TUESDAY JULY 12 MICHAEL KUDISH in ANDES

Diamond Hollow Books, in association with Purple Mountain Press and the Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve will host the author on Tuesday, July 12th from 4:30-6:30 PM at the bookshop, 72 Main Street, Andes, NY. Dr. Kudish will sign his books and also engage in conversation with Erwin Karl, farmer, mycologist and President of the Kudish Preserve.  Admission is Free but seating is limited!

Info: 347-262-4187 or biz@diamondhollowbooks.com. Please note: the shop is up one flight of stairs. Assistance getting up them can be provided by staff.

Michael Kudish says that he “just can’t understand people who want to live in an area that’s flat. I’ve had mountains around me all my life.” And in that life he's helped unveil the mysteries of the Catskill & Adirondack Mountains.

We are celebrating a new edition of the now classic The Catskill Forest: A History (pbk., 217 pages, Purple Mountain Press, $55) as well as Kudish in the Kaatskills, a compendium of articles written by Kudish, reprinted with permission from Kaatskill Life Magazine and The Catskill Forest Association’s CFA News. (pbk., 132 pages, Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve, $30) as well the other Kudish publications from Purple Mountain, namely the 4-volume study The Mountain Railroads of New York State.

Michael Kudish is an author, railroad historian, forest historian and botanist. He received his Ph.D. in botany in 1971 from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse. His dissertation, on the history of Catskill forests, was the beginning of a lifelong study. It was later expanded and published in book form as The Catskill Forest: A History. 

Since 1971, Kudish has tirelessly studied the Catskills forests and shared his insights with others in classrooms, in the field, and through books and articles. He is Professor Emeritus from Paul Smith's College, where he taught for 34 years, and where a forest has been named after him. Mike was named one of the 50 Stewards of the Catskills by the Catskill Center.

“Mike Kudish is a treasure to the Catskills region and people anywhere who appreciate forests,” said Erwin Karl, president of the Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve, “Whether you are seeking a comprehensive study in time and space or a snapshot view of forest ecosystems, his writing provides a wealth of information on how the forests came to be and our place within them.”