Maine Books

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!

I read a lot of this genre. Most books on ghost hunting, or the Supernatural, today are compiled by the authors from all over the globe.
They are scarcely researched or written with a first hand knowledge.
Not so with this book and author. He is from Maine obviously, every story is based in Down East Maine, more specifically Hancock, Waldo, and Penobscot Counties.
Mr. Forester has included a chapter on Fort Knox, a chapter on a 50 year old haunt entitled the Locust Lady, in which he has found the original person, from the original newspaper article, and re-interviewed her. Two chapters on the local Bucksport, Maine Murders, and the paranormal investigations he and others have run into them. Both murders were recently published in the books "In Search of Sarah Ware," and the more recent, "In Search of Melissa Thayer." Both written by the author Emeric Spooner.
Mr. Forester has included a chapter on growing up in a haunted house and one on his team's investigations into several haunted houses.
His sarcasm and wit, more then anything makes for a fast paced, enjoyable read, and adds a soul, not found in most of the genre writing today.
This book is for anyone interested in the Paranormal, and are looking to have fun, while they read.

I have read, "In Search of Sarah Ware." It is a well known story of Murder and conspiracy from Maine. When I read this book, In Search of
Melissa Thayer, I had never heard of it.
Most have not!
It is an 1876 triple homicide that the author takes you back before the murders occurred through the end trial of Sea Captain, Edward Smith. Along the way, he delves into several suspects, most of whom weren't even questioned on their whereabouts on that fateful night of Friday the 13th.
He also incorporates articles collected upon the way, one which lists over a dozen similar murders that had occurred over the years in
Bucksport, Maine. This is a Historical Murder that needed to be recounted, before it was lost to time.

This book took me by complete surprise. Murder in a small coastal Maine town. No one is ever convicted of her murder. Could it have been one of the local merchants? We'll never know--but it's a fast paced read from beginning to end. You don't want to put it down!

John Hay's "In The Company of Light" is a book that you will read over and over, finding new insight into the wonders of the natural world each time. Hay is the Dean of Cape Cod nature writing and his verse is never more inspiring as in his latest book, released in the year of his 82nd birthday. Hay chronicles the timeless natural mysteries that the seasons bring outside the door of his summer home in Mid-coast Maine and to the former "worthless woodlot" on Cape Cod where he lives for the remainder of the year. Like Henry Beston's "The Outermost House" this book celebrates the cycles of the solar year and its stunning hallmarks. Whether he is writing about the company of swallows nesting in his barn in Maine or the strange glow emanating from the mushrooms in the woodpile on Cape Cod, Hay speaks for the reader's unarticulated awe for and love of the multitudes of life forms with whom we share the planet. This book is the one piece of nature writing, above all others, that you must have in your collection.