Maine 24/7

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Summary: The Library Journal, October 2004
Review: Book Briefs section: The series abounds with unique imagery and some surprising choices. The bottom line is that [the state books] will likely be as popular [as America 24/7], if not more so. Large public libraries should order the entire set.

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Summary: From the Portland Press Herald
Review: Maine gets turn in spotlight with release of '24/7' book

What does life look like for people who live in a state that boasts it offers "the way life should be?"

This question was posed to professional, amateur and student photographers as part of a national project to capture local life in each of the 50 states through the view of digital cameras.

The best of the images, submitted via the Internet, were compiled into hardcover books, one for each state, and released by DK Publishing last month. "Maine 24/7" offers 572 images of daily life in Maine.

A follow-up to last year's New York Times best-seller "America 24/7," created by Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen, the photographs were shot by tens of thousands of digital photographers over one week in May of 2003. The largest collaborative photography event in history, more than a million photos were submitted and selected by 36 photo editors from national publications.

Featuring an introductory essay by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram's Bill Nemitz, "Maine 24/7" documents the state's dependence on marine and agricultural industries and strong sense of pride and individualism.

Photos subjects illustrating work and family life in Maine include Saco's only dairy farmer, lobster fishers in Islesford and Boothbay Harbor, shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works, worm diggers in Freeport and Addison, loggers in Somerville, race car drivers in Scarborough, Micmac Indians in Presque Isle and members of the Portland Sea Dogs and the Maine Freeze women's football team.

The book also includes photos of small-town Maine scenes, such as Rangeley State Park, Matinicus Island, Sequin Island, Cape Porpoise and Bar Harbor.

Each photo includes captions describing the scene and any people pictured. The book's cover photo, by Robert F. Bukaty, shows Sonny Newton using a mud hoe to dig for bloodworms on the Sheepscot River in Westport. Newton has made a living digging works for 40 years, sometimes digging two tides a day.

For more information on "Maine 24/7" and the other books in the "America 24/7" state book series, visit www.america24-7.com.