No comments about An Outdoor Family Guide to Acadia National Park (Outdoor Family Guides).

No comments about Map-Greater Portland, ME.

No comments about National Geographic Guide Map Maine (National Geographic GuideMaps).

5 comments about Moon Handbooks Maine (Moon Handbooks).

1. First of all, I have to mention that I live in Maine. And I can tell you from experience that the beauty of Kathleen Brandes' book lies in the sheer span of coverage, which is considerable, matched with a propensity for detail, which is astounding! Even the "Native" Mainers will find much to enjoy in this book. This is a rich, dense, and completely user-friendly volume, folks!
   I'll give you an example. I'm a photographer based in the Bangor area. I bought this book for my personal library which aids me in seeking out photographic areas of interest. Last week I traveled to Lubec, Maine - and I used this handbook for lodging and dining info. I located the Eastland Motel in Lubec based on this handbook, and met the proprietor - Lee Aragon - who cheerfully provided suggestions for exploration in the Lubec-Eastport-Campobello region. I mentioned to Lee that I had read about her in The Maine Handbook...and that she was correctly described by Kathleen Brandes as a "Lubec booster". Lee was tickled pink by this, and by extension, I was able to get some nice local insights that I would never have known about otherwise.
   Paging through this Maine Handbook, you get the feeling that Kathleen Brandes is a scholar of "All Things Maine", and she is enjoying every minute of it. And who can blame her? Maine truly is.....well.....the way life should be.
   Buy the book, come to Maine....and if you already live here, buy the book anyway! It has become something of a "state bible" for me. Can't image traveling without it.
   And there is something in this book for everyone. Kathleen has you covered, whether you are single, married with children, an armchair traveler or someone who simply wishes to know more about the Pine Tree State. Longtime locals and prospective tourists alike would do well to mine this gem of a book. I have two dog-eared copies....one for home, and one for my car - enough said.



2. I've spent time at the book stores recently researching books for my upcoming trip to Maine. My wife and I plan to spend 4 nights and 5 days there and wanted plenty to see and do where we wouldn't necessarily meet thousands of other travelers since I'm not too much into the whole crowd experience. Brandes' book is so well researched that you can't go wrong with it!

   While other typical books that are similar, such as Fodors and Frommers, have quite a bit of information in its own right, I think that this particular Moon Handbook is better equipped to give better detail of interest whether site seeing, dining, entertainment, lodging, etc.

   I recently completed a Web site for a bed and breakfast located in Machiasport (down east) and had to do quite a bit of research on the area to enhance their site. My research was conducted primarily via the internet over the course of a few days. I'm glad to say that after I received my book and compared information, everything I could find on the Web in and around Machiasport was already included in sufficient detail in this book! I would have saved myself a few days of searching.

   If you want to tour Maine or already live there but need to places to explore, the second edition Moon Handbook on Maine is the way to go.

   When I vote with 4 stars, that means the product was excellent. When I vote with 5 stars, it goes beyond excellence in my view and is considered best in class. This book is "THE" authoritive book on touring Maine. Excellent purchase!




3. This book has become an invaluable source! I've now travelled to Maine twice and brought the book both times. Brandes provides a wealth of information, especially for those things off the beaten path. The book includes very helpful maps - on my last trip I left my Maine atlas at home and found the maps included in the book to be quite helpful. The spine on my book is really starting to see some wear - I enjoy reading it even when I'm not travelling. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are planning to travel to the northern, less populated regions of Maine.



4. I LOVED this book. My family and I travel Maine each year and this book is THE guide (along with the Maine Atlas). It has helped us refine our experience in Maine to a very satisfying level.
   
   The guide to natural sites/walks/boating is still wonderful.
   
   However, if you've been to Maine before, you know that businesses come and go with alarming rapidity. This is especially true in the Eastern Coast. Most of the restaurants listed in the guide are long gone or under different managements, so don't count on finding a place to eat based on this guide.



5. This book is fabulous. I work as a travel nurse and recently spent 6 1/2 months in Maine. I had never been there before and spent several hours at the bookstore going through various Maine travel books before settling on this one. I certainly made the right choice. It was a wonderful resource. I spent hours reviewing the information in this book over the course of my time in Maine. I plan to go back to Maine next summer and will take my book right back with me. The information on shops, restaurants and points of interest was valuable and very accurate.

5 comments about In Beauty May She Walk; Hiking the Appalachian Trail at 60.

1. I've read 4 books on hiking the AT. This one I liked the least. Author complained a lot about how difficult it was. Left me almost depressed about the prospect of hiking the trail.



2. 
   I enjoyed the book - its always been a dream of mine to go on such a journey. I'm not much of a reader but since I got the 1st book
   written about the APT I have not missed many of the books. I also have
   one of the tapes (Trek) & enjoyed that too. I'm 68 & wished I'd known
   about the APT long before I got so elderly. It still excites me & I can't hardly stop reading when I get a new book, this one is very satifying & so full of hope. Thanks



3. A wonderful and inspiring book for anyone, but especially for women over 50. While I don't plan anything so adventurous as Ms Mass, she does inspire me to keep walking.
   I especially enjoyed her writing style and her shared insights into people and culture which make this book so much more than a walker's diary.



4. A wonderful book for those of us over sixty. It is an insperation, very detailed. A fun book.



5. I am almost to the end of the trail/book. I read a review of this book in our local Bend OR paper, I ordered a copy after noting the author was 60 at the time of the hike, and I had just turned 60. I took awhile to start to read it, but couldn't put it down after I started. The only problem or disappointment, I had, was no 'follow-up' on Amy and Jed, if that was his real name. Other wise, I enjoyed her journey.

No comments about Moon Maine (Moon Handbooks).

5 comments about Windjammers, Lighthouses, & Other Treasures of the Maine Coast.

1. Those with even the most casual interest in the schooners and lighthouses of the Northeast will find this book fascinating. For those with a keen interest, the book is an absolute "must have".
   
   Having experienced sailing aboard a windjammer with Mr. Chillemi on one of his photo workshops, I can say with some degree of authority that he has a passion not only for photography, but also for the tall ships and lighthouses that dot the beautiful coast of Maine. Chillime has masterfully captured the grandeur. To loosely paraphrase an earlier reviewer, one can almost smell the salt air and wet canvas within the pages of this book.



2. The most difficult thing about photographing the Maine coast is not having enough film or enough empty space in a memory card for those who use digital. In just about every nook and corner, there is something to capture: a scene with boats, lighthouses, the ocean in its glory, birds, and people earning a living in eth fishing industry. Maine is a state with natural beauty, history, and at times a glimpse of life as it used to be, though it is still a reality in this amazing northeast state. Yet with all the diversity, we often see the same scenes just captured by someone different. If you want to find some unique and beautiful images, Frank Chillemi's WINDJAMMERS, LIGHTHOUSES, AND OTHER TREASURES OF THE MAINE COAST is just the book for you.
   
   Chillemi, who offers photographic tours of the Maine coast aboard a windjammer, captures these beautiful vessels as well as the many lighthouses along the Maine coast. While he includes some of the famous Maine lighthouses: Portland Head, Nubble, and Pemmaquid, he focuses primarily on the mid-coast area of Maine and offers interesting shots of lesser known lights. He also captures the beauty of sail with his windjammer shots.
   
   I first saw this book when I was visiting Maine and decided I have to take a photographic tour with the author/photographer, hoping that under his tutelage I may get a few good shots too. I am sure I am not the only amateur photographer who has seen the book and decided the same thing. I haven't looked at the price of a windjammer tour yet, so maybe I will have to put it on hold for a while. One thing I do know, friends and family members who love Maine will be getting a copy as a Christmas or birthday present and I'm sure that once seeing this book, you'll love it too.



3. Windjammers, Lighthouses and Other Treasures of the Maine Coast is an exceptional piece of photographic literature anyone with an appreciation for the sea and the beauty of the northeast can enjoy. The book is a compilation of the author's photographs that have been taken during his travels along the north shores of Maine. The photos in this book vary from timeless, nostalgic images to captured moments of nature's awesome beauty.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone with an affection for the sea, those who enjoy nature photography, general photo enthusiasts, and/or anyone that simply wants to be taken away by stunning and compelling images this book has to offer.



4. Frank Chillemi has done a stunning job of capturing the essence and beauty of Maine coast lighthouses and windjammers. Through his magnificent photography, each picture captures a special scene in time and mood. The photographs are mostly full-page size, with a short description below. Each scene, in my opinion, is so beautiful it could be framed. I highly recommend this inspiring book for anyone who is not only interested in photography, but also one who appreciates the beauty of tall windjammers, lighthouses and nature. Frank Chellemi, through his photography, will take you to places that you might not otherwise see, at the most beautiful times of the day.



5. Just as I expected. It's a very peaceful book to go wondering through. Makes you feel like your in Maine.

2 comments about Maine Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff.

1. I am planing a trip to Maine and thought I would read-up on the state. Tim Sample is billed as a sort of Down East Dave Barry. The book is vaguely cute but certainly not humorous. Unless this is what passes for humor in Maine (I hope not). The book presents curiosities that are only mildly curious and quirky characters that are not very quirky and wouldn't get a second glance in California or Florida. Its main subject matter seems to be large road-side advertising constructions. As someone who has driven through more than half the states in the Union, I find that the highlighted Maine road-side advertising constructions in this book are nothing out of the ordinary, and hardly rate the write-ups devoted to them here. Disappointing.



2. This book has the unusual landmarks we drive by every summer and wonder "What's that all about?" Questions answered!!!

1 comments about Maine Amphibians and Reptiles.

1. This is an excellent book on the amphibians, turtles, and reptiles of Maine. Great text, detailed maps, good photographs, up-to-date taxonomy, and adheres to standardized common names. An authoritative and easily-used guide that will serve well both North American herpetologists and the citizens of Maine. Highly recommended.

4 comments about A Day's Work: A Sampler of Historic Maine Photographs, 1860--1920, Part II.

1. BOOK REVIEW

   A Day's Work: A Sampler of Historic Maine Photographs, 1860-1920, Part I, annotated and compiled by W. H. Bunting. Sponsored by Maine Preservation, Tilbury House Publishers, 132 Water St., Gardiner, ME 04345, 1997. 380 pp., oversize, paperback, $35.00

   This is a wonderful book, so don't let the title drive you away. You must read halfway through that forbidding title to find out that it's about Maine, farther yet to learn that it's photographic, and "Part I" leaves you dangling. I would have called it Maine at Work, 1860-1920: Photographs and Text; the rest is superfluous--and I have added the word "text" because the text is just as delightful as the photos. I am writing this review because it's a book that people who love Maine shouldn't miss.

   I have been summering in Maine for about forty years. The mountains and the skies and the rockbound coast make one constantly aware that Maine is different--the most northern and most eastern state in the USA, with a thousand of miles of shoreline and huge expanses of forest wilderness. Its wild geography has shaped its people and determined how they live. Vestiges of the past are everywhere, from the old docks and windjammers and lighthouses to the barns and sawmills and huge piles of firewood. If one wants an understanding and a feeling for those old times, this book is for you.

   William Bunting's fascination with these historical photographs is communicated through the text. He has spent decades immersing himself in local history, and he not only explains each photo but goes behind it, delving into the history and significance of what is shown. If you want to know how to make hard cider, see p. 150 opposite the superb photo of the farmyard with a pile of apples by the old barn. The complex process of logging in the wilderness and getting the logs downriver to the mills and eventually by ship to market is followed through many photos with descriptive text (see pp. 34-44, 86-88, and more). Many buildings in Boston and points south were built of Maine granite; here you can see the granite cutters and the ships and men that carried that heavy cargo to market. Would you like to know and see how in the old days lobster fishing, seining, dip-netting, and canning were done? Or railroading, hunting, or harvesting ice? They're all here, and much more.

   Start reading at the Introduction, a fine evocation of Maine today in relation to the past, and a convincing demonstration of the value of photos as historical documents. You will also discover that the author raises cattle and is a bulldozer operator, which doesn't quite explain his mastery of local history (this is his third book) but puts him closer to the down-to-earth people in the pictures. The introduction takes you directly into the text; there are no breaks or chapter headings. Bunting explains that the book is like "taking a journey," one that he took himself--and fortunately it has a good index. I began by looking up the places I know best: Waldoboro, Boothbay, Edgecomb, Casco, Bath, Damariscotta, but the book is a trap--once in, it's hard to get out. You go from photo to photo and from text to text.

   The content of the pictures and text is absorbing, but I have said nothing about the aesthetic quality of the photographs. These old black and whites, from the days of heavy cameras and glass plate negatives, have a crispness and wealth of detail rarely seen in today's polychromatic action photos with artificial photo-effects. Many of them were taken for the purpose of making a record, and they project an authenticity that makes the viewer a participant. They have the grip of reality. The photos are worth the price of the book, and the text multiplies their value.

   A Day's Work (Part I) focuses on many economic aspects of life in Maine in the late eighteenth and early twentieth century. The author, or annotator and compiler as he calls himself, says that some topics will appear in both volumes, but Part II will emphasize the pulp and paper industries, cotton textiles, coopering, axe manufacturing, etc. Perhaps he's waiting to sit down with the photographs and see where the journey leads. If it's anything like this one, it will be worth waiting for.

   Herbert S. Bailey, Jr.
   Fearrington Post 248
   Pittsboro, NC 27312




2. Wow! Once in a while a book comes along that is so satisfying that one wonders if you really read it. I can't praise the author enough for bringing to life the life of Maine 100 years ago.



3. My only objection to this book is that it's a tease waiting for the third book. Sometimes I wish it were more integrated topically, or at least that the index were more expansive. But few would want to miss any page. Each reads by itself, with valuable insight (and entertainment). The printing, layout, author's style, comprehensive research, and especially the photographs are all wonderful. In a way, the non-topical approach is exciting too: the penultimate in "coffee table" books. One never grows tired of it, rarely if ever skips a section, looks forward to the next session, and cherishes it as much as the spectacular first volume.

   NO author of Maine historical and cultural subjects writes better, or has done more comprehensive research. I would certainly include it in the parcel I would assemble for exile to Boon Island.

   I pray for the author's health, happiness, and continued productivity. He is the best of Maine writers and scholars, and sets the best example and model for the generally motley group of Maine "writers", especially the very narrowly-scoped academicians who slavishly follow fixed models of interpretation and presentation. I'm sure Fanny Hardy Ecstorm, Elizabeth Ring and James Baxter (god bless their beautiful souls) are smiling at this wonderful, wonderful writer.




4. "A Day's Work: A Sampler Of Historic Maine Photographs, 1860-1920: Part 1" is compiled with annotations by Maine historian, author, cattleman, and businessman W. H. Bunting who labored for almost 30 years assembling his collection of historic photographic images of the people, buildings, activities and landscapes that comprise Maine's history, commerce, and communities. Each of the 225 black-and-white photos is accompanied by a narrative caption that are as entertaining as they are informative. From a lumber batteau working on a log jam, to an eccentric cobbler traveling from island to island by sailing scow, to trains wrecks, hootchie-cootchie dancers, coastwise cargo schooners, and so much more, readers are treated to unique perspectives captured by a camera's lens and documented life and work in the state of Maine during a sixty year span that begins in 1860 and ends in 1920. Also available in a hardcover edition, "A Day's Work" is especially recommended for academic library Regional History reference collections in general, and Maine's community library State History collections in particular.