Reflections in Quiet Water

By
David Rains Wallace

Engravings
Richard Wagener & Abigail Rorer

Slipcase Edition: $2200
Engraver’s Edition: $2800

David Rains Wallace, recipient of the John Burroughs Medal for The Klamath Knot and author of more than twenty books on conservation and natural history, contributes a suite of new reflections on American wetlands to this edition, the fifth collaboration between Nawakum Press and Mixolydian Editions. His prose provides the intellectual foundation and ecological insight that anchor the work, interwoven with the extraordinary visual representations created by master wood engravers Richard Wagener and Abigail Rorer. Together, this trio—writer and engravers—forms a rare convergence of vision, technique, and sensibility directed toward a celebration of our wetlands.

In this edition, Wallace turns his attention to the immense tapestry of American wetland ecosystems, weaving together observations from both past and present. His experience as a natural historian, and his gift for seeing patterns where others might perceive only disorder, allow him to approach wetlands not merely as geographic features but as living, breathing repositories of time. He traces their shifting boundaries, their patterns of seasonal renewal, and the fragile interdependence of water, soil, and species that define them. Known for his eloquent prose and profound understanding of nature, Wallace offers a celebration of these habitats that is at once poetic and rigorously informed. His writing underscores the ecological significance of wetlands while also capturing their innate beauty, ambiguity, and mystery.

The interplay between Wagener and Rorer—with their personal views of the intimate, the atmospheric and the anatomical—creates an uncommon visual rhythm throughout the book. Their engravings amplify one another, and together they transform Wallace’s reflections into a fully immersive experience. Every page becomes a meeting point between word and image, between the analytical and the expressive. The result is a collaboration that exceeds the sum of its parts: not merely a literary exploration of wetlands, but a tactile, visual, and intellectual journey shaped by three distinct artistic voices working in harmony. This book positions the engravings not as embellishments but as essential components of interpretation, giving readers a multidimensional understanding of wetlands as living systems and as metaphors for resilience and fragility.

The shared commitment to fine materials, handcraft, and limited edition artistry ensures that every component—from paper to type to impression—supports the extraordinary work of the engravers.

Wagener and Rorer’s prints are given the clarity, depth, and space they deserve, allowing readers to experience the tactile presence of engraving in its finest form. Such attention reveals the essential truth that fine-press publishing itself is a form of ecological mindfulness: an approach that values slowness, attention, and stewardship.