(To request a review copy, contact Barbara Jester by phone, fax, or email.)
“Karen Krahulik’s ‘Provincetown’ is the definitive book on the history of that mysterious and magical place. It’s a singular accomplishment.” Michael Cunningham, author of “The Hours”
How did a sleepy New England fishing village become a gay mecca? In Provincetown: From Pilgrim Landing to Gay Resort (256 pages/36 photos; $29.95, cloth), just published by New York University Press, author Karen Christel Krahulik explains why Provincetown, Massachusetts — alternately known as “Land’s End,” “Cape-tip,” “Cape-end,” and, to some, “Queersville, U.S.A.” — has meant many things to many people.
Provincetown tells the story of this coastal town, from its early history as a mid-nineteenth century whaling seaport to its current stature as a bustling gay tourist playground. The book details many cultures and groups — Yankees, artists, Portuguese fisherfolk, gay and lesbian tourists — that have comprised and influenced Provincetown.
Through personal stories and historical accounts, Provincetown is revealed in all of its many textures and colors, from its fame as the landfall of the Mayflower Pilgrims, to its charm as an eccentric artists’ colony and its allure as a vibrant gay resort.
Karen Christel Krahulik lived in Provincetown for three years before she left for Duke University, where she directs the Center for LGBT Life and teaches in the Women’s Studies Program.