GOOD OLD MAINE, by Will Anderson, self-published, 7 Bramhall Terrace, Portland 04103, 106 pages, $16.95.

Portland writer Will Anderson, who has published such topical books as “Was Baseball Really Invented in Maine?” has produced “Good Old Maine,” an interesting and nostalgic look at a Maine from not so long ago.

In his latest book — he has cranked out five in as many years — Anderson tours 101 of Maine’s historical amusement, dining, and entertainment “pop delights.” These are the places that, while almost all gone, evoke images of a time when Mainers created their own excitement and didn’t rely on shopping malls, chain restaurants or TV for diversion.

“Good Old Maine” reads like a tour book, albeit alphabetical, that takes readers all the way from the Skylite Drive-In Theatre in Madawaska (open and thriving) south to The Goldenrod (what Anderson calls a “wonderful blend of soda fountain, restaurant, and old-fashioned candy store”) in York Beach. At each stop, Anderson summarizes the particular “pop delight,” replete with a photograph, postcard, handbill, or other item indicative of the site.

Many people can still recall Auto Rest Park, a well-known stop on Route 2 in Carmel. The Opera House Theatre in Milbridge shut down only in 1958, while the Penobscot Exchange Hotel in Bangor was demolished only eight years later.

Anderson mixes his “pop delights” with those places that closed long ago or remain open today. For weekend fun in the past, Mainers could catch a film at Portland’s Capitol Theatre, the Bijou in Bangor, or the Strand in Boothbay Harbor.

Those were the years when almost every town had a theater, like the Colby in Bingham (now a lumberyard), the Park in Bangor (appropriately converted to a parking lot), the Moosehead in Greenville (torn down at least a decade ago), or the Wells Beach Theatre.

There were other places where Mainers could go on a Saturday night, such as the Belfast Drive-In on Route 3 (now abandoned), the Elm Street Roller Rink in Portland (the building still stands), Hal’s Restaurant in Oakland (a hardware store today), or Paul’s Lunch in Lewiston (later demolished).

Anderson also examines Maine’s culinary tastes, especially pertaining to ice cream and soda pop. S & O’K Beverages remains a familiar name in Bangor, although the company no longer exists. Anderson explores the products made by Casco Beverages in Portland, English Club Beverages in Waterville (this firm shut down in 1986), Liberty Beverages in Bath, and Dexter Bottling.

Ice-cream aficionados will appreciate Anderson’s revelations about Deering Ice Cream, Creamy-Made Ice Cream in Skowhegan, the products made famous by the Ellsworth-based Hancock County Creamery, S&H Ice Cream in Portland, and Gibson’s Ice Cream in Springvale.

Not every “pop delight” in “Good Old Maine” has vanished. Anyone who has spent a summer’s weekend in Bar Harbor has probably caught a movie at the not-so-old Criterion Theatre. Al’s Diner in Mars Hill and Moody’s Diner on Route 1 in Waldoboro are two restaurants still operating today.

The same with the Fat Boy Drive-In in Brunswick, the Grand Theatre on Main Street in Ellsworth, the Palace Diner in Biddeford, Lewiston’s Ritz Theatre, and Big 20 Bowling in Scarborough. These places remain open despite a changing society that has closed many other sites in Anderson’s book.

For a visual and educational tour through a Maine that has only recently faded into history, readers will enjoy “Good Old Maine,” a book that’s easy to read and easy to relish.

Brian Swartz is the NEWS advertising staff editor.