A history of the river with firsthand accounts and photographs of the 1927 flood. Saxon's description of the discovery, exploration, and settlement of the delta combined with his collection of personal accounts makes for a compelling blend of personal, political, geographical, and historical facts. The book, considered as much a documentation of the disaster as an impassioned plea for help, demonstrates just how volatile an environment the Mississippi River region was and continues to be.-Print ed. Lyle Saxon (1891-1946) ranks among Louisiana's most outstanding writers. During the 1920s and 1930s he was the central figure in the region's literary community, and was widely known as a raconteur and bon vivant. In addition to Father Mississippi, Lafitte the Pirate, and Children of Strangers, he also wrote Fabulous New Orleans, Old Louisiana, The Friends of Joe Gilmore, and was a co-author of Gumbo Ya-Ya, with Edward Dreyer and Robert Tallant. During the Depression, he directed the state WPA Writers Project, which produced the WPA Guide to Louisiana and the WPA Guide to New Orleans.