"Even your non-boating friends (if, indeed, you have any acquaintances of that description) might ask to borrow this book. It is not just about boats . . . Cole includes sections on the various builders, guides and camps, related trades, and an honest history of the Rangeley "mystique" that has helped keep old boats alive. This broad range should, indeed, make his book attractive to your non-boating friends. Perhaps they will see the light and get out on the water in good boats."
—Mike O'Brien, WoodenBoat magazine

"Stephen Cole of Damariscotta has written an intriguing history of the Rangeley Lakes, focusing on people, fishing, sporting camps, and the famous Rangeley boat. . . . Best are his anecdotes about Rangeley locals like boatbuilder Herb Ellis, fly-tying genius Carrie Stevens, guide Skeet Davenport, and taxidermist Herbie Welch. Learn about the Oquossoc Angling Club, "the famed Marble-Morse fish, and why Skeet never called a client by his first name. The book also includes detailed plans for building your own Rangeley boat."
—Bill Bushnell, Central Maine Newspapers

The Rangeley Lakes were the crucible of Maine's nineteenth-century sporting culture, and the Rangeley boat evolved out of this distinctive time and place. As essential to Rangeley as sporting camps, fishing guides, and brook trout, the namesake boat remains a true icon. The Rangeley and Its Region tells how entwined the boat, people, lakes, town, and economy became over a century.

This engaging story includes native voices and historical photographs, and touches on sportfishing, rod-building, fly-tying, boatbuilding, guiding, and the summer culture of a remote and treasured town.

Stephen A. Cole lives with his family in Damariscotta, Maine, and directs the natural resources and sustainable communities programs at Coastal Enterprises, Inc., a community development corporation. He is co-author of I Was Content and Not Content: The Story of Linda Lord and the Closing of Penobscot Poultry.