Reprinted from the June 2011 issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. The woods of northern Maine were much different in the 1800’s than they are today. A forest that was once roamed by Indians and changed only by natural disturbance soon became the workplace of the timber industry. Small farms and settlements began to pop up in the woods, and early travelers came to … [Read more...] about Thomas Sedgewick Steele – Early Maine Canoe Trips
Classic Outdoor Nonfiction
My Big Buck
"My Big Buck" was Gerald E. Lewis' second book, and his first of two collections of outdoor stories of Maine. Published in 1978 by The Thorndike Press, the book contains a telling foreword by legendary Arthur R. MacDougall, Jr., and a total of seven short stories. Along with "So Long Scout", "My Big Buck" is one of my all time favorite collections of hunting and fishing … [Read more...] about My Big Buck
Nature I Loved
summary by Greg Tuttle Bill Geagan's "Nature I Loved" is the book that got me interested in reading and collecting Maine hunting and fishing books. I first read it over 30 years ago and have since lost track of how many times I have read it. The book is an account of about 2 years of Bill Geagan’s life. He was 5 years out of high school and didn’t know what he … [Read more...] about Nature I Loved
Up Here in Maine
"Up Here in Maine" was Gerald E. Lewis' first book. It was printed by Pittsfield Publishers and has no copyright date, but the foreword was written by famous Maine author John Gould, and dated 1974. Illustrations were done by Roderick Slater. The book contains 34 essays broken into four parts. The vast majority of these essays are about the Lewis family farm in Garland, … [Read more...] about Up Here in Maine
Upriver & Down
written by Greg Tuttle “Upriver & Down” (1965) was Edmund Ware Smith’s last book. It’s another great book, published by Holt Rinehart, with illustrations by Maurice Day. The story “The Last Hermit of the Maine Woods” is especially good. Best of all there are six “Jake’s Rangers” stories in it. Jake’s Rangers were a group of like-minded friends and outdoorsmen living in … [Read more...] about Upriver & Down