SARANAC LAKE – St. Regis Canoe Outfitters will host a book signing and reception with authors Dave Cilley and Norman Sims, followed by a presentation from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9 at 73 Dorsey St.

Norman Sims, co-author of “Canoes: A Natural History in North America,” will present a talk and slideshow at 7 p.m. about the history of the most American watercraft and its use in the Adirondacks. The talk will include the development of the canoe from dugouts to birchbark to wood-and-canvas and then modern materials. He will bring a restored 1890s Morris wood-and-canvas canoe from Maine for folks to examine.

Dave Cilley recently released the 4th edition of his popular guidebook entitled “Adirondack Paddler’s Guide: Finding Your Way by Canoe & Kayak in the Adirondack Park.”

First printed in 2008, the book was published as a companion to the “Adirondack Paddlers Map,” now in its tenth edition.

The book’s newest edition is 268 pages with updated information on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Quebec Brook, and the Newcomb area. Newly described areas include: trips on the Hudson River and Opalescent Rivers, the trip from Floodwood to Tupper Lake, Cedarlands, the Boreas Ponds, and the Ausable River & Marsh.

Cilley grew up raising Siberian Husky dogs and raced them in a sled that he built. He was very active as a boy scout achieving the level of Eagle Scout. He worked as a camp director at Mead Wilderness Base Boy Scout Camp in New Hampshire. He attended the University of New Hampshire where he earned a bachelor of science in botany. Cilley worked at Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) teaching ice climbing. He started the EMS store in Lake Placid in 1974 and managed the store through the Winter Olympics. He started St. Regis Canoe Outfitters in 1984. In 2008, he published the 1st edition of the “Adirondack Paddler’s Guide.” He is an avid paddler and guide and is considered by many to be a leading expert on paddling in the Adirondacks.