Maine Books

This is a writer with so much heart! I wouldn't live off the land if you held a gun to my head, yet I was deeply inspired by this woman's life and work. Tatelbaum presents her unusual lifestyle--she's a longtime homesteader--as a metaphor for creativity: both its curses and its pleasures. A wonderful book, especially if you're a writer or painter or musician--someone who knows how hard it is to keep going in the face of rejection.

Linda Tatelbaum has a real gift with language- of taking the most mundane tasks of ordinary country life and transforming them into something that provides tremendous meaning and inspiration. The format of the book- much like a college curricula- is both stimulating and progressively enriching. One does not need to be a "homesteader" or "back to the lander" to appreciate the true meaning of "moving rocks"

The 1995 Maine Business and Professional Directory, along with its updated 1996 print and CD-Rom version, is the most comprehensive listing of private enterprise in the great State of Maine. "As Maine goes, so goes the Nation," is an apt phrase to characterize Tower's business publications. Publishing directories in Maine since 1820 (175 years), Tower now as an extensive network of databases for every State in the U.S. and most countries around the world. Tower's information is updated and timely, and always a phone call away at 1-800-969-8693

I have enjoyed Howard Stone's bike books for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and as a new resident of Maine am delighted to have an opportunity to enjoy his rides in my new state. As always, Howard's ride descriptions and directions are very thorough and accurate. I especially appreciate the consistency with which he rates the difficulty of the rides. As an avid, but strictly recreational, cyclist, I found this to be an excellent book.

Army veteran David S. Cook presents Above the Gravelbar: The Native Canoe Routes of Maine, a reminiscence of great canoe travels along Maine's many interconnected waterways, combined with a deep respect for now Maine's Native peoples once used their watercraft to traverse the state. A handful of black-and-white maps illustrate this thoughtful chronicle, which delves deep into the history of individual routes. Above the Gravelbar is not a travel guide per se, but rather gives itself over to the rich, scenery-capturing detail sure to intrigue armchair travelers and canoe connoisseurs.

This title is a soft cover, not a hardcover as described, but it is well worth the price for the outstanding quality of the color reproduction of Bogdanove's paintings. You really get a good sense of the texture of the paintings, the brush strokes, and the artist's style. If you are interested in Maine artists, this book is a must-have for your library.

This book has lots of photos and basic facts about the Acadia areas wildlife. The book also gives readers locations and best viewing times info to help both tourist and area resident find the animals they want to see. The perfect quick fact field guide.

All winter our hearts are on Mt. Desert Island, 750 I-95 miles north of us. All winter, with Steve Perrin's book, we take virtual hikes on "our" island. Come summer (well, in July anyway) when our hearts and bodies are actually in Acadia we can stroll those trails we now know are compatible with my two aging knees and Margaret's greatly dimished vision. Steve's words are more valuable than he knows: we teach people to be "audio describers" for folks who are visually impaired or blind so their ears can be their eyes in theaters, museums, and yes, for television. Steve's writing is truly audio description. This summer if we meet him again on the Shore Path we'll tell him in person. Until then, thanks, Steve.

This is a basic source of Arnold's march to Quebec through the Maine wilderness in 1775 & the following battle, captivity and return of the men. There are some problems with how and when this journal was written, but who is to challenge it? Not me, I wasn't there, although my Great-great-great-grandfather was (& Henry mentions him in the book.) Of greatest importance are the discriptions of how and what the men accomplished under inconceivable conditions -- an undertaking that simply could not be done today without modern equipment and supplies.

I recommend that this book be again put in print and distributed to every school in the US to teach young people to what extent Americans (& most of them were Scotch-Irish) at the time were willing to go to gain their independence. Only 25 out of the 68 in Henry's company survived.
All the trendy modern issues pale into insignificance by comparison.

After The Smoke Clears: Struggling To Get By in Rustbelt America by Steve Mellon (a journalist and staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) is an informed and moving chronicle of the rise and fall of the steel and mining industry in America. A tale of the communities surrounding the employment bounty of the steel mills, and the struggle to survive when the closure of this employment bounty left a void in people's ability to support themselves, After The Smoke Clears is a compelling and highly recommended saga of twentieth-century American history enhanced with black-and-white photography.

"Stella Johnson's photographs are poems weighted with grace, dignity, and compassion." Constantine Manos

Photography, the international language, can enrich our lives and open new worlds. This is the case with Stella Johnson's first book, Al Sol.
Johnson has immersed herself in village life as both a passionate photographer and compassionate observer in Mexico, Nicaragua and Cameroon. Living with the people whom she photographs, she is able to cross the line to capture intimate moments. Working with a handheld Leica she is free to discover extraordinary moments in ordinary situations. Moments that allow us inside . . . children playing without toys . . . women preparing food and attending to life's daily chores...men fishing.
Johnson demonstrates her skill at filling the frame and layering complex images: her use of light and shadow brings a classic luminosity to her images. Each image stands on its' own. Patience and a little bit of magic bring a sense of joy and wonder to daily village life. Her palette of human emotions is universal, reminding us of the importance of love, dignity and respect.
The accompanying text expands the story: a preface by Constantine Manos; Johnson's writing and a conversation about the work with Gela Garcia and Gustavo Illades. The design by Michael Alpert is eloquent.
Al Sol is a book that will engage the human spirit and grace any book collection.