Compass American Guides: Southern New England, 1st Edition (Compass American Guide Southern New England) [Paperback]

Anne Mundow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 1999 | Series: Compass American Guide Southern New England

Created by local writers and photographers, Compass American Guides are the ultimate insider's guides, providing in-depth coverage of the history, culture and character of America's most spectacular destinations.  Covering everything there is to see and do as well as choice lodging and dining, these gorgeous full-color guides are perfect for new and longtime residents as well as vacationers who want a deep understanding of the region they're visiting.
Written and photographed by local residents
Spectacular color photography and over 20 detailed maps
Exploring the Litchfield Hills in northwestern Connecticut and the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts
Extensive historical background, archival images and paintings
Summer festivals and recreational opportunities
Fine restaurants, historical inns, romantic bed-and-breakfasts
Best of Boston, Providence, Newport, and Hartford


About the Author

Anna Mundow has lived and traveled in New England since 1980.  A native of Ireland, she is a correspondent for the Irish Times and a book critic for the New York Daily News.  She is also a regular contributor to Newsday and the Boston Globe, and she has appeared as a commentator on BBC Radio, Monitor Radio, and WGBH television.  Mundow's writing has appeared in a variety of other publications, from the Los Angeles Times and Mirabella to Boston Magazine and the Manchester Guardian.


About the Photographer

James Marshall began making photographs as a teenager in his basement darkroom.  Since 1978 he has traveled extensively throughout Asia, North America, and Europe, covering events and documenting cultures.  Along the way, he produced and edited Hong Kong: Here be Dragons; A Day in the Life of Thailand; and Planet Vegas: A Portrait of Las Vegas.  After nearly 20 years in New York and Connecticut, in 1997 he moved to the Coast of Maine, where he especially enjoys the fish chowder.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

This excerpt from Compass American Guide: Southern New England will help you to get a feel for New England and give you a sense of how Compass guides take you inside the culture along with all of the practical details.


A friend of mine, a jazz musician living in Western Massachusetts, recently returned from an engagement at three in the morning.  Two hours later he was woken by his ringing telephone.  It was the neighboring farmer calling for a chat.  "Do you have any idea what time it is?" the muscian snarled.  "Sure," the 80 year-old Yankee replied.  "Time to get up."  New England had just disciplined another newcomer.


Over the centuries this small place has grown not only layers of history but barnacles of character.  It knows what it is and -- just as importantly -- what it is not.  It is not, for instance, California.  New Englanders may tell you to have a nice day, but they would prefer you to have a productive one.  Preferably with a little adversity thrown in to stiffin your spine.  When the temperature drops to 20 below and New Englanders say, "Bit nippy," they are celebrating not complaining.


Like some of the region's other emblems -- the white spire on the Common, the red barn in the snow, Boston's rigidity, Connecticut's ingenuity -- the obstinate New England character is now only part of the story in a place deluged by mass culture.  But living here is, for the most part, still a serious business.  Winter sees to that, tipping the equation of work + adversity = virtue clearly in weather's favor.


Winter is not, however, the real test of Yankee application.  Autumn is -- September and October days so perfect that they immobilize the busiest worker, vaporizing his intentions and condemning him to stare helplessly at the golden world around him.


Visitors may, of course, stare in any season.  And this book encourages the practice, whether you are contemplating a Federal mansion or an island sunset.  It largely avoids the shopping malls, suburbs, and major highways of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island -- wastelands indistinguishable from thousands of others around the country -- instead choosing byways where surprises lurk and people still know what time it is.  So don't be alarmed if you find yourself in a dreamy hilltop graveyard picnicking among the winged skull headstones.  And when a local farmer drives by, try not to look as if you're enjoying yourself too much.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Compass America Guides (July 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679001840
• ISBN-13: 978-0679001843
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,682,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)