Country" or "Big Bend," this book could change your mind. In the fine, penetrating photography of D. Gentry Steele and the revealing, affectionate reflections of M. Jimmie Killingsworth, the Brazos Valley has found its champions in two adopted sons who have learned to love its quiet, uncelebrated beauty.

In words and pictures, Killingsworth and Steele remind us that this valley was the birthplace of a republic, was once the agricultural heart of Texas, and was the ancestral home of a great alluvial river. Here, the Brazos is—and isn't—John Graves's river, the one with clear-running waters flowing beneath limestone cliffs. A little south of Waco, the river gets bigger, slower, muddier. In its middle reaches it creates a wide swath of bottomlands and prairies where, if you take the time to look, you will discover the natural virtues of this place: peaceful glens, watered forests, flowers, birds, and backyard wildlife.

This book will inspire all who live and work here—and those who just visit—to see the Brazos Valley anew and form a fuller appreciation of what it offers.

Mexia Daily News

Reflections of the Brazos Valley is a beautiful book and deserves a place on your coffee table or as a gift.

D. Gentry Steele is an emeritus professor at Texas A&M University. A physical anthropologist with expertise in skeletal biology who has contributed two important books and many articles to his field, Steele is also an experienced photographer whose book on the Big Bend, Land of the Desert Sun, was also published by Texas A&M University Press.M. Jimmie Killingsworth is professor of English at Texas A&M University and chair of the department. Widely published on topics ranging from nature poetry to technical style, Killingsworth is author or coauthor of seven books. A native of South Carolina, he has lived in College Station since 1990.