How did a sleepy New England fishing village become a gay mecca? In this dynamic history, the author explains why Provincetown, Massachusetts, --alternately known as "Land's End," "Cape-tip," "Cape-end," and, to some, "Queersville, U.S.A."--has meant many things to many people. 36 photos.

A safe haven for the queer community and a getaway for artists, the beach town of Provincetown, Massachusetts is a place defined by openness and tolerance. Throughout the late 1970s and early '80s, Joel Meyerowitz spent his summers there, roaming the seaside with an 8-by-10 camera, making exquisite, sharply observed portraits of Provincetown's progressive community. Provincetown collects one hundred portraits, most never before published, bringing viewers into an idyllic world of self-styled individualism.

A stunning portrait of community, identity, and sexuality by the critically acclaimed author of The Narrow Door When Paul Lisicky arrived in Provincetown in the early 1990s, he was leaving behind a history of family trauma to live in a place outside of time, known for its values of inclusion, acceptance, and art. In this idyllic haven, Lisicky searches for love and connection and comes into his own as he finds a sense of belonging. At the same time, the center of this community is consumed by the AIDS crisis, and the very structure of town life is being rewired out of necessity: What might this utopia look like during a time of dystopia? Later dramatizes a spectacular yet ravaged place and a unique era when more fully becoming one’s self collided with the realization that ongoingness couldn’t be taken for granted, and staying alive from moment to moment exacted absolute attention. Following the success of his acclaimed memoir, The Narrow Door, Lisicky fearlessly explores the body, queerness, love, illness, community, and belonging in this masterful, ingenious new book.

"Cunningham's short book is a haunting, beautiful piece of work. . . . A magnificent work of art." -The Washington Post "Easily read on a plane-and-ferry journey from here to the sandy, tide-washed tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Land's End is that most perfect of companions: slender, eloquent, enriching, and fun. . . . A casually lovely ode to Provincetown." -The Minneapolis Star Tribune "Cunningham rambles through Provincetown, gracefully exploring the unusual geography, contrasting seasons, long history, and rich stew of gay and straight, Yankee and Portuguese, old-timer and 'washashore' that flavors Cape Cod's outermost town. . . . Chock-full of luminous descriptions . . . . He's hip to its studied theatricality, ever-encroaching gentrification and physical fragility, and he can joke about its foibles and mourn its losses with equal aplomb." -Chicago Tribune "A homage to the 'city of sand'. . . Filled with finely crafted sentences and poetic images that capture with equal clarity the mundanities of the A&P and Provincetown's magical shadows and light . . . Highly evocative and honest. It takes you there." -The Boston Globe

Rich with anecdotes about famous and infamous residents (Norman Mailer, Tennessee Williams, Marlon Brando), "Ptown" is a lively, penetrating, and occasionally shocking look at Provincetown, Massachusetts, by writer Manso, who has lived there for much of his life. 16-page photo insert.

Alarmingly independent, ravishingly beautiful, and surprisingly cosmopolitan, Provincetown already figures in dozens of guide books. But Building Provincetown, which uses architecture to tell social and cultural history, is the most comprehensive yet. More than 1,200 pictures and 650 entries cover everything from the largest national landmarks to the smallest dune shacks -- with three dozen boats in the bargain.Street by street, Building Provincetown takes you under the snug eaves of stout Cape cottages and behind elegant Greek Revival and Queen Anne-style doorways. You'll meet Portuguese fishermen and Yankee whalers, Abstract Expressionists and AIDS activists, early gay pioneers and latter-day buccaneers, drag queens, literary lions, Bohemians, Knights of Columbus, a few town criers, a lot of poets, plus shipwrights, sculptors, and an 87-year-old Avon lady.Working with town residents, David W. Dunlap, who has covered historic preservation for The New York Times since 1981, gathered images and stories that have never before been presented in one place. If you don't know Provincetown, this is an ideal introduction. If you think you already know Provincetown, you're in for a few happy surprises.

A delightful collection of classic recipes, folk history, and original drawings by Cape Cod's most-admired chef. With a new Introduction by Anthony Bourdain "It's a true classic, one of the most influential of my life." --Anthony Bourdain, from the new introduction "Provincetown ... is the seafood capital of the universe, the fishiest town in the world. Cities like Gloucester, Boston, New Bedford, and San Diego may have bigger fleets, but they just feed the canneries. Provincetown supplies fresh fish for the tables of gourmets everywhere." --Howard Mitcham Provincetown's best-known and most-admired chef combines delectable recipes and delightful folklore to serve up a classic in seafood cookbooks. Read about the famous (and infamous!) Provincetown fishing fleet, the adventures of the fish and shellfish that roam Cape Cod waters, and the people of Provincetown--like John J. Glaspie, Lord Protector of the Quahaugs. Then treat yourself to Cape Cod Gumbo, Provincetown Paella, Portuguese Clam Chowder, Lobster Fra Diavolo, Zarzuela, and dozens of other Portuguese, Creole, and Cape Cod favorites. A list of fresh and frozen seafood substitutes for use anywhere in the country is a unique feature of this lively book. You'll learn the right way to eat broiled crab and the safe way to open oysters. You'll even learn how to cook a sea serpent!

Seraphine is an ordinary Portuguese fisherman who finds himself a part of many extraordinary events. He and his family live in The Town at the End of the World where they experience the modest life of a seafaring family. But the idyllic simplicity of Depression-era Provincetown is shaken by the Second World War and the transition of the quiet fishing village to a bustling resort town. As Seraphine struggles with his sense of belonging in an ever-changing town, he experiences inexplicable events and fulfills heroic feats that prove nothing less than the strength of the human spirit. Seraphine is a novel that explores and condenses Provincetown history and lore into the framework of one family and their evolving life in the early part of the 20th century. It is full of playful humor, biblical allusion, local color, and immigrant sagas. Best yet, it is illustrated by the author with twenty-five black and white charcoal drawings that further capture the nostalgia of the tale.

Photographs show turn of the century Provincetown and include views of homes, cottages, lighthouses, wharves, ships, shipwrecks, and life saving stations

The Outermost Houses Step back in time and into a place of refuge and renewal. Thisinsider's tour of the duneshacks of Provincetown, Massachusetts, combines photos and text to bringto life the world of these rustic structures scattered across the untamed landscapes of Cape Cod National Seashore.Nearly 100 colorphotographs explore exteriors and interiors of the 19 shacks, as well as thebreathtaking dune landscapes and ocean that batter and beautify them. Accompanyingquotations share stories of the eclectic people who stayed in and cared forthese places of solitude and creativity, including Henry David Thoreau, Ann Patchett, Tennessee Williams, Mary Oliver, Norman Mailer, Marsden Hartley, and Josephine Del Deo. This photographic journey is sure to inspire and evoke wanderlust in us all.