Strange Maine: True Tales from the Pine Tree State

by Michelle Y. Souliere

Maine is well known as a land of fresh air and clean water, as the home of L.L. Bean and as one of the most popular camping and outdoor recreation destinations in the country. But what lies behind this idyllic facade? Unmapped roads. Whispering rocks. Deadening fog. Ghost pirates. Lonely islands. THINGS in the woods. This is the great state of Maine, home of Stephen King, land of the Great Northern Woods and all the mystery that lies within their dark footprint. What better setting than this for tales of strange creatures, murderers, madmen and eccentric hermits? From the "Headless Halloween of 1940" to the mystery of who lies in the grave of V.P. Coolidge; from Bigfoot sightings to the "witch's grave" in a Portland cemetery, writer and illustrator Michelle Souliere brings to life these strange-but-true tales from the Pine Tree State.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2010

About the author

Michelle Souliere is an author and artist who lives in Portland, Maine, where she graduated from the Maine College of Art. She owns the Green Hand Bookshop, where you can find her most of the time. Her home is shared with her husband, Tristan Gallagher, and their two cats, Meep and Mr. Biscuits.

Her work (both written and drawn) is driven by curiosity, and inspired by Maine history, the Maine landscape, and how we respond to it.

Her work as editor of the Strange Maine Gazette and its companion blog gave rise to her first book which was published in 2010, Strange Maine: True Tales from the Pine Tree State. Since that time she has been working on Bigfoot in Maine whenever she can, traveling around the state and interviewing eyewitnesses for this book.

Reviews

[David Edmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sister is friend's with Michelle, who runs a blog (strangemaine.blogspot.com) and publishes the Strange Maine Gazette, and telling strange but true stories from the state of Maine. When I heard that she had published a book and was having a release party while I was out vacationing in Maine at her store, The Green Hand, I knew I wanted to stop by to pick up a copy.

What a perfectly fun little book! You can tell that Michelle has really done her homework and has thoroughly researched her subjects. Filled with all sorts of stories about the people and places of Maine that make up it's unique and strange history, little stories that you won't find in your generic history books, Michelle has created a one-of-a-kind travelogue to the more interesting aspects of Maine. I'm looking forward to future books and her continued publication of the Strange Maine Gazette.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book catalogs the odd, spooky, and quirky past and present of my favorite state. It's written with the joyful exuberance of someone who loves the subject-matter, and I laughed many times at the tongue-in-cheek asides and jokes as I read it. I am sad I read this after the pandemic already took hold, since all the locations and events described in the book are ones I can't experience for myself right now!

Hands down, my favorite story was about Dr. Valorus P. Coolidge, a 19th century con artist and murderer, who reminded me of a very minor and less successful H. H. Holmes. The twists and turns of his story are hilarious and surprising, ever escalating in strangeness.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up the last time I was in Maine, my home state. I expected some melodrama and a mix of history and folklore. This definitely had the matter, but the tone was more neutral and scholarly, which is not a bad thing, but I would have welcomed more melodrama in a story about a state’s strangeness.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little book. The prose was a bit dry but the content was intriguing enough to keep me reading.

[Wyatt Grondin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a while since I ate up one of these Maine supernatural/oddity/history books.

This covers a wide variety of topics and I could see some people feeling that’s a lack of focus, but for me there’s so much research and clear genuine love for the oddities of the state that I basically couldn’t put it down.

[Mission Kiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful array of stories from Maine, a place I've visited many times but never knew all these strange tales! Can't wait to go back and revisit some of these places with a different perspective.

[JayCaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written and researched book giving you many glimpses into what makes my home state of Maine unique and so much fun.