Our New England

In New England, we have a saying. "If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change." New England finds itself receiving weather systems that converge from the west, south and north . . . sometimes at once! As a result, many New England cities receive very little sun. When the sun comes out, people flock outside for a few minutes of joy. I never saw the like in my home state of California.Imagine then what a surprise it was to see that the 150 photographs in this splendid book revealed optimum weather conditions over 95 percent of the time. You could visit these locations every day for a year and possibly never see the exact combination of sky and light. In fact, I could only find four scenes where I had personally seen better weather conditions than the photograph portrayed. So think of this book as being an idealized view of New England. As such, it will make an incredible contribution to those who have left our rocky, cloudy shores . . . and want to remember New England as a glorious, almost heavenly, place. The photographs themselves show considerable planning. Compositions are rich and vivid. Shooting angles are startling and interesting. Those who love winter may be a little disappointed that our more picturesque seasons, spring, summer and fall, receive much more attention than the days when we huddle from the "Montreal express." All of the New England states are well represented, but Maine seems to receive the most attention. New Hampshire is well represented as well. Connecticut residents may feel a little under represented. All of New England's most beloved icons are here: church steeples, antique shops, rocky shores, whales, lighthouses, sailing ships, Old Ironsides, autumn colors, covered bridges, icy peaks, famous buildings and images of Minutemen. The quality of the images is amazingly good. I cannot remember a regional photographic guide with such high average quality. If you love New England, you owe it to yourself to have this book.