There is much more to the Charles River than perspiring college kids sculling to the insistent chant of the coxswain. Michael Tougias has been loving and exploring the Charles, all 80 miles of it, for 20 years now, finding secluded towns, coves, marshes, and woodlands of remarkable beauty, and his book is a real gift to the people who live near enough the banks of the Charles to take advantage of Tougias' vast river experience. Touching on its geography, history, and wildlife, Tougias provides a very practical recreation guide to 11 wilderness reservations along the Charles. Each chapter contains convenient, accurate maps and directions; routes for canoes, kayaks, and bicycles; resources for paddlers, hikers, anglers, and picnickers; and accounts of the river and its history from Native American settlements through Revolutionary War days up to modern times. Boston's summers can be hot and intense, but there are lush, bucolic, remote oases that are easily accessible if only you know where to go.