In a time of desolation, Thomas Becknell is drawn to the Mississippi River, then caught by its powers of enchantment. He sets out to learn about the river's great allure, to be near it and to ponder what it might show him. Enchantments of the Mississippi takes readers on a contemplative journey of time and place. It does not follow a linear path from source to sea. Rather, its chapters are shaped by topography and memory. Its sequence is the mystery of the river's unfolding. From the darkness of the gorge and the time in which he writes--through the river's many confluences, around a great bend, and from vistas atop the river's bluffs--this book tells a story of falling in love with the currents of time, the beauty of life, and the consolation of spirit.