Cover of Cadillac Desert

Book · 1993 · Technology & Engineering

Cadillac Desert

The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition

by Marc Reisner · Recommended by 2 people on 2 podcasts

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But there's a book by uh Mark Reeseman called Cadillac Desert which essentially traces the same arc uh with a guy named Floyd Dominy running the Bureau of Reclamation and building dams all across the West.
Mark Dunkelman · The Ezra Klein Show · Apr 2026 Listen at 1:58:55

The best things said about it

1 of 2 · every mention
Discussed
If you've read "Cadillac Desert", it goes into some detail here. That's a great book.
John Collison Cheeky Pint · Oct 2025

Why people recommend it

Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner is a classic environmental history detailing the massive dam-building projects and water management policies that shaped the arid American West under figures like Floyd Dominy. On The Ezra Klein Show, Mark Dunkelman recommended Cadillac Desert as part of his curated reading list, noting that it expertly traces the complex arc of water development and federal intervention by the Bureau of Reclamation. Dunkelman praised the book's narrative scope and historical importance. Additionally, on an episode of Cheeky Pint, Casey Handmer and the host discussed water management challenges in the American West and explicitly brought up Reisner's book, agreeing that it delves into the intricate historical details of the region with remarkable depth. Both podcast discussions celebrated Cadillac Desert as an indispensable text for understanding the environmental and political consequences of taming western rivers. Through these enthusiastic endorsements, Reisner's work remains a definitive reference for anyone seeking to comprehend the immense ecological and infrastructural engineering feats that created modern civilization in the desert.

Every mention

2 counted mentions
Mark Dunkelman But there's a book by uh Mark Reeseman called Cadillac Desert which essentially traces the same arc uh with… 1
Recommended
“But there's a book by uh Mark Reeseman called Cadillac Desert which essentially traces the same arc uh with a guy named Floyd Dominy running the Bureau of Reclamation and building dams all across the West.”
John Collison If you've read "Cadillac Desert", it goes into some detail here. That's a great book. 1
Discussed
“If you've read "Cadillac Desert", it goes into some detail here. That's a great book.”

Also mentioned in the same episodes

Portraits from Wikimedia Commons: John Collison, Web Summit / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).