Northeastern
Wilds:
Journeys of Discovery in the Northern Forest
Northeastern
Wilds: Journeys of Discovery in the Northern
Forest
named as finalist in
2003 Independent Publisher's Awards.
In
Northeastern Wilds, writer and photographer Stephen
Gorman blends the region's rich history, geography,
culture, and environmental change into an evocative
work that retraces the steps of early explorers and
gives voice to those who live, work, and recreate
in the Northern Forest today. Northeastern Wilds takes
the reader on a journey of discovery from the rocky
shores of Acadia National Park through the wild interior
of Maine's unorganized territories, along native canoe
trails in New Hampshire, and into New York's Adirondack
Park.
Accompanying Gorman's absorbing narratives are
his striking photographs, from the flowing headwaters
of the St. John River and Mount Katahdin's stark
summit to an arresting image of a "fellerbuncher"-a
mechanical log harvesting machine-tearing through
a stand of trees. Along the way, Gorman introduces
a diverse cast of characters who speak to the future
of this national treasure. These first-hand accounts
--from such well-known voices as E. Annie Proulx
and Bill McKibben, as well as Abenaki leaders,
paper company executives, life-long residents and
others-- bring home the present-day challenges,
choices and opportunities facing this vast region
today. Northeastern Wilds is a stunning visual
testament to the power of landscape in our lives.
Northeastern
Wilds:Journeys of Discovery in the Northern Forest
may be purchased at Amazon.com
Praise
for:
Northeastern Wilds
"Stephen Gorman's Northeastern Wilds is the best
photographic essay I've ever seen of the territory
known as the "North Country." It's a beautiful
and inspiring celebration of what we have left of
the northeastern wilderness, and a wonderful incentive
to preserve that wilderness for all time to come."
-Howard
Frank Mosher, author of Where The Rivers Flow North
and A Stranger in the Kingdom
"An
unforgettable journey... he dazzles us ... his voice
is genuine and concerned.... He combines his excellent
photography and writes with a journalistic eye that
describes all of the complexities of this wilderness
and the challenges now facing its survival.... Just
reading Gorman's journey and viewing his photos will
ensure our attention."
-State
Port Pilot (North Carolina)
"I
sat down recently with a remarkable book... I devoured
it... living a daydream in the midst of some of the
most spectacular wilderness imaginable.... Gorman
captures the mountains forests, rivers, and lakes
of the northeastern wilds in brilliant, bold photographs.
And he describes the vast region both in overview
and intricate, local detail, eloquently and reverently....
For those who appreciate the mountains and the lakes
and the forests of the Northeast, Northeastern Wilds
is a wonderful work of photography and prose. For
those who want to discover the wilderness in our
own backyard, this is a great trip to take. For those
who seek an environmentalist's eye and observations
on nature's blessings and challenges, and fuel to
spark their own activist intentions, this is an inspirational
book."
-Old
Colony Memorial (Massachusetts)
"New
England has its share of ghost stories. But the
region's lore is equally inspired by mysterious and sometimes
forbidding natural landscapes... This book journeys
through a land of majesty... Along the way, Gorman
tells of both beauty and tragedy in the people
and creatures he meets...There are stories of man and
beast, great and small... Every page is alive with
arresting images and stories, and glimpses into
a way of life filled with struggle and spirit... In
Gorman's images and words, the Northern Forest
is a place of unsettling truths and fabulous myth, and
a place of discovery for all seasons."
Sentinel
and Enterprise (Fitchburg, MA)
"Stephen
Gorman captures both the beauty and the peril of
the Great Northern Forest in its 
most
crucial hour. Will we use our Yankee ingenuity to
save this precious landscape and the cherished way
of life it has supported for generations? With his
thought-provoking essays and through his seasoned
photographic eye Gorman takes us on a breath-taking
journey to a place most of us never knew existed.
Along the way he asks the hard questions that ultimately
reveal the true nature of our relationship to our
dwindling wilderness."
-Carol Connare, Yankee Magazine
"I
have often wondered how Steve Gorman can balance a
camera in one hand and a notepad in the other while
skiing down precipitous slopes, rafting down raging
rivers, hanging out the doors of airplanes, or speeding
across the tundra on snow machines. However he manages
to do it, the result is always the same: a masterful,
some might even say seductive, introduction to his
chosen destination. Employing both his keen sense
of observation and superb photographic skills, this
time Stephen Gorman takes readers on an introductory
tour of one of our country's most unpopulated and
undiscovered reaches —the Great Northern Forest.
Gorman shows us that while these vast woods can at
times be harsh and unforgiving; at the same time
they harbor some of the most beautiful natural spots
in America. His efforts will undoubtedly play a role
in keeping them wild, yet accessible, for coming
generations."
-Linda Joyce Forristal, The Washington Times
Monthly Magazine
"In
any real wilderness, it is always wise to choose
a good guide. Steve Gorman makes a fine guide through
the beauties and conflicts of the northeastern wilderness.
Whether tracking a rumor of wolves or paddling a
quiet river, Gorman's writing is always insightful
and clear. This book adds an important voice to the
growing chorus howling for the protection of our
precious American wilderness."
-Jeff
Rennicke, National Geographic Traveler Magazine
"As those of us who have traveled widely through
the region know, the Great Northern Forest is a unique
and wonderful place. Stephen Gorman’s book beautifully
presents the grand splendor of the woods, and shines
a bright light on this little-known national treasure.
This work makes an important contribution to the history
of the region and will add immeasurably to the ongoing
work of shaping the Forest’s future."
-U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (NH)
"Stephen Gorman has a deep affection for and
great knowledge of the Northeastern wilderness and
it comes through in his clear, concise writing. Northeastern Wilds simultaneously
takes the reader on a literary and visual journey through both a pristine landscape
and the threats facing it."
-Alex
Bhattacharji, Men's Journal Magazine
"Stephen Gorman's book is a wonderful, inspiring,
and important treatment of a part of 
America
little known to most of its inhabitants despite its
proximity to tens of millions of people residing
in the northeastern US. Through Gorman's clear and
evocative writing, we become vividly aware and appreciative
of the extraordinary beauty, mystery, lushness, and
diversity of the great northern forest. We confront
the wonders of its wildlife and geography, but we
also become enmeshed in the human historical and
cultural character of the region as well. As a consequence,
the book does more than entertain or factually inform,
moving us to a realization of how our own humanity
is shaped by its relation to the natural world. This
is a book about the value and splendor of one region,
but also a journey of discovery of broader human
ties to the land and its relation to our physical
and mental well being."
-Stephen
R. Kellert, Professor of Social Ecology, Yale University
and author of The Value of Life: Biological Diversity
and Human Society
In America, when we think wild we think West. Stephen
Gorman rightfully turns our eyes back to the nation's
first wilderness: the great forests, mountains, and
lakes of the northeast --still enchanting, newly threatened.
A must read for anyone interested in wildlands.
-Ted
Kerasote, editor of the Pew Charitable Trust’s
Return of the Wild, and author of Bloodties
and Heart of Home
"Stephen Gorman picks up in the tradition of
Aldo Leopold, continuing the enlightened voice of
someone who understands living on the land and by the land. Northeastern Wilds
is part essay and part manifesto --but always compelling from a writer whose
convictions are rooted in fact."
-Chris
Dorsey, Editor-in-Chief, Sports Afield Magazine
"In
Northeastern Wilds, author and photographer Stephen
Gorman travels down raging rapids and over snow-swept
peaks, along solitary trails and across remote glassy
lakes as he takes readers on an unforgettable visual
and literary journey through this little-known region's
rich history, geography, and culture. Gorman's stunning
photography and evocative essays reveal the singular
and irreplaceable character of the Northern Forest,
a place where people work, play, and coexist with
nature like nowhere else in this country."
-Businesses for the Northern Forest
"Breathtaking
photographs and evocative prose unveil the rich history,
geography, culture, and changing environment of this
important wilderness."
-New
England Booksellers Association
"With
Stephen Gorman's Northeastern Wilds, readers get an
insightful look at a place they call home, the Northeast…
From the rugged Maine coast to the vast Adirondack
Park, Gorman looks at the forest through the eyes
of all who use it… Not just glorifying the outdoors,
Gorman takes on sensitive issues like development
and clear-cutting… His words shine, but so
do the photographs. Gorman shows us that one doesn't
have to move out West - which he did for a spell
- to experience wild and wonderful. Even in the population
heavy Northeast, sometimes it's just around the bend."
-Concord Monitor
"Recommended"
-Readers
Preference Reviews
"Filled with stunningly beautiful photographs,
it made me want to visit the Northern Forest at my
first opportunity. A recommended read, but worth the price just for the pleasure
of enjoying the photography."
-Midwest
Book Review
"Stunning photographs and thought-provoking essays"
-The
Norwich Times
"This book is a must read… worth the price
just for the amazing photographs… a remarkable
book… When you read it you will feel the spray,
touch the mist, hear the howls and taste the ice cold
mountain steams… Do I have your interest? Put
this book on your wish list"
-Portsmouth
Herald
"You’ll be tempted to just look at the
pictures and ignore the words with Stephen Gorman’s
Northeastern Wilds –and if you did that you’d
still get your money’s worth—but don’t...
Northeastern Wilds is a you-are-there expression of
…simple elegance…His photographs have
a lifelike quality not found in shopping-mall "Nature" prints."
-HippoPress
"I won’t be moving to the Northeast anytime
soon, but I loved my virtual visit there via a new
photo book, Northeastern Wilds… The book deals
with an interesting mix of topics: the history of
the Northern Forest, the ancient canoe trails, timber
wolves, Atlantic islands, snowskiing, Adirondack Park,
what winter is like in the North Woods, and the future
of the forest. It was the last chapter, "Whither
the Yankee Forest?" that was the most gripping...."
-Enterprise-Journal
(Mississippi)
"You have captured through your breathtaking
pictures and your annotated memories the natural
voices of our treasured northern forests. It should be seen
and read by anyone who is unfamiliar with the magnificence
of the area as a primer for preserving special ecological treasures in the Northeast
and shared with those who have worked for so many years to preserve these treasures
and wildlife."
-U.S.
Senator Olympia Snowe (ME)
"Stephen Gorman has captured the essence of
the Northern Forest in photos and words like few could.
His sensitivity to the issues that face the region
and his recognition of the history of the place and
its people has given us a large-format book that is
a true keeper… I read and reread several sections
of the book… I marveled at the photos that depict
those places many of us hold sacred…Northeastern
Wilds is a book that anyone who lives in this region,
has lived here, or wants to, will appreciate."
-Valley
News (Hanover, NH)
"Photographer and writer Stephen Gorman manages
to fuse the personal and the political in Northeastern
Wilds: Journeys of Discovery in the Northern Forest. On the one hand the book
is an intimate account of Gorman's explorations, by canoe, snowshoe, kayak,
and dogsled, of the last remaining wild places in
the Northeast, from the Adirondacks to the Down East coast. On the other hand,
Northeastern Wilds is a sustained argument, convincingly buttressed with facts
and photographs, that we must do more to protect our remaining natural wonders
before they are bulldozed or paved."
-Down
East Magazine
"This large-format photo book may be the first
on the wilds of the region since Eliot Porter's "In
Wildness Is the Preservation of the World," published
in 1962, which kicked off the Sierra Club's famous
series of coffee table books showcasing the beauty
of the natural world.
"It certainly merits favorable comparison with
Porter's book.... Gorman's images are up to the challenge
of capturing this beauty. They depict wildness and wilderness -- which are not
the same -- from mountaintop to ocean shore. They also capture a broad range
of human activities -- hiking, canoeing, kayaking, skiing,
camping, logging, hunting and fishing -- that all
depend upon the continued existence of vast tracts of undeveloped land."
-Worcester
Telegram & Gazette
Northeastern
Wilds:Journeys of Discovery in the Northern Forest
may be purchased at Amazon.com
