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Rating: 
Summary: Interesting/Informative/Beautiful Pictures
Review: An excellent book to take along with you during your travels to Maine. The photos in this book are simply beautiful! The photographer, Thomas Mark Szelog actually lives in the lighthouse on the cover!! I was lucky enough to meet him and he was kind enough to show me some of his photgraphs. Absolutely beautiful work. This is a great book and I highly recommend it when you travel down east!
Rating:
Summary: Next best thing to going there
Review: Charles Calhoun's MAINE is a departure from most travel guides. Rather than just pages and pages of lists of motels, restaurants, and things to see, Calhoun focuses on the state's people (past and present), natural history, and state-of-mind. Instead of simply an address and phone number for the famous L. L. Bean's (outdoor outfitters, for example, Calhoun gives us several pages, including the story of the founder of the company. The book opens with a chapter entitled "Learning Maine" and is organized geographically into nine main sections which cover the entire state. The final chapter, "Practical Information" gives all the usual, plus "A Dozen Fun Places to Eat" and antiquarian booksellers. Scattered throughout the book are literary excerpts and topical essays by authors such as May Sarton, John McPhee, and Longfellow. There are maps, reproductions of period art, and plenty of gorgeous color photos. Whether the reader is planning a trip to Maine or merely wishes an intriguing armchair journey, this guide is a must. Kimberly Borrowdale, Under the Covers Book Reviews
Rating: 
Summary: Heavy duty paper...but little substance
Review: It is nicely packaged (heavy paper, color photographs), but the index is incomplete, the organizing odd, and the subject matter is rather limited. Never once does the author say what he would do if he had a day - or week - in Maine. He says nice things about it all, and retells funny anecdotes written by other authors, but gives little direction about the places one really should see. I found the British Rough Guide to New England much more helpful and accurate in describing the nature of towns, and whether they were worth visiting. I really liked the Compass Guide to Arizona, but found this one disappointing. The organization was confusing, as the body would occasionally mention names of places to eat or stay, but you had to look in an appendix for the phone number, etc. Also, the author would not actually vouch for any of the establishments he listed - it seemed as if he just compiled his information from a Chamber of Commerce brochure. The thing the author did well was to convince you that Maine was lovely, but we were already convinced. I like that he recommended other reading about Maine and by Mainers, but his book was little help once we were there.
Rating:
Summary: Heavy duty paper...but little substance
Review: It is nicely packaged (heavy paper, color photographs), but the index is incomplete, the organizing odd, and the subject matter is rather limited. Never once does the author say what he would do if he had a day - or week - in Maine. He says nice things about it all, and retells funny anecdotes written by other authors, but gives little direction about the places one really should see. I found the British Rough Guide to New England much more helpful and accurate in describing the nature of towns, and whether they were worth visiting. I really liked the Compass Guide to Arizona, but found this one disappointing. The organization was confusing, as the body would occasionally mention names of places to eat or stay, but you had to look in an appendix for the phone number, etc. Also, the author would not actually vouch for any of the establishments he listed - it seemed as if he just compiled his information from a Chamber of Commerce brochure. The thing the author did well was to convince you that Maine was lovely, but we were already convinced. I like that he recommended other reading about Maine and by Mainers, but his book was little help once we were there.
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