No comments about The Rockbound Coast: Travels in Maine.

No comments about Cruising the Maine coast.

No comments about Upper Saco River Valley: Fryeburg, Lovell, Brownfield, Denmark, and Hiram (ME) (Images of America).

No comments about Images (Photographs) Of America: The Boothbay Harbor Region, Maine.

5 comments about Romantic Weekends New England: Coastal Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Coastal Massachusetts, Rhode Island (Romantic Weekends Series).

1. This is far more comprehensive than other books in this area -- it's well written and the layout made it easy and a pleasure to read. The recipes and maps made it practical and much more interesting than a typical travel book.



2. "Where to eat, where to stay and what to do are covered. The Foulkes also throw in tidbits such as tasty regional recipes, a bit of poetry by Emerson and a love letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne." Chicago Daily Herald



3. "[The] captivating prose invokes the spirit and visual appeal of the places described. [The book] provides perfect fodder for couples [and is] an indispensable planning assistant." About.com



4. "... a great pleasure to read, even if you're not looking for a place to stay. You can feel the authors were bent on romance... not just filling up the book. Accommodations are described in charming detail, also meals, with the occasional recipe. If you contemplate a getaway in new England, this is the book to take along." Travel Writer Marketletter



5. A selection of recommended inns, delightful restaurants, resorts, festivals, the best places to stroll together under the stars or have a secluded champagne picnic - the most romantic places. This book visits special spots in in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont. Each place has been carefully selected, making sure that it offers something special - in-room fireplaces, four-poster beds, Jacuzzis, enchanting gardens, five-star cuisine.

No comments about The Island's True Child.

2 comments about Maine Sail.

1. Maine Sail: An Artist's Journal Of A Cruise Down East showcases the artistic talent of Margaret McCrea, who with her husband, is also an avid sailor taking Maine coasts cruises in the 32-foot Panacea. Color artworks that soothe the spirit and capture the natural beauty of the water and the shoreline, combined with notes and contemplative musings that set the gentle images in context, make for a relaxing and rewarding artbook to page through. The narrative font is an imitation cursive handwriting font, which helps set the homestyle memoir mood. A superb and memorable tour, especially recommended for nautically inclined armchair sailers.



2. Just a wonderful book to have lying around. I loved reading it the first time and now I love to just pick it up and leaf through it - this may sound strange, but the whole book with it's tasteful font and peaceful paintings make you forget everything and relax. It somehow has a very soothing feel as well as being interesting and informative. Without a doubt though, it's the illustrations that make the whole book worthwhile.

2 comments about The Northern Farm: A Glorious Year on a Small Maine Farm.

1. This is a delightful work. The writing is superb. It is a quick read, too quick. I wish it went on for several hundred pages more. It is one of those books that once you finish it the next book you read seems flat and dull. It is about a year he spent on his farm in Maine. It is filled with wonderful, arftul, inciteful, descriptive glimpses into this world and humanity. It stirs the soul and has a way of making one want to go right outside and plant something. A great read for anyone who likes nature or great writing in general.



2. Henry Beston is best known for writing about his solo Cape Cod beach experience in "The Outermost House." A few years later he married author Elizabeth Coatsworth, and they bought a farm in Maine. First published in 1948, "Northern Farm" recounts a calendar year's worth of rural life in that northern clime. Brrrr.
   
   The chronological narrative begins as the Bestons return to their snow-covered fields and ice-capped pond after celebrating the Christmas season with friends in New York. Each chapter combines factual events with entries from Beston's farm diary, plus his summary philosophical statements. And boy, does winter sure seem to last a long time! It frames the progression of the book. Thankfully Beston takes the opportunity to describe the wildlife he's able to encounter between snowstorms. An overwhelming sense of community surfaces here as well. Remember: this story takes place in a farming landscape just after WWII, before a television could be found in every living room, and when people relied on each other for help during challenging times. They were the kind of times when you left a lantern burning in the front room so that you could more easily find your way home after attending a church supper on a rainy night. "The good old days," for some.
   
   In addition to his notes about managing a small farm and following Nature's course, Beston ruminates about international issues. The war is still fresh in his mind, and he needs to speak about it. Read in post-9/11 times, his comments strike an eerie chord of familiarity. For example:
   
   "No age in history can afford to lay too much emphasis upon 'security.' The truth is from our first breath to our last we inhabit insecurely a world which must of transitory nature be insecure, and that moreover any security we do achieve is but a kind of an illusion. While admitting that a profound instinct towards such safety as we can achieve is part of our animal being, let us also confess that the challenge involved in mere existence is the source of many of the greater virtues of human character." (page 47, in my paperback copy)
   
   Wow! And that's just one of his astute observations.
   
   "Northern Farm" describes a simpler time and place that we'll never see again, regretfully. This is a book well worth tracking down. Just be prepared for A LOT of winter!

1 comments about Fly Fishing Boston: A Complete Saltwater Guide from Rhode Island to Maine (Backcountry Guides).

1. I moved to Florida and really miss stiper fishing in the Boston area. This guide gives you pretty much everything you need to learn about the area. There is a lot of good fishing around if you are willing to be a little adventuresome. Now I sight fish for redfish. Almost as good.

No comments about Glaciers & Granite: A Guide to Maine's Landscape & Geology.