Rhode Island Clam Shacks (by Christopher Scott Martin and David Norton Stone) is a combination of food history and stories of the Rhode island Shore. We love this book so much that we contributed to it... seriously, you can find me quoted on some of the maritime photo interpretation and credited in the book. 

"Steamships once plied the waters of Narragansett Bay, carrying thousands of guests to feasts of clams prepared in every way imaginable at scenic spots like Rocky Point and Crescent Park. After hurricanes and pollution destroyed Rhode Island’s soft-shell clam and oyster beds, the quahog became the state’s favorite bivalve, and Rhode Islanders took to their automobiles and drove to the beach for clam cakes and chowder at the shacks and chowder houses that carried on the old traditions. Quahogging remains a major business in Rhode Island, where men and women continue to make a living from the sea. The long lines at take-out windows attest that the future of Rhode Island’s clam shacks is secure as they successfully balance changing tastes with time-honored recipes."

Find the book by selecting the photo link below: RI Clam Shacks - Made From RI