You know the saying: “Good things come in small packages.” The new Wildsam Field Guide, Northern Michigan, is the example that came across my bookstore desk today. Only 115 pages (with several bloc-note pages in the back for your notes or sketches), it measures just 6-1/2” tall and 4” wide. There are no photographs and only a few two-tone color illustrations.
But what a pure delight!
Northern Michigan contains more history than you would find in the ordinary Midwest travel guide, along with stories by Michigan authors (past and present) and interviews with noteworthy individuals of the region. (Hemingway fans will be particularly pleased with the coverage given their favorite writer.) Pressing issues faced by the area, such as water quality and affordable housing, are briefly discussed. And amid tips about area farmstands and festivals, you will also find introduced to U.P. Hedrick (Do you know that name?) and not just cherries but also wild rice.
Places covered or mentioned range from those as far south as Idlewild, east to Grayling, and north to the Straits of Mackinac and beyond, though “northern” focuses mostly on the northwest lower peninsula and Lake Michigan. Older people will recognize familiar names, and the younger generation will come to know those who have gone before and something of the way things used to be.
“Founded in 2012, Wildsam is an American travel brand that sits at the intersection of story and place. The acclaimed field guides go beyond typical travel information, instead revealing a deep sense of place through archival heritage, local commentary, cultural landmarks and inspired writing.”
This book certainly lives up to the claim made for the series.
Northern Michigan, from Wildsam Pursuits
Paper, $24
Summer Notes:
Dog Ears Books is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but whenever the bookstore is open, David Grath’s gallery of paintings is also open. This will probably be the last summer for the gallery, so don’t miss a chance to visit.
