Les Bagley

This is, I imagine, the sort of book Arcadia's business model intends: A well thought out picture book whose captions actually tell a coherent story. Nicely done.

This book tells about the automobile ferries who worked the route the Mackinac Straits Bridge made obsolete. The boats are the book's stars, of course; each is described in some detail, and there's enough context to explain why each was built and what made each interesting. There's also information about the cities at the ends of the route. This is much more a St. Ignace book than a Mackinaw City book, while the Island only makes token appearances. The St. Ignace emphasis is convenient for me, as I'm fairly familiar with the town's modern waterfront; the book explains some of the features.

Excellent photographs, too.

This review was also published on a dabbler's journal.… (more)