If you’re looking to buy a holiday gift for someone that enjoys New England then consider something from my top ten New England book list. These are a mixture of guides, pictorial books, and some of the classics from American Literature.

And there’s nothing to stop you getting a present for yourself, right?

Any one of these would make a great addition to anybody’s library.

New England Guides:

National Geographic Guide to America’s Outdoors - New England by Gary Gerguson. If you held a “gun to my head” and told me to choose only one resource to plan outdoor trips to New England… this would be it! It’s compact, lovingly produced and Gary Ferguson knows what he’s talking about. Every major area is represented and some welcome hidden gems. My top pick.

Backroads of New England by Kim Knox Becklius. The drives cover the best of New England, from mountains to the ocean, and from the lakes to the beaches. Kim doesn’t spend a lot of time on directions. They tend to be brief and on the side of the pages - enough to get you around but not much more. Kim focuses her travel writing skills on making sure you experience in words the sights, sounds, and smells of each region. The beautifully produced photography greatly enhances this experience.

Foghorn Outdoors New England Hiking by Michael Lanza. The Foghorn Outdoors series is well known for meticulously researched and down-to-earth approach to trail guides and you’ll find over 380 choice hikes for all abilities. My favorite thing about this book is the Top Ten lists. You’ll find a top ten list for any type of hiking theme you can imagine and it saves you sifting through hundreds of hikes to get to your final selection, and another thing… Michael knows his stuff.

A Pictorial Selection:

The Most Beautiful Villages of New England by Tom Shachtman. This is one of the few New England “Coffee Table” books I own but it covers all the gems and must-see villages in New England. And just about any of these towns make a fall trip memorable. The book provides plenty of information on the history and architecture of each village. In the depth of a New England winter this is a book I take to bed with me and dream of spring.

A New England Autumn by Ferenc Mate. A sentimental journey through New England’s autumn by Ferenc Mate. Ferenc takes stunning pictures and matches them with poems and essay excerpts from past New England literary giants.

Cape Cod National Seashore by Andrew Borsari. This is one of those books that mixes beautiful photographs and snippets of text and quotes from people. Andrew Borsari supplies the photographs and Amy Whorf McGuiggan pulled the text snippets together. I love it.

Classics of New England Literature:

Cape Cod by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s masterpiece of life on Cape Cod a century and a half ago, just at the dawn of the Cape being discovered. Cape Cod is a compilation of four essays Thoreau wrote on his trips to the Cape.

The Outermost House by Henry Beston. Beston’s timeless classic and subtitled “A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod.” Beston transports you to a Cape Cod of dunes and ocean and nature sounds - written during the year he spent in 1926 in the house destroyed by the great storm of 1978.

The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s classic writings on his backwoods travels to Maine in 1846, 1853 and 1857. The writing is as fresh today as when it was first published, and it’s one of those rare books you learn something new every time you reread it.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I round out the collection with yet another of Thoreau’s masterpieces, this time in a special 150th anniversary and illustrated edition. Many people consider “Walden” to be one of the most influential and life changing books they have read. Thoreau spent two years living in a cabin on Walden pond in Concord, Massachusetts and writing of his experience. A remarkable read.

Have a wonderful time browsing.

Cliff Calderwood
Executive Director
New England Destinations & Atrractions