Happy the land that has no history. The lakes, forests and mountains of western Maine where Louise Rich makes her home are without formal history in the school book sense, but not without meaning, as this book demonstrates. It is an account of life in the woods, full of wit and wisdom and a high enthusiasm.

Louise Rich is no hermit. Her days are crowded with all manner of activities - fighting a forest fire, hair-raising adventures in a speed boat, canoe trips, a visit to mysterious C Pond, entertaining guests from the Outside, helping her friends who run a fishing camp. All these she enjoys to the full - but, best of all, are the satisfactions that come from the simple fact of living in a land she loves, a happy land.