Adirondack historian John Warren's Historic Tales from
the Adirondack Almanack (The History Press, 2009) unearths the quirkier side of
the region. This anthology of posts from Warren's popular blog covers centuries
of lore, including disasters, buried treasure and the lives of local saints and
scallywags (128 pages, $19.99, black-and-white photographs, paperback,
866-457-5971, http://historypress.net).
The Great Experiment in Conservation: Voices from the
Adirondack Park (Syracuse University Press, 2009), edited by William Porter,
Jon Erickson and Ross Whaley, features essays from Bill McKibben, Barbara
McMartin and more. The collection reflects on the past 40 years of park
history, including shifts in its environment, culture and economy. The final
section is especially compelling, envisioning the park's future as it struggles
to maintain its status as a model for the world (606 pages, $45, hardcover,
315-443-5534, www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu).
The Adirondack Museum offers a peek at its collection in
Historic Images of the Adirondacks, compiled by Victoria Verner Sandiford
(North Country Books, 2008). Organized by region, the sampler includes nuggets
like Georgia O'Keefe vacationing in Lake George and the Cedar River's log
ferry, circa 1890 (118 pages, $19.95, black-and-white photographs, paperback,
800-342-7409, www.northcountrybooks.com).
Noah John Rondeau's Adirondack Wilderness Days: A Year
with the Hermit of Cold River Flow (The Forager Press, 2009) by William J.
O'Hern delivers previously unpublished journal entries—originally written
almost wholly in code—from the area's most famous recluse, as well as the story
behind cracking Rondeau's unique cipher (324 pages, $32.95, hardcover,
315-675-9704, www.theforagerpress.com).
Explore hallways and landscapes once familiar to
America's elite in Paul Smith's Adirondack Hotel and College (Arcadia
Publishing, 2009) by Neil Surprenant, part of the Images of America series (128
pages, $21.99, black-and-white photographs, paperback, 888-313-2665,
www.arcadiapublishing.com). Also new to the series: Boats and Boating on
Cranberry Lake by Allen P. Splete (128 pages, $21.99, black-and-white
photographs, paperback) and Around Boonville by Harney J. Corwin (128 pages,
$21.99, black-and-white photographs, paperback). Scherelene L. Schatz's The
Adirondacks (2008), an entry in Arcadia's Postcard History series, traces 150
years of park-wide tourism (128 pages, $21.99, black-and-white photographs,
paperback).
Adirondack Stories II by Marty Podskoch (Podskoch Press,
2009) is chock-full of tidbits about the colorful characters that have tromped
through these landscapes. Part of a two-book series illustrated by Sam
Glanzman, the work celebrates the many small pieces that form the story of the
Adirondacks (120 pages, $18.95, black-and-white illustrations, paperback,
860-267-2442, www.adirondackstories.com).
Terror in the Adirondacks (Bloated Toe Publishing, 2009)
by Lawrence P. Gooley recounts the 1973 rampage of serial killer Robert Garrow,
while tracing the story back to Garrow's childhood and forward through the
case's lasting impact (216 pages, $22, paperback, 518-563-9469,
www.bloatedtoe.com).
Curator Anthony Wonderley decodes Iroquois and Algonquian
folktales in At the Font of the Marvelous: Exploring Oral Narrative and Mythic
Imagery of the Iroquois and Their Neighbors (Syracuse University Press, 2009).
The tales, many recorded over a century ago, "preserve the voice ... [of]
a bygone age, when storytelling was an important facet of daily life,"
writes Wonderley (188 pages, $29.95, hardcover, 315-443-5534,
www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu).
For the spooky side of local history, North Country
radio- and television-personality Gordie Little whets appetites with Ghosts of
Clinton County (North Country Books, 2009), creepy tales collected from
Plattsburgh, West Chazy, Altona and more (158 pages, $15.95, paperback,
800-342-7409, www.northcountrybooks.com).
Find everything you ever wanted to know about the Fulton
County town of Oppenheim in a new self-published work by town historian Hector
Allen, Oppenheim Chronicles (2008, 369 pages, $38.50, hardcover, 518-568-2736).
Allen also authored Oppenheim in the War of the Rebellion (2004, 134 pages,
$19.95, paperback).
GUIDES
Get insider information on every corner of the park in
Wild Times: Your Personal Guide to 120 Hiking and Paddling Adventures in the
Adirondacks (2009). Culled from 10 years of tips from the bimonthly Adirondack
Explorer, it's a must-have for any outdoor adventurer (132 pages, $14.95, color
photographs and maps, paperback, 518-891-9352, www.adirondackexplorer.com).
The second edition of St. Regis Canoe Outfitters'
Adirondack Paddler's Guide (2009) by Dave Cilley includes a handy recap of
rules and regulations on public lands, along with safety tips, emergency
contacts and, of course, an impressive breakdown of more than three dozen
routes throughout the park, from beginner to pro (215 pages, $28.95,
spiral-bound, 888-775-2925, www.canoeoutfitters.com).
Adirondack Trails with Tales: History Hikes through the
Adirondack Park and the Lake George, Lake Champlain & Mohawk Valley Regions
by Russell Dunn and Barbara Delaney (Black Dome Press, 2009) reveals all of the
best backpacking, skiing and paddling locations through the stories of the historical
figures who have traveled the same paths (296 pages, $17.95, black-and-white
photographs and maps, paperback, 800-513-9013, www.blackdomepress.com).
Adirondack Wildlife: A Field Guide by James M. Ryan
(University of New Hampshire Press, 2008) is a handy pocketsize primer on
everything that swims, swoops and scurries around these six million acres (249
pages, $24.95, black-and-white and color photographs, paperback, 800-421-1561,
www.upne.com).
PHOTOGRAPHY
Mark Bowie gifts readers with a new selection of
photographs in The Adirondacks: In Celebration of the Seasons (North Country
Books, 2009). The work captures changes throughout the year, as well as the
diversity of the park (144 pages, $19.95, hardcover, 800-342-7409,
www.northcountrybooks.com).
Carl Heilman II's latest offering, Lake George (North
Country Books, 2009), is a dazzling love letter to the "Queen of American
Lakes" (200 pages, hardcover, 800-342-7409, www.northcountrybooks.com).
Adirondack Moments (Firefly Books, 2009) by nature
photographer James Kraus pairs personal insights with more than 100 regional
photographs (132 pages, $29.95, hardcover, 416-499-8412, www.fireflybooks.com).
FICTION
Qualities of Light (Spinsters Ink, 2009), a first novel
from nonfiction veteran and artist Mary Carroll Moore, paints a peaceful
Adirondack backdrop torn by family tragedy and the tumult of young love (247
pages, $14.95, paperback, 800-301-6860, www.spinstersink.com).
Author and middle-school teacher Kate Messner captures
the ups and downs of adolescence in The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. (Walker
& Company, 2009), an inspiring story for the nine-to-12 set (198 pages,
$16.99, hardcover, 888-330-8477, www.walkerbooks.com).
Dave Donohue's novel Saying Goodbye to Port Davis High
(RA Press, 2009) recalls the atmosphere of a small Adirondack town that
resembles Port Henry while it struggles with the cultural revolution of the
1960s and the uncertain future of the ore-mining industry (116 pages,
paperback, 802-399-2426, www.limbobus.org/~donohue).
For Adirondack Mysteries (North Country Books, 2009),
editor Dennis Webster handpicked Blue Line-based puzzlers by almost a dozen
authors (219 pages, $17.95, paperback, 800-342-7409,
www.northcountrybooks.com).
The ninth book in the Adirondack Kids series by Justin
and Gary VanRiper, Legend of the Lake Monster (Adirondack Kids Press, 2009),
lets kids explore Lake Champlain by submarine in search of its legendary
creature, Champ, picking up many historical and natural facts about the
region's largest lake along the way (85 pages, $9.95, black-and-white
photographs and illustrations, paperback, 315-245-2437,
www.adirondackkids.com).
POETRY
Empty Boathouse: Adirondack Haiku (Single Island Press,
2008) by Madeleine Findlay renders snapshots of the wilderness in 17 syllables
(45 pages, $40, black-and-white photographs, hardcover, 603-431-1009,
www.haikumuse.com).
ESSAY
In Forgive Me, Ma'am ... Bears Don't Wear Blue: The Final
Chapters on the Life and Times of a Wilderness Park Ranger in the Adirondack
Mountains (North Country Books, 2009), the last installment in Larry Weill's
popular series of anecdotes, the author shares the stage with his daughter,
Kelly (237 pages, $17.95, paperback, 800-342-7409, www.northcountrybooks.com).
