A full-color photoessay captures life among members of the close-knit community on Monhegan Island, a small island off the coast of Maine, from the tranquil isolation of their winters to the huge influx of tourists during the summer season.

What draws visitors to Monhegan-a small island off mid-coast Maine? It is not just the island's timeless atmosphere and beauty but the quality of the light that has always been a magnet to artists and photographers, as well as to vacationers. Now nature photographer and writer Mark Warner has produced a keepsake-cum-guidebook that is a must-have for anyone who visits-or dreams of visiting-one of Maine's most fabled islands.

Monhegan Island, Maine has historically attracted a number of different visitors and workers, each with their own unique reasons for being there. The natural beauty of Monhegan Island has continuously attracted generations of artists, day-trippers, and summer sojourners. White Head, Pulpit Rock, and Cathedral Woods are names that resonate throughout New England and beyond. Long before the first ferry full of seasonal visitors arrived, the Monhegan Island fishermen had established a permanent community on the island, scratching out an existence on a remote offshore outpost. As early as 1890, prominent artists Robert Henri and George Bellows, followed by Rockwell Kent and Jamie Wyeth, captured the magnificence of Monhegan. They shared the cliffs and coves with the lighthouse keepers, carpenters, lobstermen, and the island people.

In this lavishly illustrated book, the authors have gathered a fascinating selection from 148 artists, some relatively unknown, others due for rediscovery, and many whose work is respected worldwide, such as Rockwell Kent, George Bellows, Edward Hopper, the Wyeths (N.C., Andrew, and Jamie), and Robert Henri.

An O, The Oprah Magazine Best Summer Read Back with another "tragicomic romp" (O, the Oprah Magazine), the award-winning author of The Last Summer of the Camperdowns brings her sparkling wit and big-hearted touch to Maine's Monhegan Island. When Spark—the rakish prodigal son—returns unannounced to the dilapidated family home, his arrival launches an unforgettable summer on Monhegan Island. During his absence, his gentle brother and shrewd, fork-tongued father, Pastor Ragnar, have been caring for Spark’s son, Hally. A temperamental adolescent emboldened by tales of his father’s mischief, Hally is careening through an identity crisis when he stuns his family by claiming to have had a spiritual vision. Though Spark is permanently dubious, Pastor Ragnar pounces on the chance to revitalize his flagging church. Hally is shoved into the spotlight and, in the frenzy that follows, this fragile family is pushed to the brink. Narrated in larger-than-life, crackling prose by one charismatic shih tzu, The Miracle on Monhegan Island is another "exquisite and occasionally uproarious" (Elizabeth Egan) must-read summer blockbuster from Elizabeth Kelly.

The McLanes have delved into a wealth of primary sources, using old tax assessments, court records, and early maps, to spin their tales of the early settlers of Maine's islands and their descendants. Here is history as it too seldom is in textbooks: colorful, human, downright irresistible. Each volume is replete with rare vintage photos and dozens of maps and will delight all who love islands, or simply a good read.