Maine Books

This is an excellent reference guide to placenames, geneaology, streets, and early title chains for these three communities. In addition, it is full of anecdotes regarding colonial life in Mid Coast Maine from the late 17th century almost to the end of the 19th century. Published in 1877-8, it is surprisingly accurate in its portrayal of events which took place two hundred years before. Most of the information comes from the records of the Pejepscot Proprietors, a group of wealthy men who had the grants from the King necessary for selling property to settlers. This book has been my best aid for framing out the history of a parcel or area of land in any of these towns. As a Professional Land Surveyor, I could not work in my field and have the most complete information in my files without it. Bruce Martinson, PLS Dirigo Land Services, Inc. 927 Old Brunswick Road Bath, Maine 04530

This book by Geraldine Spooner has everything you want to know about the history of Bucksport-hence the name. It's pages chronicle the life and times of the Buck family up to the year 1857. The engagements, marriages, children, details that bring the families alive in your mind. It's a must read for anyone who wants to be "in the know" about Bucksport!

From back cover:

"Here in one convenient volume are Volumes VII, VIII, and IX - complete and unabridged - of the acclaimed reference work that has dominated the field of philosophy for two decades.

Volume VII considers such world-famous modern Western philosophers as Fichte, Schelling, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. Volume VIII, on British empiricism, the idealist movement in Great Britain, idealism in America, the pragmatist movement, and the revolt against idealism, covers such thinkers as Bentham, Herbert Spencer, T.H. Green, Bradley, Bosanquet, Royce, C.S. Peirce, William James, G.E. Moore, John Dewey, and Bertrand Russell. Volume IX presents the prominent French philosophical thinkers of the 19th & 20th centuries, with full attention to the themes of human freedom and man in society - including Maine de Biran, Comte, Henri Bergson, Garrigou-Lagrange, and Sartre."

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This is a valuable book (resource) for budding entrepreneurs. It seems to try to cover all the bases for starting a small business, but it can't do them all well in the space available between its covers. The book is only 288 pages long. If you are in the planning stages of starting a small business, then I highly recommend you get a copy of this book. Read it, study it, and outline it. There are helpful checklists to help you grasp the subjects. You will come up with a plethora of keywords and terms that you will want to google to find Web pages giving more detailed (and maybe more current) information.

I am a SCORE counselor (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) who typically does face-to-face counseling sessions three nights a month. It would really be neat if my clients would read this book BEFORE they came to their session with me because they would pretty much be "educated customers" ready to ask educated questions. Our sessions would be so much more beneficial.

My favorite chapters were:

1. Initial business concerns
2. Your business' structure
3. Business start-up details
5. Sources of business assistance (SCORE is mentioned here)
7. Your smart business plan (and a good sample plan is included)
8. Obtaining the financing you need

The book is weak when it comes to how the Internet can be used in corresponding, hiring, and marketing. But this is just one example of how googling keywords and concepts found in the book will make the book more complete. Don't treat the book as authoritative on the law. It isn't. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is light on tax information as it relates to small business.

I was particularly impressed with the material presented in Chapter 2: Choice of Legal Entity. That subject is sorely ignored in most small business books, and it is critically important. It is a subject I regularly must spend a great deal of time discussing at my SCORE sessions. This book does a pretty good job on the topic.

Chapters 4 and 9 through 12 are easy to find fault with. The topic of each could fill a book. But having these topics covered definitely will help a budding entrepreneur know some of the issues they raise.

I would have liked the book more if Chapter 6 (marketing) had been less superficial. When I read it I got the impression that the author was more a public relations expert than a marketing expert. I generally categorize public relations as a subset of marketing. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, and a whole host of other promotion techniques. I did not get this message when I read the book. I also would have liked the book better if the Internet, email, and Web sites had been discussed more. But there are many books on those subjects. Therefore, I can't complain too much about the limited discussion of computers.

When you read this book it may feel a little like it was produced on an assembly line. Maybe it was? There are 51 versions of this book sold; one for each state and the District of Columbia. Content is king, and this book has it. 5 stars!

What responsibility does a company have to the community in which it does its business? This question runs through the reader's mind in this well-structured interview format. Authors Cedric N. Chatterley and Alicia J. Rouverol address the impact of the global economy on a small town in Maine through their easy to read interview with line worker Linda Lord. Ms. Lord's paradoxical response as she reflects on her years working for Penobscot Poultry and its subsequent placement as the title of the book help all of us realize the economic and social difficulties that ensue when a company closes its doors. Those who enjoyed viewing Michael Moore's ROGER and ME will appreciate this book. Both works comment on how state and local governments can do more for their citizens by working more aggressively with industry and local businesses. Balancing capitalism's "bottom-line" requirements with community needs is the 21st Century challenge for us all. This book poses thoughtful questions for its readers. In addition, there are three essays that help put Linda Lord's remarks in a local and global perspective.

If a Man be Mad...there couldn't have been a more appropriate title for this gem hidden amidst the American literature. Walker Winslow, writing as Harold Maine, had written this fascinating book while living in Big Sur, at a time when other great writers, such as Henry Miller resided nearby. Whether it was Winslow's gift or the proximity of some of the greatest in modern American literature, Mr. Winslow has achieved what only but a few writers are capable of. He shook my world.
Comprised of two separated books, before and after, shall we say, the story follows Winslow on his quest to find himself. A man torn apart from early childhood, he struggles not only with his own shadows, but also with the society at large; mainly its arrogance and ignorance, lack of understanding and its unwillingness to change its ways, no matter how wrong they may be. Writing in first-person, Winslow recounts stories of men and women on both sides of the fence separating the insane from the sane, yet, he clearly portrays the malicious nature of the so-called sane, which the insane are incapable of. At times a psychological thriller, at times a downright horror, a human horror, the story moves swiftly away from childhood innocence to the first day in mental institution. An alcoholic, but above all, a vulnerable human being, Winslow experiences his first awakening -- the institutions are not meant to cure people, they are merely put in place to prevent them from being free. From the inhuman indifference the guards and caretakers display without any regard for the patients, to the accounts of brutal beatings when a patient gets out of hand, Winslow portrays his first stay at a mental institution with cruel honesty. When he gets out, uncured, yet a changed man, he goes from institution to institution. Touched by death more than once, Winslow recounts his hopes after discovering AA and his first pleasant experience at a hospital in NY, where the staff seems to care, giving the reader hope that the world is perhaps not as screwed up as it appears.
Bouncing between near-death incidents, (brought about by his drinking), marriages, divorces, struggle to be the artist he wants to be (not the artist he has to be to get paid), schizophrenia and consciousness, Winslow walks a dangerously thin line. When he tries his luck on the other side, whether to help himself or others, as an attendant in one of the dreaded institutions, he discovers that the whole system is flawed. His descriptions of the inhuman treatment of veterans returning from the war seemed almost unbelievable, until the recent scandal regarding a VA hospital broke out. It is sad to see that 60 years after this book was published, we, as a society, are still doomed by the same mistakes.
Without spoiling anything for the reader, Walker Winslow's story may not be unique in its core, but it is a uniquely told story. I have never read another book quite like this one; so poetic, so disturbing, so timeless. A mad man's account of the mad gathering we call civilization, a cry for help lost amidst the applause for politicians, a light of hope lost in the darkness. If a Man be Mad is a story worth reading over and over, for it does not get old, it does not get boring, it does not cease to disturb. One man's humanity against Humanity at large, philosophy, psychology and drama -- mixed together in a deadly cocktail of words -- bled onto the pages by an amazing author.

The images in this book go right to the soul. It's not just the platinum technique that uniquely makes the highlights seem so real, nor is it only the natural beauty of this magical place, but, also, the artist's keen eye for proportion, composition and, what?, the quiet voice within that such places inspire. This book is truly a work of art and, personally, has become one of my "treasures."

I have ordered calendars of Maine for years. This was the first time to order from this site. The photos approach the quality of paintings! And the choices include more inland settings rather than all coastal pictures. I plan to order from this company again next year.

This book saved our vacation on the bad weather days. We had researched Portland and the surrounding areas before we went to Maine but this book added information that we had not discovered. We would have saved time had we read this book first because it was all that we needed. It was easy reading for my 8 1/2 yr.old and the amusing and educational facts made it fun for him.

Love this book! Full of great ideas of things to do with kids but also a great reference of things adults would like to see too. We scouted out many of the Portland sites....the Observatory, Portland Headlight, and other seaside parks. We also drove up the coast to see the Maine Aquarium. The book was right on with this one.... the aquarium is tiny but it was lots of fun for my 11 years old. We enjoyed seeing 5 different colored lobsters (alive)...the blue was cute, but the calico was my favorite. My daughter thought it was great to pat a real shark!

I bought this just to leave in my "camp" at the lake. Sometimes you just need to know what to do on a rainy day... The book is organized and covers at least a two hour radius around Portland. Highly recommend!