The definitive history of the mountains of the Northeast is now back in print. Exhaustively researched and superbly written, and now featuring a new introduction by author Laura Waterman, Forest and Crag is a classic of outdoor literature. The late Guy Waterman and his wife Laura were pioneers in promoting preservation of wild places and backwoods ethics. They spent a decade researching and writing Forest and Crag, drawing together widely scattered sources on the history of the White Mountains, the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks, the Catskills, and beyond. The struggles of early pioneers in America's first frontier wilderness, the first ascent of every major peak in the Northeast, the creation of the Appalachian Trail, the golden era of the summit resort hotels, the unforeseen consequences of the backpacking boom of the 1970s and 1980s-it's all here in one comprehensive volume. Lovers of adventure and the outdoors will hail the return of this classic history of the mountains of the Northeast.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Although this book's sheer bulk may seem intimidating, readers will find it enjoyable and invaluable. It is rich with stories gleaned from journals, interviews, and first-hand encounters about the history of hikers and trail building in the Northeast mountains. While focusing on recreation history of the three major ranges, it also includes fascinating accounts of lesser ranges and individual mountains. Of special interest is how mountain recreation in the region evolved from hill walking of the 1830s, to turn of the century camping, to postwar hiking and backpacking, to current trail building and maintenance. The book features fine maps, superb documentation, and a helpful glossary. Recommended for experts and general readers.
- Tom Reigstad, SUNY Coll. at Buffalo
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Tom Reigstad, SUNY Coll. at Buffalo
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"This is a superb, monumental history. The Watermans are adept at the capsule profile, whether of peaks or persons. A gallery of characters unrolls, as diverse as those in a novel by Dickens." --Paul Jamieson, editor, The Adirondack Reader
"Written with grace, style, and good humor, seasoned with a refreshing sense of wonder, Forest and Crag reads more like a gripping novel than the serious research work it really is." --Magnetic North magazine
"In its quality, comprehensiveness, and regional orientation, Forest and Crag is unprecedented in American letters. It will become a classic in social, intellectual, and environmental history." --Roderick Nash, author of Wilderness and the American Mind
"Written with grace, style, and good humor, seasoned with a refreshing sense of wonder, Forest and Crag reads more like a gripping novel than the serious research work it really is." --Magnetic North magazine
"In its quality, comprehensiveness, and regional orientation, Forest and Crag is unprecedented in American letters. It will become a classic in social, intellectual, and environmental history." --Roderick Nash, author of Wilderness and the American Mind
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forest &Crag,
This review is from: Forest & Crag: A History of Hiking, Trail Blazing, and Adventure in the Northeast Mountains (Paperback)
This book is a great indepth look at mountainiering in the northeastern United States. It has to be the most complete history of the northeast mountains. It starts back when Darby Fields and many others started to explore the area, and runs through the nineteen eighties. Laura and Guy Waterman researched for ten years in order to put this book together. They are both acomplished writers and have a way of making a history exciting and humorous. It is a great tribute to the early settlers of the area and how hearty they were. I recomend this book to anyone who has done some hiking in the northeastern United States or are just interested in the history of the land. This is a must buy for all serious northeastern mountainiers.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply the best book on Hiking in New England!,
By
This review is from: Forest & Crag: A History of Hiking, Trail Blazing, and Adventure in the Northeast Mountains (Paperback)
A friend turned me on to this book. I had passed on it a few times due in part to it's huge size. However I found that it was everything I ever wanted to know about the mountains and forests of New England. It's written in a very accesible manner that never leaves the reader without a smile for long. It's very obvious that the text contained in this book was researched with an artists attention to detail. And it shows in the nearly 200 pages of appendix!To those in the North East the name Guy Waterman and his wife Laura have long been synonymis with hiking and climbing in the the region. A lot of hulabaloo was made over his death and the poetic yet puzzling statement it makes. In any case, after reading this book it becomes easy to see why he was so well loved, respected, and admired by so many of his peers. If this book was $100.00 it would still be worth it. The amount of labor that went into this book is priceless. It was very obviously a labor of love. Buy it and read it.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scholarly, lively, and fun,
By
This review is from: Forest and Crag, A History of Hiking, Trail Blazing, and (Paperback)
It looks big, scholarly, and intimidating. It is big, scholarly, lively, fascinating, and fun. (I had it on the shelf for several years, afraid to bring it down because it was so thick. But once I started reading it -- short chapters, lively prose, cogent discussions -- I wished it were longer because I didn't want it to end.) Although obstensibly a history of trail-building in America's northeast, it is just as much a story of humanity's relation with the environment -- and in this role it is far more trenchant and closely reasoned than Simon Schama's "Landscape and Memory". When I started, I thought I would like only those chapters about mountain regions where I had already hiked, but in fact I found the chapters on regions I hadn't yet hiked to be even more fascinating.
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