The Adirondack Atlas, A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park  •  Jerry Jenkins  •  Andy Keal  •  Bill McKibben REFERENCE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES This visual survey of 6,000,000-acre Adirondack Park features 450 color figures, 300 maps, tables and an impressive range of useful demographic, historical and ecological information. It's a comprehensive geographic reference for the region. (NYS39, $34.95)
After Frost, An Anthology of Poetry from New England  •  Henry Lyman  •  Robert Frost  •  Wallace Stevens LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A collection of poems from 30 of New England's most notable poets, with selections by Robert Frost, the granddaddy of New England poetry. Other featured poets include Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Wallace Stevens and Martin Espada. (USE52, $22.95)
AIA Guide to Boston  •  Michael Southworth  •  Susan Southworth GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES This estimable guide sruveys more than 600 of Boston's noteworthy buildings and landmarks. (BOS07, $29.95)
All Fishermen are Liars, True Tales from the Dry Dock Bar  •  Linda Greenlaw CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2005 •  PAPER  • 228 PAGES This collection of tales of New England fishermen, lobstermen, and other waterlogged folk is presented as a series of barroom yarns, each one funnier, wilder or more thrilling than the next. Linda Greenlaw is author of Hungry Ocean, A Swordboat Captain's Journey and Lobster Chronicles. (USE353, $14.00)
The American Artist in Connecticut:The Legacy of the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection  •  Jeffery W. Andersen  •  Hildegard Cummings ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 143 PAGES From two authors prolific on the subject of American artists, this covers the Hartford Stem Boiler Collection, a sizable set of American Impressionist paintings recently donated to the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut ("The Home of American Impressionism"). There are essays on the collection's history, 51 color plates, and half-tones of each the works included. (USE362, $29.95)
The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities  •  Colin G. Calloway HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 327 PAGES This is the first, detailed study of the impact of the Revolution on Native Americans. It has a section dealing with the reaction of the Abenakis at Okanak in Quebec that relates to the Lake Champlain area. (USE169, $26.99)
An American Vision, Three Generations of Wyeth Art  •  James Duff ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1994 •  PAPER A beautifully illustrated collection of the work of three generations of the Wyeth family, including N.C., Andrew and James. It shows how the three men have tackled similar themes and landscapes in their art. (USE180, $35.00)
The American Woodland Garden, Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest  •  Rick Darke NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 377 PAGES A handsome celebration of garden design and eastern woodlands by horticulturist Rick Darke, featuring hundreds of color photographs, some guiding principals and a useful alphabetical plant list of mostly native plants for your garden. (NAM10, $49.95)
The Americans, the Colonial Experience  •  Daniel Boorstin HISTORY •  1964 •  PAPER  • 434 PAGES Winner of the Bancroft Prize, this wide-ranging portrait of colonial America looks to the origins of the American character and its institutions. Essays cover Quakers, Puritans, philanthropists and transplanters, details of colonial life, language, education, medicine, astronomy and fashion. The first book in a trilogy written by the former director of the Library of Congress. (USA05, $15.95)
Angel in the Whirlwind, The American Triumph of the American Revolution  •  Benson Bobrick HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES A lively, narrative history of the American Revolution. In addition to providing an entertaining, detailed account of the Revolution's major battles and figures, Bobrick draws an informative portrait of colonial America. (USE168, $18.00)
The Angel on the Roof  •  Russell Banks LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 505 PAGES A group of 32 short stories written by Russell Banks, the award winning author of "Affliction," "The Sweet Hereafter" and "Continental Drift." Collected over the last 30 years, and containing 9 newly published pieces, many of the stories are set in small town New England, where Banks was raised. The stories, which can be painful and somber, are served up with Banks' signature dignity. (USE103, $15.95)
Architecture After Richardson, Regionalism Before Modernism  •  Margaret Henderson Floyd ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 546 PAGES An oversized scholarly study of American architects Longfellow, Alden and Harlow. Floyd draws parallels between their work in Boston and Pittsburgh in the period that spanned 1886 through 1920s. With 500 black-and-white photos, drawings and plans. (BOS20, $100.00)
The Artist's Mount Desert  •  John Wilmerding ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 204 PAGES A history of Maine's Mount Desert Island, and the artists who have been drawn to its shores. (USE189, $39.50)
Backroad Bicycling on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket  •  Susan Milton  •  Kevin Jeffrey  •  Nan Jeffrey GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES Popular destinations for the casual cyclist, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket offer a variety of trails and roads to explore. This guide, now in its second edition, is written by locals who know the lesser-traveled paths, and provide helpful maps, practical information and background on history and culture. (USE260, $16.95)
Backroads of New England, Your Guide to New England's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures  •  Kim Knox Beckius GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES A driving tour guidebook to New England, featuring the history and photographs of the most picturesque routes in Cape Cod, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. (USE371, $21.95)
The Bedquilt and Other Stories  •  Dorothy Canfield Fisher  •  Mark J. Madigan LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A collection of 11 short stories and two essays by novelist and pioneer of education, Dorothy Canfield Fisher. Dealing with the two World Wars, life in New England and racial inequality, this is a diverse and representative sample of her best writing. (GEN172, $24.95)
Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary Hero: An American Warrior Reconsidered  •  James Kirby Martin HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES A revisionist biography of Benedict Arnold, focusing on the famous traitor's pre-treason accomplishments. (USE171, $22.00)
The Berkshire Cottages, A Vanishing Era  •  Carole Owens HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES With over 200 illustrations. (USE166, $29.95)
Berkshire County Map  •  JIMAPCO MAP A detailed, colorful map of Massachusett's Berkshire County at a scale of 1:96,000. (USE302, $4.95)
The Berkshire Reader  •  Richard Nunley LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES An anthology of Berkshire-inspired writings by residents and visitors to the area, including Edith Wharton, Nathanial Hawthorne and Paul Metcalf. (USE165, $16.95)
The Big Year, A Tale Of Man, Nature, And Fowl Obsession  •  Mark Obmascik NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES Obmascik, himself an over-the-edge birder, recounts with glee and page-turning detail the race to see the most birds in North America in a year, a quest that has his three competitors on the road at a moments notice, heading out in the middle of the night, and combing the beaches. As he so winningly demonstrates, these people are driven. (BRD29, $14.00)
Birdsong, A Natural History  •  Don Stap NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 261 PAGES Stap, a professor of English at the University of Central Florida, mixes science and travel narrative in this delightful, informative account of his time in the field with ornithologist Don Kroodsma and his students. Stap is also the author of A Parrot Without a Name. (BRD21, $16.95)
The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife  •  Christopher W. Leahy  •  Gordon Morrison NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 1072 PAGES A handsome, fully illustrated survey of the birds of North America, organized A to Z, covering birds, bird biology, conservation and birdwatching. Published in cooperation with the American Birding Association. (NAM21, $19.95)
Boston A to Z  •  Thomas H. O'Connor HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES An entertaining, informative, far-from-comprehensive history of Boston, imbued with its professor-resident-author's affection for the city. This is just one of O'Connor's many books about Boston. A popular teacher and Boston man-about-town, O'Connor is professor emeritus of history at Boston College. (BOS02, $14.95)
Boston Map (Boston Unfolds)  •  VanDam MAP This convenient map of Boston has a clever "origami" fold to help the traveler refer to any location in the city without having to deal with an unwieldy and large piece of paper. (BOS09, $6.95)
Boston Then and Now, 59 Boston Sites Photographed in the Past and Present  •  Peter Vanderwarker HISTORY •  1983 •  PAPER  • 122 PAGES This intriguing portrait of Boston pairs archival photographs with 1980s shots by Vanderwarker from the same vantage. With accompanying text about the development of the city. (BOS15, $10.95)
Boston's Freedom Trail, A Souvenir Guide  •  Robert Booth  •  Shirley Moskow  •  Jack Frost GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 86 PAGES A handy guide to Boston's historical sites, crammed with maps and photographs. (BOS05, $6.95)
Boston, A Topographical History, Third Enlarged Edition  •  Lawrence W. Kennedy  •  Walter Muir Whitehill HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 380 PAGES A classic history of Boston, told with a particular focus on urban planning. The authors explain how old and new commingle in the city from colonial present through modern times. In a new edition, updated to cover developments during the last 30 years. (BOS06, $17.50)
The Bostonians  •  Henry James LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES Henry James' satirical novel of the battle of the sexes is well worth (re)reading. In it, Basil, a Mississippi lawyer, and Olive, a Boston feminist, compete for the affections of the same woman. Set in 1870s Boston, it treats the questions facing American society at that time, particularly feminism. Originally published in 1886, it was one of the first American novels to deal with lesbianism. (BOS13, $20.00)
Cape Cod  •  Henry David Thoreau  •  Paul Theroux TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 319 PAGES In his signature style, Thoreau muses on the ocean and his surroundings, as he combs the beaches of Cape Cod. Though written nearly 150 years ago, his essay is a compelling, sardonic portrait of coastal Massachusetts, its human and natural history. Published posthumously, the book originated as a series of lectures, where (according to none other than Ralph Waldo Emerson) the audience "laughed till they cried." It takes as its form a diary, combining essay, travel, natural history and social commentary. (USE65, $14.00)
Cape Cod National Seashore Map  •  Trails Illustrated MAP A detailed recreation map of Cape Cod National Seashore at a scale of 1:45,000, printed on tear-resistant, waterproof paper. The seachore takes in 43,604 acres of shoreline and upland landscape, including a 40-mile-long stretch of sandy beach, freshwater kettle ponds, and many historic structures. (USE314, $11.95)
Centerburg Tales, More Adventures of Homer Price  •  Robert McCloskey LITERATURE •  1977 •  PAPER  • 191 PAGES Seven further tales again starring the endearing Homer Price, as winningly illustrated and engaging as the original, this time featuring Grandpa Hercules. All Homer's adventures are set in Centerburg, a fictional but recognizably New England town. "For ages 8-12. (USE296, $6.99)
Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England  •  William Cronon NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 242 PAGES In this ecological -- and social -- history of New England, Cronon documents the ecological changes and impact of European colonization. It's a well-argued, elegantly written series of interconnected essays, originally published in 1984. After considering the impact of livestock, fencing, urbanization and changing demographics from 1620 to 1800, Cronon concludes his book with the line, "the people of plenty were a people of waste." Cronon is America's leading environmental historian and a very good writer. (USE347, $14.00)
Christopher Columbus and the Conquest of Paradise  •  Kirkpatrick Sale EXPLORATION •  2006 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A new edition of this wide-ranging and lucid portrait of the man and the legends surrounding him, originally published in 1990. Columbus is no hero in Kirkpatrick Sale's view but rather a sea-faring adventurer in search of glory, gold and god. (USA134, $19.95)
The Cider House Rules  •  John Irving LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES Recently made into a film, this is John Irving's story of a teenage orphan named Homer Wells who lives in rural Maine. Growing up under the tutelage of Dr. Wilbur Larch, an abortionist and administrator of the local orphanage, Homer must face the moral dilemmas that surround him, as he tries to learn where his life will lead him. (USE46, $14.95)
Coastal Maine, A Maritime History  •  Roger Duncan HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 576 PAGES A four hundred year history of Maine, focusing on maritime traditions and seafaring, as well coastal settlement and development. (USE247, $24.95)
Compass Guide Boston  •  Patricia Harris GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES This wonderfully written handbook features outstanding color photography, good maps and in-depth information on the culture, history and attractions of Boston. It includes archival photographs, literary excerpts and practical travel information. (USE05, $21.00)
Compass Guide Maine  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES This handsome guide is an excellent overview of Maine, with particular emphasis on history and visitor attractions. With color and archival photographs, it features good maps, some practical travel information and literary excerpts by writers such as Henry Longfellow and Mary Sarton. (USE63, $21.95)
Compass Guide Massachusetts  •  Patricia Harris GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES This wonderfully written handbook features outstanding color photography, good maps and in-depth information on the culture, history and attractions of Massachusetts. It includes archival photographs, literary excerpts and practical travel information. (USE344, $21.95)
The Country of the Pointed Firs and other Stories  •  Sarah Orne Jewett LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 234 PAGES A much-loved novel, first published in 1896, set in Dunnet Landing, a tiny fishing community along the coast of Maine. It evokes the leisurely summer atmosphere of 19th-century New England and especially the relationships among the townsfolk. (USE181, $4.95)
The Crucible, A Play in Four Acts  •  Arthur Miller LITERATURE •  1976 •  PAPER  • 152 PAGES Arthur Miller's riveting drama about the Salem Witch Trials. It was first produced in 1953 and inspired by the McCarthy hearings of the time. (USE290, $12.00)
Cruising At Last, Sailing the East Coast  •  Elliott Merrick TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES The delightful account of a journey from Maine to Georgia and back aboard Merrick's hand-made 20-foot sloop Sunrise. A transplanted New Yorker (and New Yorker writer), Merrick (1906-1997) wrote many popular tales of his adventures in Labrador and New England, including True North and Green Mountain Farm. (USE329, $22.95)
Death of a Hornet and Other Cape Cod Essays  •  Robert Finch NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A collection of serene essays on the nature, wildlife, and inhabitants of Cape Cod by a keen observer and year-round resident. Finch's meditative collection includes essays on environmental and conservation issues, human nature, and stories from his personal life. (USE84, $15.95)
Down East, A Maritime History of Maine  •  Lincoln Paine HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 180 PAGES Maine's maritime history is rich and diverse, from the coastal travel of Native Americans to the Basque fishing industry to the pleasure boating of today. This book, published for a millennium celebration, looks at all aspects of Maine's maritime heritage, incorporating ecology, culture and art into its well researched history. (USE246, $14.95)
Eastern Backyard Birds  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD This fold-out, laminated pocket guide illustrates almost 150 birds found on the eastern coast of the U.S. (USE229, $5.95)
Edward Hopper's New England  •  Carl Little ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1993 •  PAPER  • 88 PAGES A slim, illustrated survey of Edward Hopper's paintings by Carl Little, who has written about many of Hopper's American contemporaries. (USE184, $24.95)
Empire Falls  •  Richard Russo LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES A quiet novel, lovingly set in a fictitious Maine mill town, which Russo has wryly called Empire Falls. Those who have read Russo's earlier books set in upstate New York will recognize the familiar themes of blue-collar struggle for economic survival; the frustrations of love and loss; and subtle nuances of class. Russo has composed an entertaining and poignant portrait of what lies beneath the facade of small-town New England life. Winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize (USE220, $14.95)
The Encyclopedia of Colonial and Revolutionary America  •  John Mack Faragher REFERENCE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 484 PAGES An A-Z reference on the revolution featuring 1500 short entries covering the ideas, events and people of America from the early 1600s through nationhood. (USE162, $24.50)
Enterprising Women, 250 Years of American Business  •  Virginia Drachman HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES Drachman profiles the most important women in American industry, spanning the period from colonial times through the 20th century. Lesser-known entrepreneurs are here, as well as Mary Katherine Goddard, who published the first signed copy of the Declaration of Independence; Madame C.J. Walker, the daughter of former slaves whose hair-care products were the ticket to a better life; and Hazel Bishop, the inventor of "kissable lipstick." (GEN317, $39.95)
The Everything Guide to New England, Lodging, Restaurants, Beaches, and Must-See Attractions  •  Kim Knox Beckius GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 419 PAGES (USE372, $14.95)
A Field Guide to Eastern Trees  •  George Petrides  •  Roger Tory Peterson FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 234 PAGES The classic Peterson field guide. (NAM09, $20.00)
A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs  •  George Petrides FIELD GUIDE •  1973 •  PAPER  • 234 PAGES The classic Peterson guide to trees, shrubs and vines in Eastern, Central and Southeastern United States. (NAM08, $19.00)
A Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-Central North America  •  Roger Tory Peterson  •  Rosemary McKenna FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 420 PAGES The best-selling guide to wildflowers in the Peterson series, with illustrations by Roger Tory himself, revised and repackaged in a handsome paper edition. With drawings, some color illustrations, and short descriptions. It covers 1,293 species. (FG38, $19.00)
Field Notes from the Northern Forest  •  Curt Stager NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 329 PAGES Combining the latest in scientific literature with his own observations, Sager offers 20 natural science essays exploring the lives of the animals, plants and fungi commonly encountered in the forests of eastern North America. (USE03, $19.95)
Five Thousand Days Like This One, An American Family History  •  Jane Brox BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A personal history of the Merrimack Valley told in the voice of the author's late father, Henry David Thoreau, and the immigrant mill workers who made the Merrimack Valley their home. (USE77, $17.00)
Fodor's Boston's 25 Best  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES • COMING IN FEBRUARY A shirt-pocket guide to Boston, this slim book includes an excellent map of the center of the city and essential information on its highlights, including restaurant recommendations and sightseeing -- all in a slipcover. (USE04, $11.95)
Fodor's Escape to Northern New England, One-of-a-kind Experiences in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont  •  Patricia Harris  •  David Lyon  •  Peter Guttman GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  HARD COVER A well-presented collection of 18 magazine-style essays on unusual, out-of-the way, and enlightening places and experiences in northern New England, featuring 140 full-color photographs by intrepid Peter Guttman. An insider's guide, the book includes not only ideas about where to go but also a planning section with suggestions on transport, routes, and lodging. Based in Cambridge, authors Patricia Harris and David Lyon have also written "Journey to New England, Romantic Days and Nights in Boston." New York photographer (and friend) Peter Guttman (Worlds to Imagine, Adventures to Imagine, Nights to Imagine) takes particular delight in the highways and byways of New England. He had a lot of fun on assignment for this handsomely produced, insightful collection of favorite places. (USE257, $20.00)
Founding Brothers, The Revolutionary Generation  •  Joseph J. Ellis HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A riveting tale of Washington, Madison, Hamilton and especially of Jefferson and Adams. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, it's a fascinating glimpse into the early days of our country. (USE244, $14.95)
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation  •  Cokie Roberts BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES In this lively group of biographical sketches, the NPR commentator tells the stories of influential women during the Revolution and early Republic, including Abigail Adams, Martha Washington and Eliza Pinckney. (USE358, $14.95)
France and England in North America, Vol. 1  •  Francis Parkman HISTORY •  1983 •  HARD COVER  • 1504 PAGES Francis Parkman's monumental history. This is the first volume of the two volume series. (USE173, $45.00)
France and England in North America, Vol. 2  •  Francis Parkman HISTORY •  1983 •  HARD COVER  • 1620 PAGES Francis Parkman's monumental history. This is the second volume of the two volume series. (USE174, $45.00)
Frederic Church's Olana: Architecture and Landscape as Art  •  Franklin Kelly  •  James Anthony Ryan ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 103 PAGES Mr. Ryan chronicles Church's construction of his home. That home, Olana, is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Hudson River Valley; Mr. Ryan is eminently qualified to chronicle it inasmuch as he was the site manager for 20 years. He tells how building the innovative house and shaping its surroundings was the largest work of art Church ever did, and the one that took the longest. The introduction by Franklin Kelly, a curator at the National Gallery of Art, sets the scene by briefly describing the arc of the great artist's career and how it was that he came to spend so much of his life on Olana. (NYS38, $21.95)
The Grand Hotels of the White Mountains  •  Bryant F. Tolles ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 263 PAGES New Hampshire's White Mountains, once our country's premier vacation locale, was the site of the first wave resort hotels built in the 19th century. This copiously illustrated book explores the history and architecture of thirty of these monuments to luxury. (USE271, $50.00)
A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America  •  Stacy Schiff HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 489 PAGES A lively, illuminating chronicle of Franklin's derring-do, clever maneuvering and brinkmanship in France, 1776-1785. The Pulitzer-prize winning Schiff shows in splendid, anecdotal detail who without the French -- and without Franklin to convince them to join the fledgling republic -- America would not have gained its independence. (USA129, $30.00)
Guide to Chamber Music  •  Melvin Berger MUSIC •  2001 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES A useful reference, this collection studies the most frequently performed pieces of chamber music. Berger includes an overview of all 231 works and 55 composers. A great overview for the casual listener, more serious students and aficionados may find it lacking in breadth and depth. Third edition. (MUS29, $19.95)
Hands on the Land, A History of the Vermont Lanscape  •  Jan Albers NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES Jan Albers traces the impact of human communities on the landscapes of Vermont, a unique perspective on the history of the state from the time of the Native Americans to today. (USE300, $21.95)
The House by the Sea, A Journal  •  May Sarton LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES One of many journals by May Sarton, who moved from New Hampshire to live alone in a house on the seacoast of Maine. Sarton, a member of the Bloomsbury group, writes beautifully on the topics of aging, solitude, nature, gardening, food, relationships, and of course, on life in coastal Maine. (USE61, $14.95)
The House on Nauset Marsh  •  Wyman Richardson NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A Cape Cod classic, these leisurely essays on land, sea and wildlife were first published to acclaim in 1947. The author, a Boston physician and professor at the Harvard Medical School, found a tranquil refuge in his rustic farmhouse on Eastham's Nauset Marsh. The house, today surrounded by Cape Cod National Seashore, is still in the Richardson family. (USE83, $14.95)
Hungry Ocean, A Swordboat Captain's Journey  •  Linda Greenlaw TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES An account of a 30-day swordfishing trip from Gloucester to the Grand Banks by a veteran fishing boat captain. A formidable skipper (and woman at that), Greenlaw details all the excitement, boredom, weather, and characters on a first-class fishing operation off the coast of Newfoundland. (NFL17, $14.00)
The Inn at Lake Devine  •  Elinor Lipman LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 253 PAGES A witty, romantic comedy about a young Jewish woman who becomes fixated on an anti-Semitic resort in Vermont. "Our guests who feel most comfortable here, and return year after year, are Gentiles," reads a letter addressed to Emily Marx's mother's inquiry about vacation accommodations, setting Emily off on several years of entanglement with the family that owns the inn. It's a good-humored novel of identity and relationships, revealing the social climate of New England during the 1960s. (USE50, $13.95)
Insight Compact Guide Cape Cod  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER  • 74 PAGES A brief illustrated guide to Cape Cod, featuring 120 photos and excellent local maps. With a section on history and culture and in-depth coverage of 9 separate tours and excursions. (USE67, $8.95)
Insight Guide New England  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 419 PAGES This guide is noted for its wonderful photography, superb production and informative short essays. It is a thoroughly illustrated guide to the history, culture and nature of New England, complemented by over 70 pages of practical travel information. Now in its 7th edition, it features information on all the states, with a strong focus on Massachusetts. (USE38, $23.95)
Inventing Acadia, Artists and Tourists at Mount Desert  •  Pamela Belanger HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 170 PAGES The history of Acadia National Park in Maine, and especially the local artists that contributed to its creation. Published by the Farnsworth Library & Art Museum. (USE178, $45.00)
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, A Companion Guide and History  •  Hilliard T. Goldfarb GUIDEBOOK •  1995 •  PAPER  • 152 PAGES A handbook to the museum and its collections, with a brief biography of Gardner and 100 color plates. (BOS03, $30.00)
The James Joyce Murder  •  Amanda Cross MYSTERY •  1987 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES From the middle of the compulsively readable, erudite and entertaining Kate Fansler series, this book finds our English professor hero at the estate in the Berkshires with a gaggle of fellow academics, odd neighbors, and a stack of Joyce correspondence. The summer idyll is interrupted when a hateful neighbor is shot dead. (USE364, $6.50)
John Adams  •  David McCullough BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 751 PAGES The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Truman" has turned to the Founding Fathers in putting together this best-selling biography. With his term as president sandwiched between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Adams has often gotten short shrift as a Founding Father. But in this expansive narrative, McCullough reveals him as a magnificent figure who helped shaped the nation. (USE201, $20.00)
Karen Brown's New England, Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries  •  Jack Bullard GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES A peronable, opinionated survey of inns, estates and other lodging of character, along with suggested itineraries and highlights of each region. (USE200, $19.95)
Kingbird Highway, The Story of a Natural Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand  •  Kenn Kaufman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Kaufman's absorbing account of coming-of-age as a Wichita teenager on the road in 1973 with a summer's pay in his pocket and the goal of seeing as many birds as he could in a year. He tallied 671, impressive by any account and extraordinary if you count birds per buck. He did it all for $1,000. This cult classic was originally published in 1973. (BRD27, $14.00)
Land's End, A Walk In Provincetown  •  Michael Cunningham BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 176 PAGES A brief, loving portrait of Provincetown, the town at the very tip of Cape Cod, by part-time resident Michael Cunningham (whose The Hours, Item NYC67, won the Pulitzer Prize). The notion of a walk, really, is just a convenient way for Cunningham to wax eloquent on Provincetown's early history and its development as a home to artists, bohemians, kooks, and, more recently, to a large gay population. He especially focuses on the breathtaking and uncanny beauty of the town's environs. (USE254, $16.00)
Lexington and Concord, The Beginning of the War of the American Revolution  •  Arthur Bernon Tourtellot HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A lively narrative of the events surrounding April 19, 1775 -- the decisive day that the militia men and the British Army faced off on the Common. Tourtellot draws from first-person sources, diaries and journals in re-creating the drama of the day. (BOS16, $16.95)
Life Along the Hudson  •  Allan Keller  •  Alfred Marks HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES An impressionistic portrait of the Hudson River from its discovery by Europeans to modern times. With 98 well-integrated illustrations. The author, a newspaperman, covers industry, art and culture. He concludes his brief survey with a personal tour of the stately mansions. First published in 1976. (USE196, $26.95)
Literary Trail of Greater Boston  •  Susan Wilson GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 168 PAGES A gem for the literary-minded visitor, this handbook maps Boston's literary locales and suggests easy walking and driving tours in the vicinity. Whether you're a fan of the transcendentalists or the confessional poets, you'll find their birthplaces, residences, schools and haunts listed here. With much historical information and 80 photographs. (BOS04, $12.00)
Little Women  •  Louisa May Alcott LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 669 PAGES As delightful as ever. Louisa May Alcott's classic tale of four high-spirited sisters growing up in Civil War-era Massachussetts is a fine old-fashioned read, especially for anyone contemplating a trip to Orchard House, the Alcott family home in Concord. (USE210, $6.99)
The Loyalists: Revolution, Exile, Settlement  •  Christopher Moore HISTORY •  1984 •  PAPER  • 280 PAGES A good, general account of the Loyalist experience in the American Revolution. (USE172, $17.95)
Maine and Maritime Provinces Map  •  National Geographic MAP A regional map of Maine, including the Canadian Maritime Provinces. (USE39, $7.95)
Maine in America, American Art in the Farnsworth Art Museum  •  Pamela Belanger ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 300 PAGES An illustrated survey of the collection at the Farnsworth Museum and a discussion of the influence of Maine in the history of American art. (USE177, $55.00)
The Maine Reader, The Down East Experience, 1614 to Present  •  Charles Shain LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 524 PAGES • COMING IN OCTOBER An excellent anthology covering the gamut of the state's culture and history, from early European explorers to the 20th century works of Carolyn Chute, Rachel Carson and John McPhee. Selections from Longfellow, Thoreau, Millay and Jewett appear alongside some rare gems, such as an excerpt from the journal of one of Benedict Arnold's foot soldiers. (USE57, $20.95)
The Maine Woods  •  Henry David Thoreau  •  Edward Hoagland NATURAL HISTORY •  1988 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES Thoreau heads north to Maine in search of deep wilderness in this natural history classic. Despite the many changes since Thoreau tromped throughout the region in the 1850s, his vivid renderings of plant, animal and native Indian life are still one of the best introductions to the nature of Maine. (USE62, $16.00)
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont Map  •  Universal Map Enterprises MAP A full-color road map of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont at a scale of 1:467,000 with city-to-city mileage chart and insets of cities and points of interest. (USE76, $4.95)
Mammals of North America  •  Roland W. Kays  •  Don E. Wilson FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A comprehensive guide by two noted mammalogists and featuring 108 color plates, illustrating 442 species. Range maps and descriptive text on ecology, habitat and behavior complement the wonderful paintings. (NAM11, $19.95)
Mammals of North America, Temperate and Arctic Regions  •  Adrian Forsyth NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A handsome, illustrated reference to the mammals of North America from polar bears to bison, mountain lions and the black squirrel. Forsyth ("Tropical Nature"), includes not only up-to-date information on taxonomy and distribution but also discusses the behavior and ecology of each species. With range maps and hundreds of color photogrpahs. (NAM02, $29.95)
March  •  Geraldine Brooks LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Brooks' historical novel, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize, vividly depicts 19th-century America and the devastation of the Civil War. Alcott (here called March) was the father of Louisa May Alcott (Little Women), friend of Emerson and Thoreau, and celebrated educator and thinker. A well-researched, elegant work of historical fiction, the novel contrasts Mr. March's transcendental idealism against the brutal, visceral realities of the Civil War. Mrs. March, who in this treatment is a much more volatile, complex female character than in Little Women, narrates the second half of the book. (USA111, $15.00)
Marine Mammals of the North Atlantic  •  Carl Christian Kinze FIELD GUIDE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A handsomely illustrated guide and handbook to whales and dolphins, porpoises, seals and other marine mammals of the North Atlantic by a Danish biologist. With 250 color illustrations and range maps. (FG60, $22.95)
Marsden Hartley  •  Bruce Robertson ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES A brief guide to the work and life of Marsden Hartley. (USE187, $45.00)
Marsden Hartley, The Biography of an American Artist  •  Townsend Ludington BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 325 PAGES A biography of the troubled modernist American painter from his childhood in Maine, to his life in Germany before World War I, on to his death in 1943. The artist's many homes, his struggles concerning his homosexuality and the progression of his work are all discussed, often using Hartley's own words. (USE185, $22.50)
Marsden Hartley: American Modern  •  Patricia McDonnell ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 86 PAGES The work of modernist painter Marsden Hartley is illustrated in this short book. (USE186, $22.95)
Massachusetts EasyFinder  •  Rand McNally Maps MAP A laminated, fold-up map of Massachusetts at a scale of 1:530,000. (USE293, $7.95)
Moon Handbook Massachusetts  •  Jeff Perk GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 500 PAGES A comprehensive guidebook to the attractions and history of Massachusetts. With much practical information and expanded coverage of the Greater Boston area. (USE292, $19.95)
Muses in Arcadia, Cultural Life in the Berkshires  •  Timothy Cahill GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A guide to each of the Berkshires' prominent cultural venues, including Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, MassMOCA and the Norman Rockwell Museum. It provides a brief history and practical information for each place. (USE164, $19.95)
Mushrooms of Northeast North America, Midwest to New England  •  George Barron FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A highly recommended field guide to mushrooms and mushrooming in the northeastern United States, featuring large, clear color photographs and concise descriptions of 600 species. Organized for easy identification, the book includes a picture key to mushroom groups and six detailed dichotomous keys. (USE325, $24.95)
My Pamet, Cape Cod Chronicle  •  Tom Kane ANTHOLOGY •  1989 •  HARD COVER  • 472 PAGES From 1951 to 1988, journalist Tom Kane recorded the goings-on of small-town life in his column in Cape Cod's weekly newspapers. This book is a "best of" selection of almost 40 years of columns on life in Pamet (aka Truro). (USE82, $24.95)
N.C. Wyeth, A Biography  •  David Michaelis  •  N. C. Wyeth BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES An enthralling biography of the patriarch of the Wyeth clan that examines his career as illustrator of popular adventure novels, including Treasure Island, The Last of the Mohicans, and Robin Hood, among others. Michaelis also reveals the artist's dark side and the almost gothic quality that overshadowed his family life. (USE90, $27.95)
The Namesake  •  Jhumpa Lahiri LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES An intricate and beautifully told tale by the author of Interpreter of Maladies. Lahiri follows the Ganguli family -- Ashoke, Ashima, and their son Gogol, named after the Russian author -- as they leave Calcutta and settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now a feature film directed by Mira Nair of "Salaam Bombay!" and "Monsoon Wedding." (IDA292, $14.00)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders  •  Lorus J. Milne FIELD GUIDE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 989 PAGES A survey of North America's less-loved creatures, organized taxonomically and featuring 700 full-color photographs. With extensive notes and detailed descriptions of 600 species of beetles, caterpillars, moths, bees, wasps, bugs, spiders, ants, termites and all the rest. (FG53, $19.95)
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America  •  National Geographic FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 502 PAGES From Alaska to Baja California, this field guide published by the National Geographic Society, now in its fifth edition (with tabs!), is the one to carry. Practical to use in the field, it has maps, illustrations and descriptions of the birds on facing pages. The scale of the maps changes with the range of the bird, which means you get a more detailed regional map for those birds with a restricted range. This fully revised fifth edition features nearly 700 color range maps, bigger and better than ever. (FG09, $24.00)
National Geographic United States Atlas for Young Explorers  •  National Geographic REFERENCE •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This colorful guide is chock full of readable information for kids. With color-coded maps of each state and region of the U.S., tables and statistics, and 250 photographs, drawings, charts and graphs, this is an ideal atlas for young travelers. (USA93, $24.95)
Native Universe, Voices of Indian America  •  Clifford E. Trafzer ANTHOLOGY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES This anthology of personal and historical essays, as well as over 300 color illustrations of Native American art, is being published to accompany the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. It includes selections from several modern Native American writers, including Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie. (USA95, $22.00)
The Nature of Vermont, Introduction and Guide to a New England Environment  •  Charles W. Johnson NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 354 PAGES Opening with a discussion of the geologic history of Vermont, Johnson provides an lively survey of major habitats, plants and animals of the state. An excellent survey of natural history, more useful as background than as a field guide. The text is accompanied by 140 diagrams, charts and black-and-white photographs. (USE45, $22.95)
A New England Autumn  •  Ferenc Mate  •  Candace Mate NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES Magnificent photographs of farmsteads, pastures, forests, wharves and villages from Maine to Connecticut are paired with the poetry and literature of Dickinson, Thoreau and Waldo Emerson in this pictorial celebration of season. With a 14-page section of maps and practical travel information. (USE337, $29.95)
New England Birds  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD This laminated, fold-out guide gives illustrations of almost 150 commonly encountered birds of New England. It's pocket-sized for quick reference in the field. (USE232, $5.95)
New England Trees and Wildflowers  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD A pocket-size fold-out guide to the conspicuous plants of New England. This laminated reference features illustrations of almost 150 species. (USE233, $5.95)
New England Weather, New England Climate  •  Gregory Zielinski  •  Barry Keim SCIENCE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES A scholarly overview by, respectively, the state climatologists of Maine and New Hampshire, with good coverage of the local seasons: ski season, mud season, beach and lake season, and foliage season. With chapters too on Heat Waves and Cold Spells, Droughts and Rainstorms, Nor'easter, Ice Storms, Tornadoes and Hurricanes. (USE311, $19.95)
New England Wildlife  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD This laminated, fold-out, pocket-size guide features illustrations of almost 150 species of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals found throughout the New England states. (USE234, $5.95)
Norman Rockwell, A Life  •  Laura Claridge BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 592 PAGES A provocative biography of the iconic American illustrator, detailing his life and work. Laura Claridge, who writes widely on art, opens with the line "Norman Rockwell was not sadistic." She offers a personal, rather admiring look at the man and his art. (USE348, $16.95)
Northeast US Southeast Canada Map  •  Marshall Penn-York Maps MAP A colorful map of the Great Lakes at a scale of 1:1,700,000. (GLK08, $3.95)
Off the Leash, Subversive Journeys Around Vermont  •  Helen Husher TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES An insider's tour of the Green Mountain State's little-known and overlooked places. Native Vermonter Husher provides some helpful travel information on the sites she visits, but she's equally (if not more) interested in sharing her memories and fondness for off-beat places such as the Dowsers Labyrinth in Danville, a cemetery in Barre, her hometown of Randolph and the Donohue Seacaves of Burlington. The historical digressions and anecdotes sprinkled throughout make this a highly personal and informative look at the state. (USE53, $21.00)
One Man's Meat  •  E.B. White BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 279 PAGES A collection of observant, personal, and often humorous essays about daily life on a Maine saltwater farm. Originally published in 1938, and written by E.B. White, author of the children's classics "Charlotte's Web," "Trumpet of the Swan" and "Stuart Little," this book is a wonderful portrait of coastal, small town life. (USE43, $14.95)
The Original Vermonters, Native Inhabitants, Past and Present  •  William A. Haviland  •  Marjory W. Power HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 362 PAGES A highly readable, scholarly history of the native inhabitants and cultures of Vermont, covering the arrival of the Paleoindians, Abenakis and Iriquois. The authors examine how these cultures lived in Vermont for at least ten thousand years before the Europeans arrived, and what has been their fate ever since. This second edition contains thirteen additional years of archaelogical research including new information on the Abenakis and the origins of farming in Vermont. (USE56, $25.95)
Out of Work, A History of Wage-Earning Women in the United States (20th Anniversary Edition)  •  Alice Kessler-Harris HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A historical examination of the changing role of women in the workplace in the United States. Kessler-Harris focuses on class, race and ethnicity, the relationship with men in the workforce with respect to gender inequalities, and the transformation of the perceived role of women in society, from mothers and homemakers to wage laborers. With a new Afterward by the author for the 20th anniversary edition. (GEN318, $24.95)
The Outermost House, A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod  •  Henry Beston NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 218 PAGES Henry Beston planned to spend only a few weeks in his new Cape Cod summer cottage, but fell in love with the nature of the region and remained, living there alone for a year. First published in 1928, these are his reflections on the sea, the weather and the animal life of the coast. The house is no longer there (it was swept out to sea in 1978), but this book remains a much-loved piece of the American nature writing tradition. (USE41, $14.00)
Pale Fire  •  Vladimir Nabokov LITERATURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 315 PAGES Nabokov's ground-breaking (and mind-twisting) short tale masquerading as an annotated poem. The narrator Charles Kinbote presents a lost poem by John Shade (which gives the book its title), his commentary and, somehow, a history of Zembla and its glorious ruler Charles II. In dazzling prose Nabokov artfully and comically blurs distinctions between reality (however you might imagine it), literature and fiction. (USE289, $13.95)
Paul Revere and the World He Lived In  •  Esther Forbes BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 528 PAGES An engaging, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography by novelist Forbes (author of the perennial favorite Johnny Tremain), originally published in 1942. (BOS17, $17.95)
Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, Eastern and Central North America  •  Roger Conant FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 616 PAGES A comprehensive field guide to Eastern and Central North America for the herpetologically inclined. With range maps, detailed descriptions, photographs and drawings of 595 species and subspecies of snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, toads, newts and salamanders. At the heart of the book are 50 color plates. (FG46, $21.00)
Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647  •  William Bradford HISTORY •  1981 •  PAPER  • 385 PAGES A readable, first-hand account of the early days of Plymouth. Bradford, the leader of the Pilgrim planation, shares details about the history of the community, daily life, and a good amount of gossip. (USE291, $13.44)
Poet of the Appetites, The Lives and Loves of M.F.K. Fisher  •  Joan Reardon BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES "When I write of hunger," MFK Fisher said in 1990, "I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it." Fisher chronicled her love for food and travel in more than 30 books over 50 years. Reardon researched Fisher's personal letters and interviewed family and friends to create this biography of the woman who John Updike called the "poet of the appetites." (GEN316, $15.00)
The Poetry of Robert Frost  •  Robert Frost LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 640 PAGES Three volumes of Frost poetry, as well as interviews and essays, collected in one book, representing the majority of the poet's published works. (USE370, $20.00)
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird  •  Phillip Hoose NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An engaging and well-researched history of the ivory-billed woodpecker, and the struggles surrounding its survival. It's a suspenseful and entertaining book about modern conservation and environmental issues for middle-school readers, featuring John James Audubon and others. The bird, only recently rediscovered, once ranged across the southeastern United States. With black-and-white photographs throughout. (BRD30, $21.00)
Ravel  •  Burnett James MUSIC •  1991 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES An illustrated introduction to Ravel's life and music. An entry in The Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers series. (MUS27, $19.95)
Ravel: Man and Musician  •  Arbie Orenstein MUSIC •  1991 •  PAPER  • 293 PAGES A comprehensive biography of the French composer. Includes analyses of his works, a discography and illustrations. (MUS28, $16.95)
Reading the Forested Landscape, A Natural History of New England  •  Tom Wessels  •  Brian Cohen  •  Ann Zwinger NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES In this thoughtful book, Wessels examines the character of the central New England forest through the clues left behind by fires, logging, storms, and economic fads (not to mention beavers, blowdowns and blights). With black-and-white etchings illustrating disturbance patterns, checklist of trees by substrate and glossary. (USE07, $18.95)
Reading the Mountains of Home  •  John Elder NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 253 PAGES Using Robert Frost's poem "Directive" as a companion on a journey through the woods of Vermont, John Elder (a professor of English and environmental studies at Middlebury College) weaves scholarly analysis with reflections on the cycles of loss and recovery in his own life and in nature. Elder explains that not all ecological destruction is intrinsically wrong. After all, the hard-wood forests that were lost to small farms are now replaced by blazing maples, suggesting that the communities of man and nature are compatible, and wilderness is capable of renewal. It's an eloquently written book of memoir, literary criticism and natural history. (USE55, $20.50)
Recommended Country Inns New England, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont  •  Elizabeth Squier  •  Eleanor Berman GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES (USE373, $18.95)
Remember D-Day, Both Sides Tell Their Stories  •  Ronald J. Drez  •  David Eisenhower HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS An engaging and well-constructed history of the D-Day invasion for readers in grades 5 to 8, complete with anecdotes from soldiers, black-and-white photographs, plenty of historical information, and an introduction by David Eisenhower which paints a personal portrait of his grandfather, Dwight. (USA96, $17.95)
Return to Wild America, A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul  •  Scott Weidensaul NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES Weidensaul follows in the footsteps conservation pioneers Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher in this homage to their 1953 journey, modern travelogue and eye-opening report on wilderness in America. (USA123, $15.00)
The Rise of American Democracy, Jefferson to Lincoln HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 992 PAGES A magisterial history of the development of America from republic to democracy in the years between independence and the Civil War. (USA130, $35.00)
The Rise of Silas Lapham  •  William Dean Howells LITERATURE •  1983 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES A classic novel of the Gilded Age, where wealth and the Boston aristocracy collide as entrepreneur Silas Lapham attempts to translate his riches into social status by marrying off his daughters. Howells, a realist, explores the relationship between morality and money as Lapham can only find moral renewal through bankruptcy. Originally published in 1885. (BOS21, $15.00)
Road Guide New England, Atlantic Northeast  •  Hallwag MAP A map of the Northeast, from the Chesapeake through all of New England and half of Nova Scotia, at a nice scale of 1:1,200,000. With a gazetteer, national parks, and more detailed insets of major cities. (USE58, $12.95)
Roadside Geology, Vermont and New Hampshire  •  Bradford B. Van Diver  •  David D. Alt GUIDEBOOK •  1987 •  PAPER  • 230 PAGES Designed for the roadside traveler, this book explains in detail the geologic history of Vermont and New Hampshire. Each section is organized around a particular route, with black-and-white photographs complementing detailed geologic maps. (USE54, $14.00)
Sails and Steam in the Mountains, A Maritime and Military History of Lake George and Lake Champlain  •  Russell Bellico HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 393 PAGES A well written account of the Battle of Valcour. (USE167, $25.00)
Sea of Slaughter, A Chronicle of the Destruction of Animal Life in the North Atlantic  •  Farley Mowat NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES This massively researched book documents human exploitation of the marine resources of the North Atlantic, including a blow-by-blow account of the extinction of the Great Auk, a long chapter on the Basque whaling industry and much information on the cod. This influential book was originally published in 1984. (OCE07, $16.95)
The Secret Life of Lobsters, How Fishermen and Scientists are Unraveling the Mysteries of our Favorite Crustacean  •  Trevor Corson SCIENCE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 299 PAGES In this tasty book investigative journalist Corson unravels the social behavior of lobster and lobstermen on Little Cranberry Island in the Gulf of Maine. It's an entertaining, informative jaunt into the minds of lobster and those who study and catch them. Corson is a terrific writer and the basic conflcit between scientists and lobsterman over quotas is compelling. More rewarding, however, is Corson's indepth look into the social behavior of these strange (and strangely abundant) crustaceans. He includes in the appendix "How to Cook a Lobster." (USE340, $13.95)
The Sierra Club Guide to the Ancient Forests of the Northeast  •  Bruce Kershner  •  Robert T. Leverett GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 292 PAGES A handy guide to the old-growth forests of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Organized geographically, each forest gest a brief descritpion with highlights, driving directions and contact information. (USE336, $16.95)
Sightseeking: Clues to the Landscape History of New England  •  Christopher J. Lenney NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 376 PAGES The stone walls, dirt roads and seemingly arbitrary boundaries of rural New England are the lens through which Christopher Lenney examines the region's history, as dictated by human manipulation of the landscape. What results is a unique combination of archaeology, natural history and town planning, fused throughout with astute cultural analysis. (USE288, $27.95)
Stolen Continents, 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas  •  Ronald Wright HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A powerful history of imperialism and resistance in the Americas, with a focus on the Aztec, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois. Wright's illuminating account, told largely from the point of view of the losers, details the rapid collapse of cultures and societies in the Americas following the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. Wright draws on an impressive range of archival material in reconstructing this classic account, originally published in 1993. Wright is also the author of Time Among the Maya. (NAM20, $17.00)
A Studio of Her Own, Women Artists in Boston 1870-1940  •  Erica E. Hirshler ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES Published in conjunction with an MFA exhibit of the same name, this nicely ilustrated book considers the art and sphere of Boston-based women artists from the close of the Civil War to the beginning of World War II. Hirshler, a curator of American painting at the MFA, unearths some hitherto unknown greats and champions some forgotten pioneers. (BOS08, $40.00)
To See Every Bird On Earth: A Father, A Son, And A Lifelong Obsession  •  Dan Koeppel NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Ostensibly about birds and birdwatching, this enormously appealing book is a memoir by a talented writer of his father, a father who happens to be in the elite cadre of major birders. Dan Koeppel chronicles his father's growing interest in birds in this enormously appealing memoir of a life devoted to birds. Richard is a member of an elite group who have tallied more than 7,000 species. Koeppel includes his own travels tagging along and brief profiles of other eccentric listers. (BRD28, $14.00)
Treasures of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  •  Malcolm Rogers  •  Gilian Wohlauer ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES A fully illustrated collection of masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, organized thematically with captions and chapter introductions by a team of curators at the MFA. Featuring 280 full color reproductions. (USE241, $11.95)