Dune Shacks of Provincetown

by Jane Paradise

The Outermost Houses
Step back in time and into a place of refuge and renewal. This insider’s tour of the dune shacks of Provincetown, Massachusetts, combines photos and text to bring to life the world of these rustic structures scattered across the untamed landscapes of Cape Cod National Seashore. Nearly 100 color photographs explore exteriors and interiors of the 19 shacks, as well as the breathtaking dune landscapes and ocean that batter and beautify them. Accompanying quotations share stories of the eclectic people who stayed in and cared for these places of solitude and creativity, including Henry David Thoreau, Ann Patchett, Tennessee Williams, Norman Mailer, Marsden Hartley, and Josephine Del Deo. This photographic journey is sure to inspire and evoke wanderlust in us all.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published December 6, 2022

Reviews

[Jaksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, gentle, graceful book filled with absolutely fabulous photographs - omg, I'd love to have some of them, enlarge a few to put on the walls of my Cape Cod house. (I'm on the cape and nowhere near Provincetown; however, so many pictures could have been shot right down the road from me!)

Anyhow, with snippets of poetry, sayings, thoughtful words from those who live in and use these lovely little houses, as well as thoughts from well-known writers. A book to just sit and peruse...

I don't do near enough perusing.

A wonderful book. Five stars.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book of photographs and quotations. The lovely cover is a hint to the fine pictures inside, all providing a look into the lives of the hardy people who have enjoyed, loved, and cared for the collection of homey old shacks amid the half wild dunes of outer Cape Cod. I can see why many artists and writers have cherished these retreats. Just looking at the photos starts the imagination working. I enjoyed the foreword by Michael Mailer, son of Norman, who grew up in Provincetown and spent a couple of weeks each summer in a friend's shack. The quotations which accompany each photo are enriching. I was surprised to see that some families seem to have overwintered there, surely a rugged endeavor. Browse through this book as the air cools and the wind picks up and imagine what it would be like.......

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book with just enough quotes and commentary to truly help me understand the dune shack life a little better. I am enamored and have been since I discovered them. What a truly unique, remote, inspiring, rugged, beautiful, enveloping, primitive place.