Photographer and summer house researcher, Tad Pfeffer, has published "The Hand of the Small-Town Builder," a book which deals with northern New England summer houses erected between 1870 and 1935.

Pfeffer's focus is those cottages designed and built by local builders, rather than by "name" architects following cultivated architectural styles. As publisher David R. Godine wrote in describing the book, "This striking survey (shows) houses built by self-taught architects whose work survives as testaments to their skill."

Three of the localities he photographed for the book between 2002 and 2005 were Ocean Point, East Boothbay, and Squirrel Island. Sections of the book are also devoted to other summer colonies in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Godine also wrote, "Tad Pfeffer is a geophysicist, teacher, and photographer at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a Fellow of the University's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and professor in the department of civil, environmental and architectural engineering. He has photographed architecture and landscapes in New England, Colorado, Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, and Arctic Canada, often focusing on the historical imprint of people through architecture and alterations of the landscape. His photographs have been exhibited and published throughout the world."

The 200-page hardcover book has an average of two beautifully shot and reproduced photos per page, the majority in color. Pfeffer will give a slide show at the Boothbay Region Historical Society on August 27 when he will be signing copies of his new book. He spoke previously at the museum in 2005 while working on the book's Boothbay section. The book is available for $40 at the Boothbay Region Historical Society, 72 Oak Street, Boothbay Harbor, open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 207-633-0820 for more information.