Gardiner author Gay M. Grant has announced the Aug.29 release of her new book “Around the Kennebec: The Herman Bryant Collection.”

Readers will enjoy more than 200 newly released images taken by gifted South Gardiner photographer Herman Bryant (1858–1937). Now part of the collections of the Maine State Museum, Bryant’s work documents late-19th- and early-20th-century life in the Kennebec River region during its industrial heyday, as stated in a news release. New information about Bryant and his family reveals fascinating stories about the people and places captured in his photographs. From Augusta downriver to Bath and the coastal islands, Bryant’s lens captured the mills, factories, icehouses and other ventures that once lined the river’s banks. Vessels of all types that once made the river the artery of the region’s life and economy can be seen along with images of the railroads that revolutionized travel. Bryant’s poignant portraits, photographs of homes, and even images of beloved pets bring to life the industrious Maine people who built thriving communities.

Grant is also the author of “Destination Unknown: An Evacuee’s Story,” and served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018.