Alexander, Max 1957–

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Alexander, Max 1957–

PERSONAL: Born February 17, 1957, in Grand Rapids, MI; son of James and Marianne (Helko) Sterling; married Sarah Rachel Baldwin (June 14, 1986); children: Harper, Whit. Education: Columbia University, B.A., 1987. Politics: Democrat.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Carroll & Graf, 245 W. 17th St., 11th Fl., New York, NY 10011-5300.

CAREER: Writer, editor, and farmer. Variety and Daily Variety, executive editor, Los Angeles, CA, 1990–97; People, senior editor, New York, NY, 1997–99; farmer, 1999–.

WRITINGS:

(With Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier) The Arrows Cookbook: Cooking and Gardening from Maine's Most Beautiful Farmhouse Restaurant, foreword by Jeremiah Tower, photography by John Kernick, Scribner (New York, NY), 2003.

Man Bites Log: The Unlikely Adventures of a City Guy in the Woods, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2004.

Editor of Ernest Shackleton, by George Plimpton. Also contributor to Reader's Digest, This Old House, Martha Stewart Living, Bon Appetit, Country Home, and New York Times Book Review.

SIDELIGHTS: Max Alexander went from being an editor in New York City and Los Angeles, California, to being a freelance writer and farmer in Maine. He and his wife and two sons decided, like many before them, that the hectic and chaotic world of big-city living was not for them. Instead, their lives now consist of farming, gardening, making wine, writing, and dealing with the new experiences and struggles that result from living off of the land. Alexander shares his and his family's experiences in the essay collection Man Bites Log: The Unlikely Adventures of a City Guy in the Woods.

The book was well received by critics who found the stories, by turns, endearing and amusing. Indeed, Loree Davis, writing in Library Journal, noted that "Alexander takes us on a familiar journey—but he does it well." A Publishers Weekly critic echoed the sentiment, stating that "City slicker-in-the-woods has been done before, as Alexander readily admits, but it's done here with honesty, charm, and a good dose of self-deprecation." The city-to-country lifestyle continued to hold an appeal for Alexander and his family; as of 2005, they were still living in Maine. The family set up the Faraway Farm, Maine Web site to discuss pertinent issues with others who share their lifestyle.

Alexander has also coauthored The Arrows Cookbook: Cooking and Gardening from Maine's Most Beautiful Farmhouse Restaurant. Alexander collaborated on the book in 2003 with Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, both of whom had also moved to Maine to farm. They then opened a very popular restaurant that utilized their produce. Alexander provided the blurbs and sidelines that appear throughout the cookbook.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Alexander, Max, Man Bites Log: The Unlikely Adventures of a City Guy in the Woods, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2004.

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2004, review of Man Bites Log, p. 843.

Library Journal, October 15, 2004, Loree Davis, review of Man Bites Log, p. 69.

Publishers Weekly, April 21, 2003, review of The Arrows Cookbook: Cooking and Gardening from Maine's Most Beautiful Farmhouse Restaurant, p. 55; October 11, 2004, review of Man Bites Log, p. 66.