The Cottage Bible.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

The Cottage Bible is a work designed for browsing and reference — a feast of trivia, how-to instructions, lists, tables, tips, stats, cautions, and general information on lakes and cottages. The approach is that of an encyclopedia, short essays, or blocks of text on hundreds of topics, most supported by tables, charts, photos, and, occasionally, illustrative drawings. Topics range from the esoteric — bloodsuckers have 10 eyes — to the practical, such as advice on water-testing and septic system maintenance. For many of the topics the coverage is cursory — a taste of the subject just adequate to alert the reader to the main issues and any concerns.

Despite the title, the work is really more about lakes than cottages. As the underlying assumption is that all cottages are on a lake, the two topics merge for most of the book. Lake-related content includes assessing water quality, identifying lake eutrophication status, measuring the lake and its floodplain, watersheds, flooding, waves and wakes, contamination, acid rain, water life (insects, animals, salamanders, frogs, fish, birds, and vegetation), types of boats, fishing and ice fishing, ice safety, docks, rafts, navigation markers/buoys, shoreline erosion, swimming, diving, water games, water safety, surfing, and other water sports. The details on lake types and water quality is more extensive and practical than is found in the typical cottage reference work.

Nature as it is likely to be found near the lake or cottage is also covered, as are the cottage’s mechanical systems (septic systems, generators, wells, etc.). There are checklists for first aid kits (one for people, one for pets), and for opening and closing the cottage. Odds and ends include sections on using a compass, campfire food, types of fog, animal tracks, edible and poisonous mushrooms, and more.

The compendium’s mass of information is made accessible through a detailed table of contents and index. Hundreds and hundreds of professional-quality colour photos and many exceptionally well-planned and attractive diagrams add to both the information value and attractiveness of the work.