"A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is the earth’s eye, looking into which we measure the depth of our own nature," wrote Thoreau. Generations of Americans have enjoyed, celebrated, and been rejuvenated by Maine’s lakes—our densely forested, lake-speckled state contains over 6,000 bodies of water larger than one acre, 2,800 of which are designated "great ponds." With luminous color photographs, thoughtful essays, and a sprinkling of quotes, Maine Lakes invites you to revisit your freshwater childhood memories, to appreciate the beauty and recreation our lakes offer, and to learn what’s being done to preserve this valuable and precious resource. Steeped in reflections of Barnes’s and Bright’s own personal experiences, Maine Lakes, in images and words, touches on what is universally remarkable about our human interaction with the landscape: it needs to be tenderly stewarded while, at the same time, it sustains and heals us.