Time Before the Boat: A Collection of Letters About Island Life

First Edition, Limited to 2,000 copies (stated on copyright page). Original pictorial stiff paper wrappers. Octavo, viii, 126 pp. Illustrated with black-and-white photographic plates of Monhegan Island and local wildlife. A scarce and affectionate epistolary record of year-round life on Monhegan Island, Maine. Dr. Alta Ashley, who moved to the remote island ten miles off the coast of Maine in the 1950s to serve as its resident physician, captures the daily rhythms, natural history, winter storms, lobster fishing seasons, isolation, and close-knit community fellowship between scheduled mail boat runs.