Down East Latch Strings/Publisher's Preface
In presenting to the intending summer tourist a description of the scenery along the line of, and reached by the Boston and & Maine Railroad and its immediate connections, the first difficulty, and in fact the only one, is in knowing where to commence and where to leave off.
The almost impossibility of condensing into a volume of two hundred and seventy pages the contents of innumerable volumes of historical and descriptive matter, all of which may be of interest and value to the pleasure seeker and the sportsman,is fully appreciated by the publishers of this little work.
There is no section of our country which furnishes so much of historical interest to the American as New England, and the constant streams of tourists through the summer months sufficiently evidence its popularity from a scenic or a medicinal point of view.
Here along its beaches or among its rocky promontories, with the broad Atlantic's breezes cooling the heated air, its piney woods and lakes furnishing health and sport to the Nimrods and Isaak Waltons of our land, or its pastoral valleys and "cloud-capped granite hills," may be found entertainment, health and pleasure for all tastes, however developed or inclined.
In presenting the attractions of this region to the people, no attempt has been made to more than touch upon its history or its beauties, but simply to extend the Latch Strings, having confidence that an acceptance of the invitation to pull, will open the door to an unlimited field of research into the history or the scenic beauty of New England's seashore, lakes and mountains.
It has been asserted that too much of a good thing is worse than none at all, and with this belief the author has sought to break up the monotony of description by interspersing the comments of a trio during their trip through some of the most interesting portions of this section, and the reader will accept this as an apology, if apology be needed, for devoting to romance, space that might easily have been devoted to dry facts.
The author’s name alone, is a sufficient guarantee that the different subjects have been well handled, and the artistic work speaks for itself in the illustrations and maps.
As to the expense of a trip through, or a sojourn in this part of New England, the individual tastes must be consulted, and upon a reference to the list of excursions, hotels and boarding-houses accompanying the book, will, no doubt, answer any inquiries in that direction.
In regard to the facilities for reaching the points and places of interest referred to, it need only be said that the Boston and Maine, haying its pecuniary interests in view, is bound to furnish the best there is in the way of road-bed, train service and rolling stock, and at rates to meet the necessities or desires of the public.