Maine Books

From Boston to points north, the Boston & Main was the dominant railroad serving New England for many years. By any standard the B&M was a nice little regional railroad. While the overall track mileage was much less than the big national roads, they made up for any shortcomings by the population density they served and by the willingness of the road to experiment.

One task of the road was to provide commuter service in the area surrounding Boston. This called for self propelled cars, not unlike the commuters of today. On the B&M these cars could be electric, gasoline or diesel. They tried them all. Sometimes these cars were used as locomotives to pull a passenger car or two.

The cog railway up Mt. Washington is one of the few (if not the only) like it in the country. The B&M even ran boats. And to keep pace with the times, in 1933 they began an airline using a Stinson trimotor - it was advertised as being well ventilated. In the cold New England winter that must have been brisk.

The B&M was also in the resort business. They built hotels on the seashore and in the White Mountains and of course ran the trains to bring the tourists to the hotels.

This is one of the Images of Rail series. The book is mostly pictures, probably about 200 of them collected together to provide a visual history of the road.

This book is one of those books where no matter how many times you open it, you will always find something new. The photos in it are first rate and aren't mere roster shots of locomotives. The photos really tell a story of what was going on The Minuteman Route during the 1940's, 50's and 60's. The writing is not a dry history of the B&M. It tells a very entertaining story that includes the authors own experiences observing the railroad during his youth. It makes for an fun read. I highly recommend it!

This novel is remarkable on many levels. It charts the life of the Coombs clan of Barter Island Maine. The tales are all interwoven within the context of some form of heroism. From the heroism of the Coombs women who bear pregnancy, solitude, and mainland snobbery to that of the Coombs men whose adventures revolve around their work, (lobstermen) and the call of young Henry Coombs to enlist in the ARMY for WWI.
In a time where literature and movies tend to glorify criminals, con men, and other scofflaws, reading Mr. Scott's realsitic account of honest men and women who are nobly defined by their work and the stark environement which surrounds and defines them is an act of pleasure. Storms, war, miscarriages and the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918 assault the Coombs of Barter Island. But with grace and humility, the author proves to be a grand detective of the human spirit, and through the cumulative power of this tale, the reader discovers within the Coombs collective soul all that which is resilient, good and enduring about humanity. A joy to read.

Susan Hathorn speaks for herself through her diary, but Ms. Petroski provides background and insightful comments that explain some of Susan's more obscure references. Newly married, Susan accompanied her husband on his ship to England and the West Indies. She kept this diary for the whole year of 1855 while she was on the ship and then when she was left behind in their hometown in Maine because she was expecting a baby. I found it absolutely fascinating although a lot of Susan's time was spent at mundane tasks. Susan sure had a thing for sewing! I recommend this book highly to anyone who is interested in the lives of women in the 19th century.

This is a wonderful little book for new parents, written by a highly imaginative and kind pediatrician in Maine. I wish I had a book like this when my children were born. The focus of Brilliant Babies of Maine is on playing with your infant in such a manner that play becomes learning. New suggestions are laid out for each week of the first two years of life. The ingenuity behind the suggestions will be appreciated and readily understood by parents, and carrying out the suggestions will be as enjoyable for them as for their babies and toddlers.

I read the book because I wanted to know how wood and canvas canoes are made. This was the book recommended by a friend that has four wood and canvas canoes. I found it to be a straight forward book on how to make a canoe starting from selecting the wood, to stretching on the canvas. Every step was explained as if your father was teaching you the family business.

Blend regional Americana, a nature tribute to a local area, and wildlife photography and you have a catalog of a year a la Walden Pond. The author's mission was to find and photography within the confines of a typical 70-acre Maine property everything interesting, surprising or beautiful for every week for an entire year. BY A MAINE RIVER presents these surprises to any collection strong in either regional Maine history or natural history in general.

What a gem of a little postcard guide to the Maine that most of us only remember as children, or as recollections in stories told by our parents and grandparents! I've purchased two as gifts and am ordering my third copy. It's fun to leaf through this south-to-north coastal travelogue and discover that not all of these scenes have disappeared, and that some Maine coastal landmarks from the Victorian era have been preserved for us to enjoy, as our grandparents did. This is the kind of a "rainy day book" that belongs on the nightstand of every Maine summer house and deep woods cabin. A delightful guide to old Maine that leaves you wishing for volume after volume of postcards from the good old days!

Hello Sir/Madam,
I now live in the Township of Machias Maine. . I have acquired some old local books "for" our Museum. . I would please, respectfully, request to kow who you are, a summary (brief!) of what you have written. For clarification I feel EXCITED to hear your wisdom as, you know, so many young people have no clue of life close to the earth. Very close.

I am 55 years young, raised by Grandparents, GrandUncles, Aunts. From Virginia, Iowa etc. . before the war. . I'd love to build out "town's" history" with gifts to the Museum for posterity's sake. . FIRST however, I really want to read the book! I am a NORMAL selfish human being!

His blessings and peace be with you and yours always,

andrejrigoli@hotmail.com

Andy Rigoli

Campfires Rekindled brings to life the activities experienced by a forester in the Maine woods. A look back to a simpler, yet harsher time. Learn how men worked the woods just after WWI. Experience the art of "timber crusing". If you have ever spent time in the Maine woods, Campfires Rekindled will "take you home again".