Ice-sheet invasion -- The birth of kettle lakes and ponds -- Extinction, early humans, and stabilization -- Natives and the lake-forest ecosystem -- The fur trade, the Northwest Passage, and the source of the Mississippi -- Kettles and early America -- Family lake culture -- How lakes work -- Habitats, flora, and fauna -- Loving lakes too much -- Lake futures -- Appendix A. Kettles, state by state -- Appendix B. Identifying kettles.