The Maine Reader: The Down East Experience from 1614 to the Present

Here, in one large volume, is a book that captures the full sweep of Maine's culture and history, from the first dazzled vision of the European explorers to the modern prose of Carolyn Chute and John McPhee. Thoughtfully edited, illustrated with photographs of documents, buildings, and personalities, this compendium brings to life a state that has always maintained its own character and independence. All the great figures who were ever born in, have inhabited, or have written about Maine can be found in these pages, including (among many others) Longfellow, Thoreau, Jewett, Millay, Beston, and Gould. In addition, the editors have uncovered small unknown gems: the journal of a foot soldier marching with Benedict Arnold and the bawdy memoirs of a sea captain's wife. Illustrated with over fifty splendid halftones, this collection - the most complete and entertaining selection of Down East writing yet assembled - will be indispensable reading for anyone who has ever succumbed to the charms of the Pine Tree State.