Peter Wisbey

The Genesee Country Village & Museum Official Guidebook serves as a companion to those visiting the museum and historic village. It offers background on many of the buildings as well as the schools of art found in the John L. Wehle Gallery, though reading this volume does not substitute for a visit to the museum where one can learn more from interpreters dressed in historic costume. The large, tabloid-size format helps to show off the plethora of images and pictures, with occasional sidebars and excerpts from historic newspapers adding to the information offered. This replaces the now out-of-date volume the museum published in 1993, but the slimmed-down format (from 112 pages to 48), leaves the reader wanting more. While this ensures that the Guidebook is a companion and won't take the place of a visit, one misses the coffee-table format of the original. Finally, the authors write on page 10, "The Blacksmith Shop's carefully collected cobblestones came from the shores of Lake Ontario after the glacial retreat of the Little Ice Age." The Little Ice Age followed the Medieval Warm Period, beginning around 1300, and was marked by a general cooling in the northern hemisphere. In contrast, Lake Ontario was formed during glaciation approximately 9,000 to 14,000 years ago. Overall, this is a nice companion work and a good souvenir and reminder of one's visit to Genesee Country Village & Museum.… (plus d'informations)