Kathleen Hackett

The authors of the highly successful The Maine House continue their quest to record and celebrate the authentic Maine houses of their childhoods—a Maine that is in danger of vanishing.“The Maine House [shows] us the dignity and aching beauty, in preserving Maine’s quirky architectural past.”—Maine Homes by Down East Spend any amount of time in Maine—a weekend, a summer, a lifetime—and its impression lasts forever. When The Maine House was published in 2021, the reception was astonishing. Over four printings and across the world, The Maine House sounded a rallying cry, summed up perfectly in one of dozens of reviews, that it “crafts a plea to preserve a living history belonging to individual, family, and state; a visual call to recognize these homey structures and others like them as ‘extraordinary gifts.’”The Maine House II moves beyond the authors’ cri de coeur; they’re on a mission. Through 30 homes—inland, inshore, and on islands—Maura McEvoy, Basha Burwell, and Kathleen Hackett highlight the beauty and importance of preservation, restoration, thoughtful renovation, and low-impact living in the place they love the most. From visionaries who saw home in a post-and-beam barn, a lighthouse, a former hotel, and a boat shed to families resolutely leaving generational homes largely untouched (some continuing to live off the grid) and still others honoring vernacular architecture by living with it in surprising ways, The Maine House II captures the myriad ways one can live in this singular place—in the present—while preserving the past and ensuring its future. Includes Color Photographs

Five-star bread and pastry recipes, and a tale of adventure, from an iconic East Coast bakery. A good loaf of bread has the power to bring--and keep--people together, wherever they may be. In a journey that started in Belgrade amid the beginnings of war, and continued in America, four friends tested this philosophy to the extreme: They began a new life and opened a tiny bakery together on Cape Cod. Working hectic, twenty-four-hour days, while living all together in a loft above their business and making it all up as they went along, the founders of Pain D'Avignon quickly became one of the first highly acclaimed purveyors of artisanal bread in the Northeast. For thirty years Pain D'Avignon has been pursuing excellence in the art of the bread making inspired by the old-world methods while partnering with New York's top chefs to bring a five-star bread to our everyday life. As a baker who had an unorthodox bread education, Uliks Fehmiu has learned over time that practice and patience are the most important parts of the journey, and here he shares this important lesson with home bakers everywhere, while giving them an accessible, step-by-step primer on mastering the fundamentals. With 60 recipes, including their iconic Cape Cod-inspired Cranberry and Pecan Bread, Classic Sourdough, Thyme Baguette with a Touch of Lemon, and Plum Galette with Pistachio Paste, The Pain D'Avignon Baking Book is a tried-and-true collection of must-make breads and pastries, with extraordinary and immersive storytelling. It is a celebration of bread, of perseverance, and of baking with heart and purpose.

Throughout history, tabletop decoration has been at the nexus of utilitarian function and innovative design. In At the Artisan’s Table, designers and event producers Jane Schulak and David Stark pair historical table wares from the world’s finest design museums with pieces by an international array of contemporary artisans who reinterpret traditional crafts and styles, including Aptware (marbled clay), blue and white Delft, chinoiserie, faux bois, plaster, splatterware, and trompe l’oeil. Each chapter features a museum object that serves as a “muse”; the work and studio of the artist who has updated the traditional craft; and gorgeous table settings designed by Schulak and Stark that incorporate the artist’s handmade wares and provide inspiration for everyone who has ever wished to wow their dinner guests.

These days, Brooklyn is more than a place-it's become a symbol for a whole style of living, one that is rooted in a broad-minded eclecticism and imbued with an aura of authenticity, originality, and independence. It has replaced Manhattan as home to indie fashion designers, filmmakers, artists, writers, actors, and entrepreneurs with trendsetting design sensibilities. Focusing entirely on private homes, this is the first book to get to the heart of the Brooklyn lifestyle. Profiling homes that exemplify a distinctive perspective, Brooklyn Interiors goes beyond the front doors of the new creative class-inside the borough's most compelling brownstones, row houses, lofts, condos, carriage houses, and even one houseboat. From Williamsburg and Greenpoint to Carroll Gardens and Park Slope and every neighborhood in between, the connecting thread is a brilliant resourcefulness. There is also an uncanny knack for beautifully reconciling a respect for tradition, an embrace of modernism, and a new love of the handcrafted (one that is broader and more syncretic than what's become typical of the borough). In the end, the Brooklyn ideal is to carve out one's own niche within a tightly developed urban environment-thus these examples provide aesthetic lessons for people all over the country.

8-Bit BYTE is a typical 10 year old digital boy living in the Info-verse inside computers which, of course, actually makes him a "bit" - or quite a few "bits" - different from you. He wonders why he sometimes clams up when he meets someone new. Follow 8-Bit on his hilarious travels through the Info-verse as he tries to practice his new conversational skills while trying not to put his foot in his mouth Will he lose his old friends by trying his new conversational skills out on them? Will he succeed in learning how to talk to new friends? Will he muster the courage to talk to that special BYTES girl he's interested in? It all depends on his Power Smarts and his imagination to the nth power