Briefly Noted

Today, thanks to the Patriot Act, if you plan on crossing the border from Maine into Canada, even if it’s just to get gas or groceries, you’ll need a passport. It wasn’t always so. In fact, the people of the area known as the Upper St. John Valley (the borderland consisting of northern Maine, northwestern New Brunswick, and eastern Quebec) have worked and lived together for hundreds of years — long before the Webster-Ashburton Treaty established the international border in 1842. The Land In Between (Tilbury House, Gardiner, Maine; paperback; 442 pages; $30) by Beatrice Craig and Maxime Dagenais is an exhaustively thorough and detailed account of the history of this land and its people. Through examining the geography, history, sociology, politics, and culture of this distinctly French-American area, this book paints a comprehensive picture of this region from prehistory to World War I. Full of maps, charts, documents, and pictures, this text is not only a fascinating and informative read, but also an unmatched reference.

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Our New Books
	Mr. Rockefeller's Roads \| This updated version of the 1990 best-seller has new photography, more archival photos, and descriptions of recent improvements to the 51-mile carriage road system.
	Maine Beaches \| This handy guide makes 20 of the state’s favorite beaches easy to find and includes loads of useful information so you can make the most of your time at the shore.
	Maine ABC \| Illustrated with distinct Maine icons, such as moose, lobster, and Katahdin, this book has a rhyming verse that will have children singing the words, asking for it to be read again and again, and learning the alphabet in no time.
	Ultimate Acadia \| Ultimate Acadia is the essential book about Maine’s Mount Desert Island, providing everything you need to know to make the most of your time there.