Martha's Vineyard Tales

Chris Baer teaches photography and graphic design at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. In Martha's Vineyard Tales, Baer has culled the very best of his beloved Martha’s Vineyard Times historical column, "This Was Then," to paint a picture of the past on his home island. Baer finds the most interesting, lesser-known stories to research, write, and share.

"Chris Baer’s entertaining book of island miscellany, Martha’s Vineyard Tales: From Pirates on Lake Tashmoo to Baxter’s Saloon’ (Globe Pequot) gathers a wild mix of people and history, creating a portrait that’s quite a bit weirder and wilder than that usually associated with the picturesque island haven. Baer, who teaches graphic design and photography at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, includes a number of vintage images — of ships, of the interiors of pharmacies and markets, of old-timey characters in Victorian-era garb — and the book holds a number of curiosities and bits of history, pulled from Baer’s column in the Vineyard Times, 'This Was Then.'" — Boston Globe