With eighty-six color photographs taken on Prince Edward Island, paired with quotations from L.M. Montgomery's diaries, her autobiography The Alpine Path, and her letters to various correspondents over the years, Spirit of Place is an attractive gift-book that will probably only appeal to those who are already devoted fans of the author.

Francis W.P. Bolger - who also edited My Dear Mr. M: Letters to G.B. Macmillan from L.M. Montgomery, a collection of Montgomery's letters to her Scots friend and correspondent George Boyd MacMillan - provides a brief biographical sketch at the beginning of the book, but readers shouldn't expect to come away knowing anything new about Montgomery. The bulk of the book is given to short passages concerning the beauties of Prince Edward Island, together with the photographs of Wayne Barrett and Anne MacKay.

While I enjoyed thumbing through this slim volume, I can honestly say that despite my love of Montgomery's work, I do not feel strongly enough about it to desire a copy of my own, and am rather glad that I was able to borrow it. Perhaps if I ever have the opportunity to travel to "the Island" myself, I will find such a collection more meaningful. ( )