Beginning in 2010, Essex, Massachusetts shipbuilder Harold Burnham took on the challenge of constructing a wooden sailing vessel using traditional techniques. He cut the trees himself from his woodlot, and milled them himself at his boatyard. Using volunteer labor from hundreds of friends, acquaintances, and community members, and recycled and repurposed materials he constructed, in just under a year, the schooner Ardelle at a cost of less than $20,000. The Shipwriight and the Schooner is an exploration into traditional New England shipbuilding, and it is a journey of discovery for both the author, who has spent his life building wooden boats, and the photographer, who had his first experiences in the boatyard. The book chronicles in words and stunning color photographs the construction, launch, and subsequent season of sailing aboard the Ardelle. The vessel is a testament to community involvement and a badge of honor in the age of mass production. It is a reminder of simpler times, when things were meticulously crafted by hand, and of a lifeway that has mostly vanished.

Beginning in 1849, Henry David Thoreau made four walking tours of Cape Cod. Along the way he recorded his observations on the natural world as well as on the nature of the people he met. His resulting book has generally been considered his sunniest and lightest, filled with jokes, puns, and tall tales. Now photographer Dan Tobyne captures the essence of the Cape Cod Thoreau discovered. The combination of short excerpts and stunning imagery carries Thoreau's work to a new level, presenting it in both glowing words and pictures.