Continued

gardens. So many writers had asked if they could cover these major, important people’s homes and were turned down. Katharine said to me: ‘I know your work and yes, you can!’”

Polly tells of writing a book with Alfred Eisenstaedt, “the father of American photojournalism”: “I sat down, and he remarked: ‘Lady, you’ve got to get out of that chair!’ So typical of him...”

“People were so pleasant and cooperative, and I also enjoyed involvement with my new publishers: Peter Schiffer Ltd., in Atglen, Pennsylvania . It’s a reprint, really,” she explains. “The Schiffers put it together, and everything clicked! Arriving at their offices/dairy farm complex outside Philadelphia, I saw cows, people playing croquet, swimming and such. They sent honey from their own bees to our publishing party...and they added a bottle of wine when delivering my advance copy!”

“Publishers of more than 200 books per year, I called Peter one day and was told that Peter Schiffer, Jr. was ‘herding the cows.’ This same son Peter came to the Island to confer on our book. His father Peter Schiffer, Sr., owns the whole thing and son, Douglas, is editor.”

“They just happened to call me when I was about to throw all the original pictures away! That first edition really helped my career along, and I have Ann Nelson to thank for forwarding those first pictures and copy to publishers years ago.”

“People are so nosy about other people’s houses,” she regales, in an ‘I should have known it would be a hit’ tone. Seems everything she does is a hit. Her books include Nantucket Guide; Honey Boat; Guide to Martha’s Vineyard; Zeb: Celebrated Schooner Captain of Martha’s Vineyard; The Great Ice Ship BEAR; Thomas Hart Benton, A Portrait and; The Harriman Expedition to Alaska.

Her guidebook’s 11th edition came out in June. And in production at this moment is a documentary DVD of Zeb Tilton: Celebrated Schooner Captain of Martha’s Vineyard. She also pens many magazine articles.

To find the real true art and heartbeat of living on the Vineyard – where the Island has been, and frankly, where it might go – Polly Burroughs, constant summer visitor from Greenwich, turned Vineyard resident of 15 years – keeps her eye, hand and pen, on the pulse, with extraordinary talent.