Those wonderful warm and sunny summer days will soon be upon us. And for those of us looking forward to long, lazy days at the beach or by the pool, a good book is a must. Great Neck resident Helene Herzig has just written the perfect book, Legendary Long Islanders, a fascinating compilation of over 70 interviews with well-known and highly regarded Long Island "legends."

During her 20 years as features editor for North Shore Magazine, Ms. Herzig interviewed a wealth of "local" celebrities and well-known personalities, from a wide variety of fields, including the arts, politics, science, horse racing, business, fashion, media, and home and garden. For each article, she visited the interviewee's home or office; each article is "first person," filled with candid conversations and chocked full of interesting little stories.

Ms. Herzig carefully chose the subject for each article, finding "people I knew to be interesting and outstanding." And for this new book, each article is completed with a current update. From the Hamptons to Manhattan, one story is more compelling than the next.

"What could be more fascinating than hearing Dr. Mary Cleave, one of the first woman astronauts, talk about her path to the heavens," Ms. Herzig told Anton Newspapers.

Then there is the story of Rudolph Schulhoff (whose wife still lives in Great Neck), who one day while skiing, found a man whose ski strap had broken. He helped the man down the mountain and, in return, was thanked and told to call on him if there was ever anything he could do. The grateful man one day became Pope, and Mr. Schulhoff was granted permission to create greeting cards with paintings from the Vatican.

Ms. Herzig tells of the fun of visiting Oleg Cassini's library, filled with famed photos of "the beautiful people." She tells wonderfully funny stories about Great Neck resident Alan King and Long Island's Billy Joel, as well as a host of writers and unique "show business" characters.

Pick up this book and read such interesting and colorful stories about Marvin Hamlisch, William P. Gottlieb, Martha Stewart, Geoffrey Beene, Helene Fortunoff, Charles B. Wang, and so many more. For a little while, live and dream in a new world in chapters entitled "Snapple Mania, A Long Island Company Soars," or "Grumman, Long Island's Eye in the Sky," or "The Met Turns 100, Directed by Anthony Bliss," or "Japanese Treasures, the Collection of Mrs. Jackson Burke" ... the list goes on and on. Wonderful reading!

And so, looking back over these rich, entertaining stories, Helene Herzig decided to put together her book, Legendary Long Islanders, a book that Ms. Herzig says "really tells you what the North Shore of Long Island is all about." And although this book does feature many famous people, she says that it is also "a very good representation of the kind of people who have gravitated to our part of the Island."

Legendary Long Islanders was a year in the making, reading over the stories, choosing the most interesting, and then researching updates.

Quite a project, but one that Helene Herzig is quite upto. A longtime community activist and leader, Ms. Herzig has lived in Great Neck for 57 years. She and her late husband, Philip, raised their family in the same house where Mr. Herzig grew up. And during this time Ms. Herzig has served as president of UCF, president of the Great Neck Visiting Nurse Association, a board member of the Nassau County Red Cross (along with President Teddy Roosevelt's daughter), and founder and former president of Open Door, where she is still active today.

In addition to her 20-year position as feature editor for North Shore Magazine, Ms. Herzig wrote for several newspapers such as The Christian Science Monitor and the Great Neck Record.

Many who have read this book were enthralled. Leading Long Islanders such as Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi ("filled with a unique insight"), New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli ("Helene Herzig has captured the feel and flavor of Long Island."), and Great Neck Arts Center Executive Director Regina Gil ("I recommend this as a read for anyone interested in the history of Long Island.") all offered endorsements.

As for the author, Helene Herzig said, "This book is sort of an antidote to the difficult times we live in ... you can pick up and put down ... my book is designed to give pleasure."

Legendary Long Islanders by Helene Herzig is published by Mixed Media Memoirs. The book is now for sale at the Dolphin Book Store in Port Washington, online at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and through book stores.