This study of the transformation of popular leisure in Cumbria between the middle of Victoria's reign and the outbreak of the Second World War draws principally on oral evidence and the archives of the local press, and covers all areas of leisure from pastimes within the home to pub-going, church and chapel activities, sport, amateur and professional music, dancing, the stage and screen, and the enjoyment of public holidays. Distributed by St. Martin's. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The slopes of a cooled volcano, Mount Konocti, reflect in the waters of Clear Lake, the oldest lake in North America. Home to Pomo Indians for millennia, the region's first immigrants settled near Kelseyville. Mendocino and Napa Counties vied for ownership of Clear Lake, but disputes ended when a new county formed in 1861. The serene, natural landscape, plentiful mineral hot springs, and remote location attracted thousands of visitors to large resorts like Bartlett, Harbin, and Seigler Springs. Prizefighters came from all over the nation, including Gentleman Jim Corbett and John L. Sullivan, who trained at separate local resorts for their 1892 title bout. Tourists and residents traveled in style on the steamer, City of Lakeport. Lake County towns like Lakeport, Lower Lake, Kelseyville, Upper Lake, and Middletown based their economy on agriculture and orchard crops as well as tourism and recreation, but this ancient lake remained and remains at the heart of all.

The past lies just under the surface in Lake County. Interurban trains once carried wealthy Clevelanders to idyllic summer homes and resorts along the shoreline and up to Little Mountain. Stories abound of rum-running during Prohibition, enslaved people who were carried to freedom through the Underground Railroad, and stolen gold bars believed to be buried along a riverbank. Lake County was also once the site of a booming ship-building industry and a secret plant that created chemical warfare during World War I. Many residents fondly recall long-gone drive-in theaters and beloved drug store soda fountains and bakeries of the mid to late twentieth century. Join author Jennifer Boresz Engelking as she reveals the history behind some of the county's most intriguing people, places, and industries.

Beginning in the 1860s, the first vestiges of the resorts of Lake County appeared around the sparkling pools of the region's many hot springs and upon the shores of Clear Lake. Lured by the supposed medicinal qualities of the water, people flocked to rustic campgrounds and cabins to "take the cure" for their ailments, drink, and bathe, staying for long periods each summer. Within a few years, ambitious entrepreneurs bottled the springs' mineral waters and built more luxurious accommodations and amenities. Although the claims of curative waters lost sway over time, resorts equipped with extensive recreational facilities, dance floors, live music, bountiful food, hunting, fishing, and children's entertainment continued to draw visitors in droves. Families filled the resorts in summers, and by the 1940s, large group and society meetings as well as conventions began to utilize the resorts on spring and fall weekends. Though few original resorts remain, today, in 2007, the region's business directory lists 51 Lake County resorts.