Dubbed the "Queen of the American Lakes," Lake George doesn't disappoint; with over 100 miles of shoreline and studded with hundreds of islands, this Adirondack gem is one of the top visited destinations in the country. The Iroquois who called this area home named the lake Andia-ta-roc-te, "The place where the mountains close in." French missionary and martyr Father Isaac Jocques christened it "Lac du St. Sacrement" when he was the first European to lay eyes on it in 1646. Its present name, "Lake George" hails from 1755, when Sir William Johnson named it for King George II of England.
The region also boasts a rich history, figuring prominently in the pre-revolutionary French and Indian Wars and the Battle of Saratoga, a crucial turning point in the American fight for freedom against the British.
Today, over 50,000 tourists flock to Lake George each year, mostly in the summer, but the quieter months beckon leaf peepers, history buffs, and skiing. In previous eras, tuberculosis patients sought healing at nearby "cure cottages."
And now, one of the region's most prolific and well-known photographers has published his second book of photographs documenting the year-round beauty of Lake George. Presented in a novel 7x5 landscape format, Lake George ($24.95; North Country Books) offers 235 standard and panoramic views through all seasons. Heilman, who overwintered in his family's summer home in 1973 and never left, has consistently captured the magnificence and the fragility of this place; he notes in the introduction that recent development and the arrival of invasive species has spurred local advocacy groups to protect the quintessence of the region that makes it so attractive to so many visitors. All the photographs for this book are new, taken between 2008 and 2024, and most are courtesy of various iterations of Nikon digital cameras.
"Lake George is without comparison," wrote Thomas Jefferson during a visit in 1791. Heilman's images are proof of that sentiment.
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