The Edge of Maine

by WOLFF, GEOFFREY

• ISBN13: 9780792238713
• ISBN10: 0792238710
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-06-01
• Publisher: National Geographic

Summary

Novelist and biographer Geoffrey Wolff has spent many summers in Mainesailing its coastal waters, climbing its rocky peaks, and communing with its natives. Now, with the voice of a passionate insider, he brings readers into the heart of this striking region and explains what makes it unique. Starting with a gripping tale about being lost offshore in the fog with inadequate navigational aids, Wolff goes on to describe the coast's geological history and discovery by Europeans. He then turns a keen eye towards Mainers, their mores and peculiarities, and to the summer rusticators who for generations have invaded the stunning waterfronts. A section on boat building celebrates the extraordinary rescue of Maine's foremost craft; another on lobsters tells the rich story of the custom, taste, commerce, environmental conflict, and scientific mystery surrounding these critical crustaceans. Here is a true feasttravel literature at its best.

Author Biography

Born in Los Angeles in 1937, Geoffrey Wolff is the author of the acclaimed biographies Black Sun, The Duke of Deception: Memories of My Father, and The Art of Burning Bridges: The Life of John O'Hara. His novels include Providence (1986), and The Age of Consent (1995). He has also written a collection of personal essays, A Day at the Beach. In 1994 he received the Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He lives in Los Angeles and Bath, Maine, and is the director of the graduate fiction program at the University of California at Irvine.

Table of Contents

Norumbega	1	(6)
Edging Up On It	7	(24)
Anchored: Ragged Island	31	(24)
Chilly Welcomes	55	(16)
Cruising: Seguin	71	(8)
The Gallant Kennebec	79	(36)
Castine (Revisiting)	115	(14)
Elegies, Hairbreadth Escapes, and Repairs	129	(28)
Rustication	157	(12)
Cruising: Pulpit Harbor	169	(12)
The View from Our Dock	181	(8)
A Note to the Reader	189