L.L. Bean's Century of Oufitting America.

 just ordered. can't wait.

(thanks, Michael for the head's up the NYT article!)
 

“Guaranteed to Last: L.L. Bean’s Century of Outfitting America” (Melcher Media, $29.95) celebrates the centennial of that company founded by the intrepid outdoorsman Leon Leonwood Bean and the footwear that started it all: the Maine Hunting Shoe. After combining a rubber galosh with the top of a leather hunting boot (a “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter” moment), L.L. hit upon a flexible, lightweight boot for hunters that quickly found an audience beyond the back woods. L.L. Bean was a pioneer of direct marketing, and his first typewritten testimonials quickly evolved into illustrated catalogs as the range of merchandise grew. Many tote bags, chamois shirts, field coats and Wicked Good Slippers later, pilgrimages to the original Freeport, Me., factory store continue to be a rite of passage for “Beaniacs” everywhere.

buy it here