Cottage Book Shop

2008 Winner of Michigan Historical Society Award and Michigan Notable Book is our bestseller.

Rarely seen interior images of fifty cozy summer cottages and narratives provide a portrait of a special place and state of mind evoked by summer cottage living on beautiful Glen Lake. These cottages are viewed against the backdrop of early summer resort life in northern Michigan the first half of the twentieth century. Dietrich Floeter’s duotone photographs and author Barbara Siepker’s captivating historical narratives include personal anecdotes on each cottage. The cottage is shown in its glory and reveals its importance in the lives of its owners and the broader community. In total they document the essence of these wonderful old cottages as well as life and time of bygone years.

These rich cottage images have been captured with care and reverence by Traverse City photographer, Dietrich Floeter. His intention choice of a wide view camera replicates the type and style of camera that would have been used during the time period of the early resort era. Floeter has captured their essence through close attention to light and detail which he has meticulously set up and framed. Floeter has been a commercial photographer for twenty-three years, specializing in architectural, industrial and aerial work.

Barbara Siepker has enjoyed learning about the local history since moving to Glen Lake. She owns The Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor and has interviewed over 75 local and summer resorters.

Paging through Historic Cottages of Glen Lake is like taking a walk through a time-warp. Rich images and narratives honor resort and cottage lore and memories in a manner not previously captured in a book. This attractive hardcover book is printed in duotone by the Leelanau Press. It contains over 300 photographs, illustrations and maps in its 224 pages and is priced at $50 ($3.25 or $5.50 priority shipping).

Our 2nd best-seller -- Leelanau -- with 150 photographs by Ken Scott

and 12 essays by Jerry Dennis captures the expanses and details
of Leelanau County like no other ($45 hdc, 2000).