This book's descriptions of Curitiba Brazil, and Kerala India are priceless, and unavailable most anywhere else. If you're not a botanist, the third of the book that talks about the reforestation of the U.S. may be a little tedious.

What irks me is that this stuff is very important if we're serious about "living lightly," but McKibben doesn't do such obvious things as include photos. The entire book could use a serious edit just for readability...

Don't get me wrong; the book is definitely worth reading, especially for the account of Curitiba. We're deprived, here in the U.S., compared to those third-worlders.

A real eye-opener about civic possibilities.

In a time when many people finally accept the fact of global warming and of continuing human assault on the environment, Bill McKibben has launched this wonderfully written, inspiring, and informative book, another in his continuing series of important essays on the complex relationship between humankind and the planet we inhabit. McKibben, a former writer for The Atlantic Monthly magazine, transplanted himself and his small family in the Adirondack region of upstate New York in the late 1980s, from whence he has come once more to deliver a healthy dollop of insight, whimsy, and wisdom concerning the way we continue to walk not so lightly on the earth.

Like most environmentalists, McKibben is deeply concerned about the continuing onslaught on the skin of the planet, and about our continuing disregard for the welfare of everything within the natural environment we most depend upon to have a continuing quality of life. Yet he is also propelled by aspects of his own experience with the ecology of his local area to set off on what he terms to be an exploration of hope, in the sense that he was searching for examples of recovery and progress in the natural landscape. One wonderful example he uses is that of the recovery of the amount of land reforested since the signal journey of one Timothy White, who in traveling in the early 1800s found very little land not cut and turned to the plow. Yet some two hundred years later, much of the Northeast forest is once again covering the landscape, and all of this in spite of the vastly increased population over the landmass in question.

Of course, as McKibben admits, must of the reforesting took place based on the gradual abandonment of the lands of the Northeast in the so-called western migration as we fulfilled our "Manifest Destiny", and this migration also spelled further deforestation efforts in those area under active migration. Once again, part of the genius of the natural environmental processes can be viewed in such a way, requiring not so much in the way of human intervention as in a kind of purposeful benign neglect (my own hackneyed term, not McKibben's). Left alone long enough, natural processes are underway that are restoring the Northeast forests to their primordial glory. And, like McKibben, I wonder at the good fortune some of us have to live in relatively sparsely developed and populated areas, where we can enjoy nature on amore personal level, where deer and bear and moose and all sorts of birds are free to live and roam. I sit in wonder with my friends the Labradors and watch, enraptured as the geese soar noisily above me this time every year.....

Moreover, one must share his frustration and sadness at the prospect of such massive forces denuding and despoiling the ecosystems even as we read and write. While he offers some reasons for hope, the truth may be that things will have to become much worse for human beings to begin to act more responsibly in following his advice to find many more ways to walk more lightly on the earth. It is imperative for those of us who understand the magnitude of the dangers confronting us act to continue to try to inform others, while also preparing to gradually break our own bonds to this culture of waste and wanton destruction. This book is more fuel for our own sustenance as we begin the long journey back to what Joni Mitchell once called "the garden'. See you there! Enjoy!

I didn't read the whole book, but just the section on Kerala. It gives a pretty good picture about Kerala society for the outsider. Tells you why you don't need a high per capita income to have a high standard of living.

I followed this book cover to cover and have built 2 chairs and 2 footrests - The table and bench are next :)

I enjoyed the history at the beginning of the book, then got stuck in to the process of building.

The work had already been done to come up with the cutting plans, so you don't waste a lot of wood on scrap.

The only mistake I made was that as I couldn't find 5/4 lumber, I used 1x instead - this alters the cutting lengths - be careful!!

Great book. Clear. Well illustrated. Starts from scratch and brings you all the way through the building process for a number of porjects. Couldn't have asked for more here, in terms of clarity and explicit narrative. Crisp drawings are backed up with instructive photos. I would HIGHLY recommend this book. Great history section too!

Greg Sanders, Atlanta

A fabulous book; clear illustrations; easy to follow text. I built the chair and table, and had great success. Great for the beginning woodworker.

I like reading anything about the Adirondack region and even went to Newcomb this week to take a look at the place the author speaks of. However, the book seems to be more of the author's autobiography than stories about "the last real people." This is fine, but the title is misleading. While there are characters the author speaks about, they are more likened to "accounts" of these people rather than a more in-depth vision of who these people are. I would tend to say this is more of a kind of journal of the author's experiences in Newcomb than about the Last Real People of the Adirondacks. A book more suited for such a title might be the books by Helen Escha Tyler or a book called Growing Up Strong or My Grandpa's Woods. We get to meet some last of the real Adirondackers in those tales and stories. Still and all, this book is a good and pleasant read for any Adirondack lover.

As a native of the Adirondacks who spends his summer fun time in the Long Lake area which is the setting of the book, I looked forward to reading Lapointe's effort. However, I find that his effort was lacking. What we have here are 44 short vingnettes about what could be very interesting characters. And there lies the problem: Short. We only get bits and pieces on each subject, not enough to make us really care to any great extent. I do believe the subject matter is here for a truly great novel of Americana which would tie all these Adirondackers together through their love of survivinging in this harsh land. Instead, what we have are stories you might hear in any bar, donut shop, or back stoop. Interesting, maybe, but just the tip of the mountain.

Read this book. Joe Lapointe presents an enjoyable, easy reading and down to earth style of writing that makes you feel like your involved. I look forward to going along with " Joe " in his next book.

The title of this book, more than anything else, misses the mark here. "A History of America's First Wilderness" suggests a comprehensive history of key forces that shaped Adirondack geography and culture, and this book doesn't attempt to be that. Paul Schneider is a journalist, not an historian, and this difference in perspective is reflected in his writing. His book consists of a series of anecdotal essays, snapshots in time, with little thematic development, analysis, or reference across chapters. It's enjoyable reading and will give some insight into historical forces that have formed the ongoing battle in the Adirondacks over development, but better regional histories, such as Diana Muir's "Reflections in Bullough's Pond; Economy and Ecosystem in New England" probe deeper than "The Adirondacks" even tries.

Schneider knows his Adirondacks in a superficial way, and after reading his book, so will you. If the topic intrests you, pick up a copy of CONTESTED TERRAIN by Philip Terrie. Contested Terain is as sound as The Adirondacks is shallow. Style, of course is a matter of taste. Many people appear to enjoy Schneider's carefully studied casual prose.

Paul Schneider's The Adirondacks: A History of America's First Wilderness is both good history and great story-telling. Taking the region that is now the Adirondack Park from the first arrival of whites through the present, Schneider skillfully weaves together both present and past. For example, his chapter "The Prince of Otter China" tells about fur trapping today, and introduces the reader to several living "characters." Neighboring chapters then recount the history of trapping in the Park. Other groupings of chapters do likewise for lumbering, wilderness guiding, and mining. One "chapter" of the Adirondacks which he unfortunately slights are Dr. Trudeau and the tuberculosis "cure cottages" in and around Saranac Lake. This small quibble aside, I recommend this book to readers -- both New Yorkers /Adirondackers and general readers -- who want to learn more both about a specific, fascinating place and time and the idea of the American "wilderness" in general.

This is a great book for a mystery lover. If you are interested in lake monsters like me you will like this book. So you decide is there a monster or is it a hoax.

It all begins the day the Aldens arive at Lake Lucielle when their new friend,Nicole, tells them that a person who lives at Lucielle Lodge,Carl, has seen a monster in the lake. Then mysterious things start to happen like Monster tracks, low wailing sounds, even a monster-bitten canoe paddle! Is someone trying to scare visitors away or is their really a monster in Lake Luicelle? Read the book to find out!

It's not often that real authors (Bill McKibben and Sue Halpern) get in the outdoor guidebook business. This bike book is a winner.

Consistent with its title, the book is organized into 12 chapters, starting with January. Each chapter consists of a number of titled subsections, or essays. Each essay discusses the expected activity of a species, and is accompanied by an illustration.

The essays do attempt to tie together information about a species' activity in other times of the year, and other species' activity at the same time of year. The illustrations are mostly black line drawings, while some are half-tones. All are nicely done and complement the text well.

Essays on some species appear in more than one chapter. The index allows the reader to locate information about a specific animal or plant.

The book is filled with details that you may have missed or forgotten in school. It explains how to distnguish a dragonfly from a damselfly, where loons spend the winter, and why there's a run on mouse traps in September.

The text is repetitive at times, and the pronouns are sometimes confusing. Overall, though, it is a pleasant and informative book. The author clearly knows and loves his topic. It's well worth having at the camp, or while wintering away from it.

The Book has many recipes-some simple- some humorous. There are great B&Bs that I have gone to.The drawings have a character all there own.The guides are handy- I dont have to go to other books, they are all here in one. A great conversation piece I have on my bookcase.

The definitive guide on the Adirondacks. While not including every cliff, this guide is critical for all Adirondack rock climbing.

I loved this book.
Intensity of time and place similar to Stegner's Crossing to Safety.
Main character, Isabel, is a grown up woman (what a nice change!) going with her second husband to meet his family at their compound in the Adirondacks. This plot is successfully interspersed with her thoughts of her first marriage, work, and grown child.
Isabel is an environmentalist, and her sometimes lectures on the subject evoke Kingsolver.
Somewhat predictable in part, but a cliffhanger ending redeems it.
Refreshing to read about a successful adult woman dealing with themes of love, abandonment, mothering, career, identity.
Very well written, engrossing.
I will be discussing this with my bookclubs when it comes out in paperback.

This is a wonderful book with a subtly interwoven plot and a mystery at the heart of it. I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't like this novel. This is a very fine writer in wonderful form, and I couldn't put "Sweetwater" down even though I had many other things pressing. I'm online just to order everything else I can find by Roxana Robinson.

I don't understand how it would be possible for anyone NOT to find this book compelling! It has the best of everything: a splendid writer in top form, a complex, interwoven tale full of mystery and suspense, and a book that illuminates how we manage to survive our own lives in spite of guilt and grief and circumstance. I extend congratulations and gratitude to Roxana Robinson!