SEACOAST BOOKS

Back Channel Press just keeps on trucking with six new books its first six months. Now comes the most useful guide to Kittery ever published. We already own the 1925 and 1947 guides, but this is the one we’ve been waiting for. Bygone days, things to do, shopping and dining index too.

JUMP TO: Earlier Kittery Guides
READ " Where Kittery  Got Its Name"

A Guidebook to Kittery & Kittery Point

Kittery gets no respect. Maybe this guide will help. Maine’s oldest and southernmost city is packed with scenery, history and shopping – and finally it’s all in one book. Locals will tell you there are two separate Kitterys – the commercial city chunk that that hugs the highway and Kittery Point that hangs out along the shore. Thankfully, this new guide covers both.

We were in attendance at the meeting of the Rice Library where the book was launched to an enthusiastic crowd.  Kittery has a lot going for it and a good portion of so-called “Portsmouth history” is actually stolen from its old neighbor to the north. Kittery includes five of the nine Isles of Shoals, not to mention the entire Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, so most Shoals and naval history in the region actually happened here.  The 114-page guide mixes all this, nearly 400 years of history, and everything from an outlet mall guide to relocation info.

Fort McClary, Frisbee’s Store, Pepperrell Cove and Lady Pepperrell House, Gerrish Island, Seapoint Beach, Bob’s Clam Hut, Whaleback Light – it’s all here and very much more. Amazingly, this spirited guide breaks the rules. It was written by a committee and produced in a single year. That just shows you what a motivated community can do with the onset of digital publishing, allowing them to print an initial run of only 250 copies, then go back for more when needed. The book is well-designed, easy to read, carefully researched and proofed, It even has an index. There are plenty of black and white pix plus a few local menus tucked in the back.

If you love Kittery, live in Kittery, shop in Kittery, work in Kittery or have never visited Kittery but thought about it – this is your book. – JDR

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Kittery and Kittery Point, Maine, enjoy a rich history of discovery, settlement and growth and a diverse  economy based, over the years, on fishing, shipbuilding and tourism. This new guide book serves up the history of Kittery, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Isles of Shoals, while detailing all that Kittery has to offer today. A must for native and visitor alike.

Kittery, Gateway to Maine:
A Guidebook to Kittery & Kittery Point
By The Friends of the Rice Library
$11.95
Visit the Publisher’s web site
Contact Rice Public LIgrary

SEE PICS of Earlier Kittery Guides