This edited history of Maine is a true masterpiece that explores many facets of this history of the state. The examinations of the lives of Native-Americans, the Wabnaki and others, the role of the French in Acadia and other stories are brought to life here in a series of chronological essays, that are neither obscure nor inundated with academic jargon. The later essays examine the role of Maine in the abolition of slavery, the civil war and the economy. Others discuss Maine's freedom from Massachusetts and the settling of the countryside. Separate sections detailing `further reading' are sometimes helpful, although sometimes they merely direct the reader to hard to find primary sources. The diversity of the essays and the thought that went into them is a joy. The inclusion of numerous maps is also very helpful. A very interesting book, designed initially as a reader or textbook, it is much more than that. It is a scholarly attempt to write the history of Maine and the use of essays in this case does not take away from the general subject.
Seth J. Frantzman