Nantucket

Book excerpt: Imagine a place of unspoiled beaches, windswept dunes, and dramatic natural beauty. A place free of traffic lights and blaring commercial come-ons. A place whose rich historical heritage is visible everywhere--from the antiques-shop windows filled with handmade baskets and scrimshawed ivories to the spare, shingle-clad houses that coexist harmoniously with the surrounding land- and seascapes. Imagine a place designed, by man and nature, to relax and restore you. Nantucket Island is that place. Thirty miles off Cape Cod, Nantucket is both geographically isolated and--as an internationally regarded vacation resort--culturally sophisticated. Nantucketers are rightly proud of a manner of living that couples the casual comforts of small-town life with an urbane sense of glamour, taste, and style. In this handsomely illustrated book, longtime Nantucket residents Leslie Linsley and Terry Pommett give you an insider's look at the on-island lifestyle: the restored historic homes of Nantucket town and 'Sconset village, the appealingly humble beachfront cottages that dot the island's shoreline, and the beautifully tended gardens--formal and informal--that grace Nantucket's private houses and public buildings. More than 200 color photos document the other attractions--panoramic views, home-grown handicrafts, seasonal celebrations --that make Nantucket such a rewarding place to spend a day, a summer, or a lifetim