No comments about Boston (America Series).

4 comments about New England Court Records: A Research Guide for Genealogists And Historians.

1. It is so well organized, it will be handy for many future projects. I am impressed with its depth of coverage and its human tone with what could be an unfriendly presentation. Thanks immensely for putting this reference into the hands of those of us scrambling for answers to our New England genealogical puzzles.



2. Rapaport, a former trial lawyer, has worked for years as a legal practitioner with court records. This thorough and important work on a little known subject, outside the legal profession, will become a standard for genealogists and historians. For the first time, we have an extensive but readable guide to the intricacies of the often surprising riches found in court records. She provides an overview of the American legal system, the specifics of New England courts, types of court records, and where to look for them in each of the states, county by county.
   
   This book is a must-purchase for any serious genealogical library, personal or professional.



3. 
   This is a timely and wonderful reference work. For those interested in uncovering information about seventeenth-century New England ancestors, this is an excellent resource guide. As many family researchers know, court records for the 1600s are one of three important sources of genealogical information, the others being vital records(town and church)and wills. The early settlers were litigious, being able to file their complaints easily and cheaply in the courts, without lawyers. Hence, there is a wealth of family information in these court files -- often highly amusing.



4. Very highly recommended to all genealogy researchers, whether novice or expert, New England Court Records: A Research Guide For Genealogists And Historians by Diane Rapaport (former trial lawyer with a B.A. in History and a J.D. degree in Law) is an in-depth 470-page collective study of the locations and contributions of New England's facilities and resources which would historians and genealogical researchers to better understand the history and citizenship of New England. Introducing the reader to a detailed description of each facility, along with contact and location information, and employing an easy-to-use format exploring a state, county, and city/township locator reference ideal. A major work that could well serve as a template for other regions of the country, New England Court Records is a thoroughly "user friendly" reference ideal for the purposes of genealogists and local historians researching the New England area.

2 comments about First Light: Acadia National Park and Maine's Mount Desert Island.

1. This book is superb. Packed with spectacular photography and interesting essays regarding Mount Desert Island's history, geography, and ecology. The print quality is first rate; kudos to the publisher. A very inspiring volume which reminds us how important it is to have places like Mount Desert Island and Acadia. Highly recommended from a resident of Maine.



2. I took this book with me last month when our camera club went on a January trip to Acadia National Park. The photography is outstanding and inspirational to say the least! We visited many of the places shown in this book and were able to take wonderful pictures ourselves. This book inspires one to visit Acadia at any time of the year and I highly recommend it to any photographer or persons who are planning a visit to Mount Dessert Island.

3 comments about Amateur Sugar Maker.

1. A real gem on how Noel Perrin started sugaring from his own trees. He's revised the book over 20 years, so he's learned from his own mistakes and successes. He has some pithy commentary on Thoreau's costs of cabin making versus his own, as well. And did you know that milk (just a drop) will calm a roiling boil?



2. I really enjoyed this book. It shows the experience of a "backyard sugarin'" guy in great detail while being very entertaining at the same time.



3. When he wrote this account, Noel Perrin (1927-2004) was an English professor at Dartmouth. He also owned a Vermont farm, and the property included stands of sugar maples. It was only natural that he would be interested in setting up a small sugaring operation in order to process his own maple syrup. After all, that's what folks do, up here in New England.
   
   Being an admirer of Henry David Thoreau, Perrin sets out to do something special: he builds his sugar house as a replica of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond. The first third of "Amateur Sugar Maker" thus chronicles the building of the structure. Along the way, Perrin continually compares his expenses, the costs of materials and other statistics (in 1969) to Thoreau's own spreadsheet of 1845, well publicized in "Walden." What fun!
   
   But then Perrin has to acquire the proper sugaring equipment (after doing some research to discover exactly what he needs in the first place, of course). If he thought building the house was a tough task, he discovers that he's in for even more than he bargained for when he sets off to find buckets, a cask, and an evaporator small enough to fit into the space, since he unwittingly confined himself when he built such a tiny barn. His goal (in frugal N.E. fashion) is to find good used equipment instead of buying anything new. Being diligent about watching newspaper ads and hearing local tales puts him on the proper trails. Eventually his approach pays off, and he assembles and tests the process. The last part of the book is therefore spent emptying buckets and making a few bottles of syrup for sale in New York City.
   
   This paperback edition includes a postscript written in 1982, after Perrin and his family had been sugaring for 15 years. In the interim, he strung up tubing so that the sap ran directly to the sugar house, if it didn't freeze along the way. So this thin volume provides basic tips for other "amateur sugar makers" out there. It probably will also result in a few nods and guffaws from those hardy New Englanders who already have successful operations in place. Noel Perrin's narrative style is factual and funny all at once. I may need to read some of his other books about rural living. I'm saddened to learn that Perrin is no longer with us.

5 comments about Marine Life of the North Atlantic, 3rd Edition: Canada to New England.

1. This book is a great picture identification guide with a lot of clear descriptions of subjects and their habitat. It has a place beside each picture to keep track of when and where you saw each subject making you want to find more and more of the featured subjects. It covers from seaweeds to sharks and everything in between. It shows all the ocean life you are likely to find as a diver, snorkeler or beach comber.



2. This book has many outstanding pictures. This book is a great picture identification guide with a lot of clear descriptions of subjects and their habitat. It has a place beside each picture to keep track of when and where you saw each subject making you want to find more and more of the featured subjects. It covers from seaweeds to sharks and everything in between. It shows all the ocean life you are likely to find as a diver, snorkeler or beach comber.



3. I bought this book during a trip to the Gulf of Maine, and found it to be an extremely useful guide to the invertebrates, vertebrates, and algae of the NE coast of North America.

   Photos in the field guide are composed well and show detail needed to figure out what you are looking at. Each photo in the book is accompanied by a brief summary of identifying characteristics of the organism itself, a description of habitats where they are likely to be seen, the geographic range for the organism, and brief comments that will help you look in the right kinds of places to see things.

   Though not a comprehensive guide to marine life of the region, this book provides a great introduction to marine biota. The author even provides room in the book for you to write down where and when you saw each entry. There is also room for brief comments.

   I highly recommend this book, especially if you are planning a trip to New England or the Maritime Provinces.

   Good stuff!




4. There are many reason why people take up scuba diving and those who do come from all countries and all social backgrounds. Having taken up the sport, there are those decide to specialise in; Teaching, shipwrecks, cave diving, photography, video, technical diving and so forth. In fact, there is no other sport on earth which offers such a diversity of different interests within that single activity.
   
   Having learned to dive and having leaned towards a specific aspect, however, there is one single interest which continues to bind all divers together. That interest is the marine life which divers encounter wherever they go.
   
   Neither sky divers, pot-holers nor mountaineers get as close to a whole new range of creatures as scuba divers do - on each and every dive. Those creatures may be static (fixed) and yet still classed as animal, they may be free swimming, shy, hard to find or easy to pick up. And, if those creatures are found in the North Atlantic between Canada and New England, they are also found in this book.
   
   Marine Life of the North Atlantic is a paper-back book measuring 9" x 6" (23cm x 15cm) containing 272 pages of solid information on marine life from Algae to the Spiny Lumpsucker fish. Each species is portrayed by colour photography (often more than once) with details of it's Latin name, common name, identification (description) habitat, range and comments. Alongside each photo is also space for the owner of the book to note down each personal sighting and add notes etc.
   
   In short, if ever you are diving in the area covered by this book and are interested in what you may see underwater, then this book is an essential addition to your kit bag and is one which will allow you to note each sighting as your diving progresses.
   
   Please note, the pages of this book are not waterproof and easily stick together when damp. Otherwise, an excellent product.
   
   NM



5. This book is set up really well and provides space for someone to record when and where they found the different species included in the guide. The photographs are nice and very helpful. If your looking for a guide with good pictures and not much text this is a good guide to buy. If you need more detailed descriptions and information I'd suggest you buy the peterson guide.

5 comments about The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memo of Living Off the Grid.

1. Wormser is a sage, playful, exacting, pure writer, and this book is an absolute treat. The structure is wonderfully unconventional--his thoughts glide from one focused argument or narrative to the next like a bird moving from branch to branch in the woods. Looking forward to reading more prose (and poetry) from this author.



2. This is the best memoir America has produced since Walden. It is the honest expression of intelligence, simplicity, humility, and wisdom. These qualities upset the small mind which perceives everything in its own terms of egotism. But they are actually the small and individual facets of anyone who reflects the big mind. Mr. Wormser and his wife are polished mirrors and these essays are small gems of true humanity. While some essays may resonate more in this or that reader, every essay is a living child of the author and lives comfortably in the mind of the reader on its own merits. I'll stop before I say too much.



3. Wonderfully crafted language. A polished gem. Resonance.
   Few books, in recent years, have made me cry.
   This one did.



4. I hope everyone reads this book. It is charmingly written and a worthwhile read from the recent former poet laureate of Maine. His story motivates us all with its straighforward nature. Thank you, Baron Wormser and book seller.



5. This is a great book. Not a how to at all (better than any how-to book on the subject I have read though, a motivating account of how-did), but a thoughtful collection of reflections about family life, rural off the grid living, poetry, country neighbors and the nearby small rural town's life. A litle 70's and 80's era stemming from back-to-the-land out of the sixties style versus "modern" cob/strawbale, solar, energy efficiency, etc sustainability, but shows how simple it can be, how enjoyable too and really just encourages you to go do it. The refelctions on their local nature and our modern culture are timeless and pertinent. The topics cover city hippies getting helped out building the house, the virtues of an outhouse and no electricity, rural small town economy, stoic resourceful rural neighbors, national politics, wells/water supply, and of course their exciting driveway. A really fabulous book, I highly recommend it.

1 comments about New England Outpost: War and Society in Colonial Deerfield.

1. NEW ENGLAND OUTPOST: WAR AND SOCIETY IN COLONIAL DEERFIELD, by Richard I. Melvoin is an excellent historical account of early Western MA. If you have ancestors who lived in Deerfield in the colonial era, it is fascinating to read about their lives. I visted Deerfield in June 2000 and reading the book is an excellent preparation for a visit.

3 comments about Foghorn Outdoors New England Cabins and Cottages: Great Lodgings with Easy Access to Outdoor Recreation (Foghorn Outdoors).

1. My wife and I travel often to New England, and this is a great resource for anyone who wants to see the sights, go foliaging, climb mountains, paddle in a kayak, or just relax near a lake. It has detailed reviews of cottages throughout the region, complete with information geared to specific outdoor interests (canoeing, hiking, etc.).



2. My wife and I live in New England and are always looking for somewhere to spend a quiet weekend hiking, fishing, or hunting. The foghorn guide has colorful and accurate reviews of some fantastic cabins and cottages. We've already stayed at a few! Check it out, yo.



3. I am a Los Angeles, CA based resident & traveler who enjoys frequenting the more quaint areas of the world, New England being one of those areas and, incidently, a favorite destination. For the longest time I scoured the book shelves for the quintessential New England travel guide but most often would only come up with the more esoteric titles such as "Famous Haunts of Salem" or "The Spiritual Guide to New England". Finally, a book has arrived that spells out simply and beautifully the information I want and need to know about cabins, resorts and B&Bs throughout the entire region. Kudos to the Foghorn series of guides and to Ericson for designing such a helpful resource. I am very pleased with this discovery!

3 comments about Sacco & Vanzetti (New England Remembers).

1. Mr. Bortman has hit the nail on the head with this informative and well-written account of the famous trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. The background, trial and aftermath are treated with evenhandedness and an admirable attention to detail. Moreover, this book is easy to read yet chock full of facts, eyewitness accounts and analyses.
   
   This quick-read will turn even one with little prior knowledge of this episode into a well-versed expert. If more historical passages were covered as well, the historical awareness of our citizenry would skyrocket.



2. For a short book, the story is very well paced and still manages to give it a level of 'Hollywood Court Room' drama, although in this case, the story is real. The writing is clear and unpretentious and very accessible.
   
   The final chapter detailing the modern day reaction to the
   case serves as a warning that even one of the most advanced Western democracies has a way to go in ensuring Justice For All is more than just a slogan and that, with one or two minor exceptions, the case could occur again in modern times.



3. Many years ago as a fledging new lawyer, I read portions of the trial transcript from Sacco & Vanzetti trial. I was able to glean some of the injustice rendered in this case, but Professor Bortman's book clearly and concisely laid out the elements of a tainted legal system in Massachusetts in the 1920s. It was not until I read Professor Bortman's book that I fully understood the political elements involved at the time of the Sacco & Vanzetti trial. This book is a must read for every student of American history, especially legal history.

No comments about A Garden Lover's Martha's Vineyard.