"The goal of Down East has always been to hold a mirror up to Maine — its storied past and lively present — and to celebrate its flinty, independent character and unhurried way of life. As Maine has changed with the times, however, so has Down East. Today the state has come to embrace its future as well as its past. Accordingly, the magazine now focuses more on contemporary Maine life and what the future might bring and less on historical background and quaint rusticity. Booming circulation and advertising gains demonstrate the wisdom of this editorial shift."
Portland Public Library's collection of Down East is complete, and begins with the first issue, August 1954. The hard copies are available in the Portland Room.
Submissions from 2013
The Politics of Logging., Edgar Allen Beem
The Raker., Marcel Moreau
The River Wild., Virginia M. Wright
The Run of the Mill., Michaela Cavallaro
The Settlers., Brian Kevin
The Small, Slimy Slug, Kristen Lindquist
The Snows of Katahdin., Lance Tapley
The Subaru: A Maine Love Story, Edgar Allen Beem
The Train to Success., Mary Pols
The Ultimate (Maine) Home Enthusiast., Edgar Allen Beem
The Well., Michaela Cavallaro
The White Barn Inn, Virginia M. Wright
The Winning Hand., Craig Leisher
The Winter House, Meadow Rue Merrill
Throne of Games, Brian Kevin
Tick Check., Edgar Allen Beem
Trattoria Athena., Elizabeth Peavey
Up and at 'Em, Will Bleakley
Urban Safari, Elizabeth Peavey
What's in a Picture?, Will Bleakley
What's In a Picture?, Will Bleakley
What's in a Picture?, Will Bleakley
What's in a Picture?, Will Bleakley
When Pigs Fly., Kathy Gunst
Where's the Fire?, Robert Sneddon
Where the Wild Things Are., Kim Ridley
Submissions from 2012
Account of the writer May Sarton during the time she lived at Wild Knoll in York, Deborah McDermott
A description of the author's 40-mile journey along the Sebago Lake Canoe Trail,, Donnie Mullen
A guide to historic sites along the coast from Kittery to Eastport that were of, Larry Glatz
Although laws prohibiting home beer brewing and wine making were abolished quite, Al Diamon
An account of the War of 1812 and its impact on the District of Maine. Although, Joshua M. Smith
Article about Nathaniel Gordon, a Portland native and the only person to be exec, Ron Soodalter
Articles describing the history and development of Route 1 in Maine that can be, Edgar Allen Beem
Author's account of a dinner party that she unexpectedly held for Hilton Kramer, Sharon L. Hobson
Brad Wright and his seven co-workers at Shaw & Tenney, a factory in downtown Oro, Virginia M. Wright
Brief book review of Van Reid's Moss Farm, the sixth book in his comic series fe, Virginia M. Wright
Brief profile of Don McLean, the singer and songwriter whose "American Pie" topp, Michael D. Burke
Brief profile of Lost Valley in Auburn. Includes longtime visitors' fond memorie, Will Bleakley
Description of the author's experiences visiting several sugarhouses on Maine Ma, Elizabeth Peavey
E.B. White's granddaughter, Martha White, is preparing a new edition of the writ, Charlotte Albright
Excerpt from Little's new book about the artist Francis Hamabe. Hamabe moved to, Carl Little
Excerpt from the recently published Fairy House Handbook, in which the author su, Liza Gardner Walsh
Excerpt from The Wicked Good Book: A Guide to Maine Living on how to split firew, Stephen Gleasner
Excerpts from the author's book "Moxie: Maine in a Bottle", about Moxie soda, cr, Jim Baumer
Facts about the blackfly, including how she finds her human victims and what you, Virginia M. Wright
Food vendors at the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity manage to use locally so, Will Bleakley
Fred and Hope Angier have built a house in Hope where everything appears old. Th, Edgar Allen Beem
Highlights from the trip taken along all of Route 1 in Maine between Kittery and, Virginia M. Wright