This is a novel about growing up in the rugged Adirondacks of New York State at the turn of the 19th century.

Strangers arrive by train in a small Adirondacks town in the late 1890s to spend the summer and end up influencing the life of 13-year-old Hollis Ingraham in ways he never anticipated.

Greater in area than Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Yellowstone, and Glacier national parks combined, New York State's Adirondack Park is the largest public park in the nation. A land of contrasts and paradoxes, loved, feared, exploited, protected, argued over, eulogized, and affected for better or worse by the hand of man for more than 300 years, the Adirondack forests, rivers, lakes, and peaks attract nearly 9 million visitors a year. From the geologic origins and glacial scouring of the region, to Indians, early settlers, and the logging, mining, and tourist industries, Jane Eblen Keller unfolds the dramatic history of the Adirondacks and the men and women who tried to tame the wilderness. The author also recounts how man and nature have interacted with each other in the region, indeed, how our American attitude toward nature shaped Adirondack history. This is a highly readable and amusing introduction to both Adirondack and conservation literature.

"Consistently rated the best guides to the regions covered...Readable, tasteful, appealingly designed. Strong on dining, lodging, and history."—National Geographic Traveler Distinctive for their accuracy, simplicity, and conversational tone, the diverse travel guides in our Explorer's Great Destinations series meet the conflicting demands of the modern traveler. They're packed full of up-to-date information to help plan the perfect gateway. And they're compact and light enough to come along for the ride. A tool you'll turn to before, during, and after your trip, these guides include these helpful features: Chapters on lodging, dining, transportation, history, shopping, recreation and more! A section packed with practical information, such as lists of banks, hospitals, post offices, laundromats, numbers for police, fire, and rescue, and other relevant information Maps of regions and locales Explorer's Guide The Adirondack Book is a detailed, insider's guide to Adirondack Park and its gateway cities, including Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, Lake George, and Lake Placid.