Bill Deutsch has worked for decades to protect Alabama waterways. Now, he has drawn from his deep knowledge to create a readable, engaging, and informative narrative about our rivers. We are in his debt for both these great gifts.

Dr. Edwin Bridges, Emeritus Director, Alabama Department of Archives and History, Author of Alabama: The History of a Southern State.

Alabama Rivers, a Celebration and Challenge is a perfect publication for Alabama’s bicentennial. The information is presented so well and clearly that the reader may not realize how much she is learning as she enjoys the wonderful stories! One of the great strengths of the book is that it inspires genuine pride in our state.

Jay Lamar, Executive Director, Alabama Bicentennial Commission

Reading this book was like exploring Alabama's DNA, diving deep in time and resurfacing back to the present. Bill’s enlightening celebration of Alabama rivers also includes an honest look at the challenges they face and calls us all to take responsibility for ensuring the state's river story continues to be written by future generations! This is a must read for anyone in a position to make decisions about the future of Alabama.

Cindy Lowry, Executive Director, Alabama Rivers Alliance

A remarkable composite of well-documented material about Alabama’s incredible web of rivers. His personal anecdotes make it obvious he has lived and breathed this book for many years.

Richard (Dick) Bronson, Colonel, US Army (Retired), Founder, Lake Watch of Lake Martin

Bill Deutsch is a tireless river scientist and advocate who now offers a book that will be a treasured resource for citizens, leaders, educators, and students for years to come. Deutsch presents the great beauty of the state’s rivers, their unrivalled biodiversity, and the many ways these rivers sustain us. The tour he takes the reader on is informative, personal, and always delightful – it’s a journey you won’t want to miss.

Dr. R. Scot Duncan, Author of Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Amazing Biodiversity

Bill Deutsch is an amazing storyteller and teacher, and he weaves his stories into the tale of our state's greatest resource. The book entertains and educates and should be in the hands of all educators!

Maggie Johnston, Executive Director, Wild Alabama, Inc.

Citizen scientists, river enthusiasts, and anyone with a love of learning will be captivated by the chronicle, anecdotes and stories shared. Deutsch provides a sound scientific basis to understand watersheds, and a common language to understand how “water connects.”

Dr. Kristine Stepenuck, Chair, Citizen Science Association

Bill has used his talents for transforming scientific information into common language and created a treasure for all Alabamians! We experience a sense of awe for the special place we call home, and the book is sure to inspire readers to do more to protect our amazing water resources.

Mona Dominguez, Director, Alabama Water Watch

The author’s knowledge and love of rivers effuses through the intricate weaving of stories, scientific facts, and future concerns about Alabama’s most precious natural resource. His challenge to protect rivers is a reminder to all that stewardship, conservation, and wise use go hand-in-hand and should be at the top of all water discussions in Alabama.

Dr. Patrick O’Neil, co-author of Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin

Ancient Life in Alabama captures the spirit of what makes paleontology interesting and important on all levels. This excellent, well-written book on the nature of fossils and the people who collect and study them is accessible to anyone with an interest in natural history. The breadth of coverage of the topic includes not only modern ideas on the development and evolution of life on Earth, but also considerable historical background showing how paleontology changed from uncertain speculations about mysterious shapes in rocks into a full-fledged scientific discipline.

Dr. Ron Buta, Emeritus Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Alabama, and 2022 Recipient of the Alabama Avocational Paleontologist of the Year Award

Bill Deutsch’s inspirational book is one-of-a-kind, and worth reading by everyone interested in paleontology in Alabama, the Southeastern US, and beyond. Above all, this book is about and for the people: from young to old and regardless of whether you are an avocational paleontologist, student, or professional.

Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, Curator of Paleontology, Alabama Museum of Natural History, University of Alabama

Dr. Bill Deutsch skillfully guides the reader on a whirlwind tour through the state’s geological history and introduces the fossilized life for each major period. In addition, he explores some of the key religious and philosophical issues that continue to fuel our society’s culture wars. Regardless of one’s current religious or scientific perspective, Ancient Life in Alabama offers an excellent opportunity for the reader to develop a more informed opinion on the subject.

Dr. Jim Lacefield, author of Lost Worlds in Alabama Rocks: A Guide to the State’s Ancient Life and Landscapes

In Ancient Life in Alabama, Bill Deutsch uses a simple but not simplistic approach to complex developments in paleontology. I was struck by how he relates his love of history, literature, and art to the subjects under discussion, and I learned a ton. The reader will surely appreciate the keen eye Dr. Deutsch casts on the persons whose discoveries and theories are the heart of the field—especially in his interspersed Bio Sketches and Joy of the Hunt accounts. Just a fascinating book.

Dr. Jim Brown, History Professor Emeritus, Samford University

Popular books on fossils usually feature the bones and shells but, in this book, Dr. Bill Deutsch features the individuals who have contributed, and really shaped, our knowledge of the deep-time history of Alabama. It is rare to see synopses of the very large number of paleontologists, amateurs and paleontologists-in-training who have contributed fossils and insights into our understanding of the past, but it is all here.

Dr. David R. Schwimmer, Professor of Geology, Columbus State University

This is an easily accessible book for both students and adults. Bill Deutsch presents not only a perspective on Alabama's fossils and their collectors over the centuries, but also a brief lesson in the state's deep time history. He extends this record both geographically, across the Southeastern US, and intellectually, addressing how paleontology provides insights into current issues confronting education and society. This contribution gives the reader time to think.

Dr. Robert Gastaldo, Whipple-Coddington Emeritus Professor of Geology, Colby College

Alabama is a paleontologist's dream, an absolute paradise for fossil hunters. In this wonderful book, we see how such a rich fossil heritage fosters both scientific advance and an appreciation of the natural world, from professional scientists to amateur collectors, and everything in between. I've actually never seen another book quite like it.

Caitlín R. Kiernan, Research Associate, McWane Science Center, and Alabama Museum of Natural History

In this brilliant book, Bill brings the incredibly rich and diverse story of Alabama’s fossils to life in a compelling celebration of the history and science behind their discoveries as well as the professional and amateur paleontologists who have contributed to it. It would be an excellent resource in school libraries.

Rebecca Kelly, Gifted Education teacher, Auburn, Alabama

Alabama's wonderfully diverse and abundant paleontological record has always been one of its biggest, and least appreciated, secrets. If people only knew! is a thought I've had countless times over the decades. Bill Deutsch's Ancient Life in Alabama is a comprehensive and long overdue compilation of the state's ancient treasures and the people who are bringing those treasures into the light.

Jason P. Schein, Executive Director, Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute