1 comments about True Stories of Maine Fly Fishermen.

1. Hall is a great writer and I have loved his previous books. This new book is every bit as good, and a delight to read especially as another fishing season opens before us. These are great stories sensitively written and a treat for non-fishermen as well.
   And, as if to invite everyone to the sport of fly fishing, Hall has put a neophyte on the cover -- note his low back-cast. A wonderful subtlety, as is his writing.
   Don't miss this one!
   
   Michael LaCombe
   Augusta, Maine

3 comments about Captors And Captives: The 1704 French And Indian Raid on Deerfield (Native Americans of the Northeast: Culture, History, & the Contemporary).

1. This books breaks down to what leads up to the most infamous destruction of a town during any of the four French/Indian wars.Very well researched and layed out to make you part of the history thats happening.A play-by-play of the actual attack with excellent reference charts as back-up info as the saga unfolds.I can't say enough about this book,definitely not dry history in any sense.If your a colonial military history buff or a student of the French and Indian wars than this is the one to read.



2. Any collection strong in Native American or early American history should make Captors And Captives: The 1704 French And Indian Raid On Deerfield a collection acquisition: explores the raid from different viewpoints of the raiders, both French-Canadian and Native American, and the Deerfield villages alike, showing the confrontational and friendly relationships between diverse groups of the times. In using the individual experience to provide history and social and cultural insights, Captors And Captives provides an outstanding social coverage.



3. This work skillfully profiles the 1704 raid on Deerfield in sections entitled `Creating Communities,' `The Raid,' `Negotiating Empires,' and `Preserving Communities.' The authors examine assailants and victims in depth to enable the reader to decide who (if anyone) was right or wrong. Formative history, the raid itself, the aftermath, and lasting political significance is admirably related.
   
   A minor criticism is the lack of a wider discussion of the English/Iroquois alliance against the French (e.g. Gabriel Druillettes and Jean Paul Godefroy's rejected mission for mutual alliance at New Haven in 1651; NY Governor Thomas Dongan's declaration of the Iroquois as English subjects in 1683, etc). The English protected and supplied a confederacy that attacked New France and her native allies (Hurons, Ottawas, Eries, Andastes, Delawares, Neutrals, Tobacco, Illinois, etc) mercilessly from 1609-1701. This was a smart move (as Philbrick points out in `Mayflower' - Mohawks were largely responsible for defeating Metacom - King Philip - 1675-6).
   
   The authors don't fully explore the routine, repeated Iroquois assaults involving French families whose members fought at Deerfield (Pierre Boucher and 40 other colonists held off 600 Iroquois at Trois-Rivières in 1653; the previous year the town was devastated by the massacre of it's governor and 21 other habitants. Joseph François Hertel de LaFresnière spent 1661-3 in Iroquois captivity after torture including loss of a thumb and burned limbs). Iroquois assaults on New France make the Deerfield raid look like a walk in the park. On 4 August 1689, for example, 1500 Iroquois attacked Montréal, destroying 56 farms and killing or capturing over a hundred colonists (all with English blessing). The following year Phips unsuccessfully attempted to take Québec with 2000 men and 34 ships.
   
   Another minor entertainment disappointment: the lack of a more robust description of English Imperial efforts (including Admiral Sir Hovenden Walker's leadership of the British attack fleet in 1711, and a wider view of the Mathers, whose history in Salem bears attention). These are, however, minor issues.
   
   This work is a valuable contribution well worth reading. Highly recommended.

No comments about Men of Granite: New Hampshire's Soldiers in the Civil War.

No comments about Cape Cod Confidential: True Tales of Murder, Crime, and Scandal from the Pilgrims to the Present.

No comments about Backroad Bicycling in Connecticut: 32 Scenic Rides on Country Roads & Dirt Lanes, Second Edition (Backroad Bicycling).

No comments about AAA Spiral New England, 3rd Edition (Aaa Spiral Guides).

5 comments about A New Leaf (Cape Light, Book 4).

1. I am sorry to have to say these things but I feel it necessary to be honest. I am a avid reader and I picked this book up to try this author. This book was very slow and the characters are very shallow.I felt no attachment or pull to any of them. I kept waiting for something to happen but to my dissapointment it never came. You as a reader can tell from the first few chapters exactly what will take place in this book. There was nothing in this book of interest to me as a reader and I will think twice next time before reading anything from this author.



2. Book arrived in excellent condition. Shipped 2 days after I placed order and received in 3 days. Excellent service.



3. From the first time I picked up the first book in the series, I can not wait for the next one to come out. This is truly a wonderfully written series and I enjoy every minute I am reading them.



4. Great service. I was very satisfied with the book and the timely matter that it got here.



5. The book arrived in a very timely manner and was in very good condition. I was pleased with my purchase.

No comments about New Hampshire Patterns.

1 comments about The Line of Forts: Historical Archaeology on the Colonial Frontier of Massachusetts.

1. This author brings out more great information on Colonial New England;although written for the Historian and Archeologist.If your a student of New England history there is much here for the amateur too.
   
   The Line of Forts in Northern Massachusetts were built by people struggling to maintain their lands and way of life,this book reveals the drama of those daily ordeals. I have been reading about these histories for years and never knew how many forts there actually were,there being as many as ten +.The line stretched from the Connecticut River West just into New York,running along the now Vermont border.Garrison houses were mixed in and added to the defensive line also.The two main Forts studied here being Fort Shirley and Fort Pelham.These two forts only have a life span of around ten years(1744-1754), a short existence in the overall struggle during the French and Indian War timeframe. Through the discovery of objects and documents hidden away Coe gives us a glimpse of the soldiers life on the Frontier.
   
   An outstanding addition to the library of research on Colonial New England. Highly worth the price.

No comments about Lost Ski Areas of the White Mountains.