Book excerpt: With its picturesque harbors, rugged mountains, and secluded islands, the coast of Maine offers some of the most spectacular scenery in America. This book is a stunning tribute to America’s most popular coastline. Maine attracts millions of visitors each year who come to swim, fish, hike, or just enjoy the views. Many of the images present a near-panoramic scope, placing the viewer in the middle of a wilderness splendor. The photographs capture the region’s famous sandy beaches, tree-covered mountains, tidal pools brimming with life, and secluded harbors, as well as quaint villages, historic lighthouses, cranberry bogs, and lobster boats. Chapters cover Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, and Portland to Penobscot Bay, Mount Desert Island, and Cobscook Bay. A central focus is Acadia National Park, one of the top ten most visited national parks in America. Nearby, the town of Bar Harbor hosts more than eighty cruise ships each year. The book also celebrates offshore Maine, with images of whales, puffins, and other elusive sea creatures. The Coast of Maine makes an affordable and charming gift for anyone planning, or dreaming of, a visit to this glorious region. The Coast of Maine brings the incomparable shoreline home at a size and production value worthy of a gift for any lover of all that is Down East.