What other state can claim as many notable small towns as does the Empire State? Cooperstown, Lake Placid, Sleepy Hollow, Woodstock, Watkins Glen, Chautauqua, Corning, Saratoga Springs, West Point, Oyster Bay, several Hamptons, Ticonderoga, Seneca Falls-- Norman Rockwell (who lived a short walk across the state line) might just have been a tad jealous. Only the first and last make it into this book, and just as well. When Country Roads Press sends America's top small-town journalist through America's top small-town state, you don't want to waste him on places you already know.

Bill Kauffman (of Batavia and Elba) has milked a career out of keeping the leaders of the land's great Lost Causes from, as he puts it, "going down the memory hole", in books such as America First! and With Good Intentions, and in frequent pieces in The Wall Street Journal, American Enterprise, Chronicles, Liberty and other magazines. Here he applies the same special talent to a "second tier" of New York villages, and one wonders if he chose these particular communities for an unusual richness in odd stories and characters, or whether he'd have dug these up anywhere he went.

Kauffman's at his best at home in the western snout of the state, where he unlocks the somewhat feudal nature of Geneseo, LeRoy and Angelica. (The obscurer the town, the more fun he has with it.) The pump industry of Seneca Falls, a quarter of the world's total, gets as much of his attention as the distaff business there. And why not? Sanitation has saved more lives than medicine. Hundreds of millions owe their lives to this important town, celebrated for the all the wrong reasons.

His subjects have given us three presidents, Mormonism, women's suffrage and colored gelatin, but if there's something else of note in town, Bill'l let us know. (And if it's in the next town over, he'll cheat and go there.)

Further afield Kauffman's more the tourist, especially across the "soda/pop" line, which is not as close to the city as he imagines. Cooperstown is not quite as cute as he paints it-- indeed, one of its charms is the relative lack of the boutique pollution that has ruined many similar places. And couldn't he find a "country town" left on Long Island? That in itself is sad. However, his analysis of the Burned-Over District is so sharp it will inspire the reader to try his hand at the built-over districs as well.

Finally, some things to look for which aren't in the book (and may no longer exist):

Westfield-- the weird, wing-shaped Theatre Motel and Drive-In on the lake;

Bath (in the Hammondsport chapter)-- the Chat-a-Wyle Café and its grape pie;

Palmyra-- where Winston Churchill's grandparents married, perhaps not in one of the four churches at the intersection;

Oneonta (in the Cooperstown chapter)-- the book mentions the NY-P League team there, but check out their Depression-era ballpark in the Susquehanna valley, one of the handsomest settings in all the sport. (And in "Soccertown, USA", no less.)

Ms. Pade has always been one of my favorite authors. She shines here as always!!!!

This is a humorous, heartwarming romance. After reading it, I searched for other books by Victoria Pade. I hope I will enjoy reading them as much as I did this one

The Creeps in Room 112 is an outstanding mixture of great writing humor, and a heart warming message. This book is awesome and will enrich the lives of everyone who reads it.

Sven Klinge is the author of the most comprehensive cycling guide books in Australia. By combining cycling with walking treks, he has explored over 300 of Australia's National Parks and State Forests. Born in Sydney and educated at Sydney University, Sven now divides his time between accountancy and other writing projects. CYCLING THE BUSH: 100 RIDES IN VICTORIA contains detailed tracknotes for one hundred of the best bicycle rides in the state. The range of rides include short one 'dayers' around Melbourne to extended overnight mountain biking/walking expeditions in the rugged wilderness of Victoria's magnificent Alps, the coastal ranges of the Otways and Wilsons Promontory, the sandstone mountains of the Grampians, and many other locations. From mountain lookouts to fishing lakes, from pristine rivers to limestone caves, from secluded coves to ancient forests, all major national parks are covered as well as a selection of the most scenic state forests and other nature reserves between the rainforests of East Gippsland and the desert parks of the Mallee. Each ride incorporates data on distances, transport, access, track and ride grades, facilities, map references, and special equipment needed. Extensive information is provided on geological, biological, and historical aspects of natural, aboriginal, and colonial features along the rides. There are chapters devoted to the development, mechanics, and maintenance of the mountain bike, in addition to sections covering accessories, riding techniques, first aid, food, equipment, photography, and camping. In COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT FORMAT, this guide should be POCKET EQUIPMENT for every cyclist and bushwalker wishing to discover this exciting way of venturing into one of the most diverse park systems in Australia.

Decorative Painting is the rave in my area, I am looking for every bit of info I can find. I have spent several thousand dollars studing with faux finishers/faux schools. This book is very informative using latex and oil finishes. A must have for the serious decorative painter.

I enjoyed this book. Not only did I learn how to think through the building of a database, I became a lot clearer on the data analyses for which our school and school district are aiming. I would recommend this book to anyone needing to understand databases.

Dominio de la historia de la epoca, los personajes son definidos e interesantes. La trama, el conflicto y el final, son profundos y bien pensados.

Es un libro intrigante,por lo tanto interesante, este fue mi primer libro de esta autora y me gusto tanto que ya tengo varios titulos de ella. Domina bien la literatura gotica que siempre entristese saber que uno ya va acabar de leer el libro.

This is a good historical reference that ties in the symbolism and religious influences on embroidery. The pictures are wonderful!