Through photographs and 30 vignettes, nature photographer David Middleton chronicles the day-to-day life of a working dairy farm in Quite a Sightly Place: A Dairy Farm in Vermont (Commonwealth Editions, 2010; $30). Once a town of 50 dairy farms, Danby, Vermont, is now home to only four, one of which is operated by the Bromley family. Middleton was part of Bromley’s tiny work force for four years, learning the trade and the family and falling in love with the farm along the way. In his reverential style, Middleton reveals characters such as owner Roger; his 94-year-old father, Hugh; and, of course, the cows, with humorous prose and vivid images.

The book is available for $25 from Amazon.

Elaine Khosrova

Elaine Khorova is the original Editor-in-Chief of culture magazine and the current recipe writer extraordinaire. She resides in the Hudson Valley of New York where she is working on a book about the history of butter.