Book Recommendation

After reading several different books and articles on the Adirondacks I finally got a copy of "Adirondack Country" by William Chapman White and just finished reading it and it lived up to its reputation as one of the best books on the region ever written. It originally came out in 1954 (a year before the author's death). White was a columnist for the New York Times who loved the Adirondacks and came there frequently. The book gives a history of every aspect of the region, from lumbering, to mining, to tourism, to the sanitariums for TB patients which drew many in the latter part of the 19th century and into the 20th century. The last section of the book is perhaps the most beautifully written as it chronicles in florid prose the different months of the year starting in April and ending in March, describing the change in seasons, and the rythems of life--human, animal, and plant that change as the year goes on, then repeats itself. Despite the books age, you would never know it was written over 60 years ago-- it is a classic. His wife Ruth penned an afterword in my version in 1967, and an additional Postcript in 1974, noting some of the changes and then-current issues facing the region in those times. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Adirondacks.



I obtained a used copy off Amizon Smile, but I am sure they might have it in a second hand book dealer or your local bookstore might be able to track you down a copy.