RANGELEY – Don Palmer’s interest in Rangeley region history and heritage landed him a book deal.

“Images of America: Rangeley Lakes Region,” was released in May by Arcadia Publishing, a company dedicated to creating books about the history of America through images.

Palmer, now 64, retired to Rangeley at the age of 48 after working in Boston as a controller for a large corporation. He and his wife, Stephanie Palmer, have immersed themselves in Rangeley life and heritage.

He has been president of the Rangeley Historical Society for 10 years and of the Rangeley Region Guides’ and Sportsmen’s Association for 12. Stephanie Palmer is the director for the association’s junior guides program.

Because Palmer was the president of the historical society, the publishers looked to him to create the book. After several years of goading, they finally persuaded him to take on the project, which he completed in four months.

“It seemed like the time to do it,” Palmer said in a recent interview at the guides’ association’s clubhouse.

The Palmers had been collecting images of the region for years as they pursued their passion for collecting antiques. Palmer had also been presenting programs at the historical society for 12 years, so he had a lot of resources to draw upon, he said. Many of the images for the book came from the Palmers’ personal collection or that of the historical society.

The book, which is nearly 130 pages, includes about 250 photographs.

Other contributors include summer resident Margaret Yokum, who wrote the book’s chapter on logging. She is a folklorist at the Rangeley Lakes Region Logging Museum and an associate professor in the English department at George Mason University.

Jeanne Bowditch, curator for the historical society, also provided images and captions for the section on Kennebago camps.

The challenge for Palmer and other contributors was adhering to the publishing company’s guidelines for photo captioning. Most were limited to 50 to 75 words, 125 for larger reproductions.

Palmer said he is pleased with the results. He feels the book is an easy way for readers to gain historical knowledge.

“I wanted to share with people these wonderful images,” he said.

Palmer dedicated the book to “those who have chronicled over the years, in word and image, the rich heritage of the Rangeley Lakes region.”

Since May, nearly 1,500 books have been sold, and the publisher told Palmer recently that it is going to a second printing. Palmer will be donating royalties from the book to the historical society.

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