Menzies, Elizabeth G.C. Passage Between Rivers: A Portfolio of Photographs with a History of the Delaware and Raritan Canal by Elizabeth G.C. Menzies.

Rutgers University Press, 1976. 1st Printing. [The D & R Canal which runs from Trenton to New Brunswick across New Jersey was operational until the 1930s.  Menzies (1915–2003) was a prolific Princeton photographer whose work appeared regularly in Princeton Alumni Weekly and Town Topics, as well as national publications like Time and Life.  Another of her noteworthy books was Princeton Architecture: A Pictorial History of Town and Campus.] Fine in wraps. Summary:

Passage Between Rivers: A Portfolio of Photographs with a History of the Delaware and Raritan Canal is a photo-documentary volume by photographer and historian Elizabeth G.C. Menzies. The book serves as a vital historical record and visual portrait of the Delaware and Raritan (D&R) Canal, tracking its narrative from its 19th-century inception as a vital industrial shipping highway through its post-industrial evolution in New Jersey.

Key Focus Areas

• The Historical Narrative: Menzies details the rich history of the canal, which opened in 1834 to connect the Delaware River at Bordentown to the Raritan River at New Brunswick. The text explores the engineering marvels of its construction, its economic impact on transporting coal and goods across central New Jersey, and its eventual decline due to the rise of competitive railroads.

• The Visual Portfolio: The core of the volume relies on Menzies’ evocative black-and-white photography, combined with archival illustrations. Her camera captures the atmospheric remnants of the canal's operational era, documenting the architecture of historic lock structures, swing bridges, aqueducts, and the preserved stone homes of the canal's bridge tenders.

• The Preservation Focus: Published shortly after the canal was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a New Jersey state park, the book serves an environmental and preservationist purpose. Menzies uses her imagery to celebrate the canal’s survival and transformation from an abandoned commercial waterway into a vibrant recreational corridor and wildlife sanctuary.