Travel Book Reviews

I am constantly buying books for information on roadside attractions. A well-stocked library is not only helpful but provides hours on enjoyment.

Links to purchase them are provided in association with Amazon.com, but you can read the reviews without visiting the Amazon.com site.

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Dixie Before Disney

100 Years of Roadside Fun

by Tim Hollis

official web site

This is a beautiful and informative exploration of road culture in the southeastern United States before the arrival of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Through text, photos, and brochures, mostly from the author's collection, it discusses tourist attractions, businesses, and motels in the South. Unfortunately, I got the book after my big Florida trip. Fortunately, I contacted the author by email beforehand.

The New Roadside America

The Modern Traveler's Guide to the Wild and Wonderful America's Tourist Attractions

by Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins

official web site

I had visited a few places and begun to develop my interest in roadside attractions, but it wasn't until I met some fellow explorers and was introduced to this book that the whole thing came together.
The New Roadside America features hundreds of weird, fun, and fascinating tourist attractions throughout the U.S. It isn't written as a list (although the index, arranged by state, is a useful reference); it's broken into chapters by type. The writing is fast-paced and witty.
Even if you have no intention of visiting the places mentioned here, you will love this book.

Fun Along the Road

American Tourist Attractions

by John Margolies

official web site

This book inspired my trip to Florida. Margolies is a photographer, so get this (and his other books) for the pictures. The text is good, too, but the pictures are amazing. This is not a travel reference but a book about the culture and history of this road thing.

Home Away from Home

Motels in America

by John Margolies

official web site

This is another Margolies book, meaning it is packed with beautiful roadside photography. This covers the history of roadside lodging, from the first campgrounds to modern motels. It's fascinating.

Return to Route 66

Route 66 Postcards

by Shellee Graham

official web site

This is a small, inexpensive collection of very nice Route 66 postcards, although you are under no obligation to tear them out and mail them.

See the USA

The Art of the American Travel Brochure

by John Margolies and Eric Baker

official web site

Unlike most Margolies books, this one has none of his photographs! It's full of images of travel brochures from before the Second World War, along with text describing the art form and the period that spawned it.

Route 66

The Mother Road

by Michael Wallis

A wonderful if a bit romantic history of the road, with interviews and biographies and gorgeous photography. It doesn't work well as a guide book, but it isn't meant to.

Road Trip USA

Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways

by Jamie Jensen

official web site

This book is oganized by cross-country route. In addition to finding interesting attractions, you'll also learn about places to stay and eat.
While not devoted to the bizarre, there's a good bit of it here. This is a good book to keep in the car while traveling.
There are hundreds of nice color and B&W photographs and illustrations, including one of a white squirrel taken by the roadnoise.com staff.

The Lincoln Highway

Main Street across America

by Drake Hokanson

This is a history book. It's about the conception and execution of the first cross-country highway in the U.S. It's also the story of how America got in their cars and took to the road in the early part of the twentieth century.

Amazing America

by Jane & Michael Stern

It's out of print, and terribly out of date, but it's still fun to read. Published in 1979, you'll be saddened to discover that many of the places mentioned are long gone, but you'll be glad you at least got to read about them.
The authors have specialized now, writing strictly about road food the last several years. It's a shame.

Offbeat Museums

The Collections and Curators of America's Most Unusual Museums

by Saul Rubin

This is an excellent book! It isn't a large collection of museums, but the ones in here are covered in depth, more depth, in fact, than I've found in any other book. There are plenty of interviews with the curators of the museums. It's fun to read, even if you don't travel.

Atomic Irons & Branding Irons

A Guide to Museums, Collections, and Roadside Curiosities in Washington and Oregon

by Harriet Baskas, Adam Woog

Limited in scope (it just covers Washington and Oregon), this book identifies the kind of small, bizarre museum that we love ar roadnoise.com. If you are going to be visiting the Pacific Northwest, take this book.

Rock 'n' Roll Road Trip

The Ultimate Guide to the Sites, the Shrines, and the Legends Across America

by A. M. Nolan

It's a shame this book is out of print. From this book we learned about all kinds of events that took place all over the country, and where they happened. While you probably won't plan a trip around this book, it's good for adding things to drive by along the way.

An American Festival of World Capitals

From Garlic Queens to Cherry Parades

by Laura A. Bergheim

There's some good reference material here for finding "world capitals" (like the Sock Capital of the World), but what makes this book fun is depth to which they are explored. She also wrote Weird, Wonderful America, a book I've heard good things about, but I've never seen it, and it appears to be out of print.

Route 66

Traveler's Guide and Roadside Companion

by Tom Snyder

If you are planning to drive Route 66, this is the book to get. It is small and narrow and fits easily in a glove compartment. While the writing style is a bit too folksy, it will help you find your way.

A Guide Book to Highway 66

by Jack D. Rittenhouse

This is a reprint of a 1946 book, so it won't be of any help on an actual Route 66 trip. That doesn't matter. Reading this book is like going back in time. While seeing old motels and attractions and driving old stretched of roadway can give beautiful glimpses what travel was like fifty years ago, this book gives you information about the experience you won't find anywhere else.

America's Strangest Museums

A Traveler's Guide to the Most Unusual and Eccentric Collections

by Sandra Gurvis

This is an expanded version of the Cockroach Hall of Fame. There's some good stuff here, like addresses and phone numbers and hours, but I get the impression that the author didn't actually visit a lot of these places. It lacks the charm of many of the other books, and at times her puns are painful, but it's a good reference.

Little Museums

1,000 Small (and Not-So-Small) American Showplaces

by Lynne Arany, Archie Hobson

official web site

This is a big book with a lot of museums listed. I find that it's OK for inspiration but works best as a reference. If you are going on a trip, check this book to see what is along the way.

Blue Highways

A Journey into America

by Warren Least Heat-Moon

This is a very popular book, and it's pretty good, but it isn't really about doing recreational road trips or visiting tacky attractions. It's the story of a man who drove around the country and the people he met along the way. I like it, but don't expect it to be like the others.

Travels with Charley

In Search of America

by John Steinbeck

This is the story of Steinbeck's journey around the U.S. with his poodle Charley in 1960. It's written well. Some of the book is fascinatingly dated, like Steinbeck's take on the advent of the mobile home, and sometimes he just doesn't get it, but you still need to read this.

On the Road

by Jack Kerouac

I guess I was too old when I read this, and I'd already been too many places, but it didn't inspire me to ditch everything and hit the road. I loved, it though, mostly for the historical context of the tale: the subtle racism in the protagonist's views, even though he was more liberal than most, and the exotic foods like "mashed beans" that he had with a Mexican family, which were probably strange to Americans in the '50s, but that we've all had from Taco Bell.

Here It Is!

The Route 66 Map Series

by Jerry McClanahan and Jim Ross

Not a book at all, this is a collection of loose maps, one for each state on the road. It is nice, but I didn't use it as often as I thought I would the last time I drove Route 66.

The Cockroach Hall of Fame

And 101 Other Off-The-Wall Museums

by Sandra Gurvis

This is out of print, replaced by America's Strangest Museums by the same author. It has nice details, like phone numbers and hours and addresses, but I get the impression that the author did a lot of the research on the phone or from other sources. They way she writes about some of the places I can't believe she actually went there.

privacy statement

	Dixie Before Disney 100 Years of Roadside Fun by Tim Hollis official web site
This is a beautiful and informative exploration of road culture in the southeastern United States before the arrival of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Through text, photos, and brochures, mostly from the author's collection, it discusses tourist attractions, businesses, and motels in the South. Unfortunately, I got the book after my big Florida trip. Fortunately, I contacted the author by email beforehand.

	The New Roadside America The Modern Traveler's Guide to the Wild and Wonderful America's Tourist Attractions by Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins official web site
I had visited a few places and begun to develop my interest in roadside attractions, but it wasn't until I met some fellow explorers and was introduced to this book that the whole thing came together. The New Roadside America features hundreds of weird, fun, and fascinating tourist attractions throughout the U.S. It isn't written as a list (although the index, arranged by state, is a useful reference); it's broken into chapters by type. The writing is fast-paced and witty. Even if you have no intention of visiting the places mentioned here, you will love this book.

	Fun Along the Road American Tourist Attractions by John Margolies official web site
This book inspired my trip to Florida. Margolies is a photographer, so get this (and his other books) for the pictures. The text is good, too, but the pictures are amazing. This is not a travel reference but a book about the culture and history of this road thing.

	Home Away from Home Motels in America by John Margolies official web site
This is another Margolies book, meaning it is packed with beautiful roadside photography. This covers the history of roadside lodging, from the first campgrounds to modern motels. It's fascinating.

	Return to Route 66 Route 66 Postcards by Shellee Graham official web site
This is a small, inexpensive collection of very nice Route 66 postcards, although you are under no obligation to tear them out and mail them.

	See the USA The Art of the American Travel Brochure by John Margolies and Eric Baker official web site
Unlike most Margolies books, this one has none of his photographs! It's full of images of travel brochures from before the Second World War, along with text describing the art form and the period that spawned it.

	Route 66 The Mother Road by Michael Wallis
A wonderful if a bit romantic history of the road, with interviews and biographies and gorgeous photography. It doesn't work well as a guide book, but it isn't meant to.

	Road Trip USA Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways by Jamie Jensen official web site
This book is oganized by cross-country route. In addition to finding interesting attractions, you'll also learn about places to stay and eat. While not devoted to the bizarre, there's a good bit of it here. This is a good book to keep in the car while traveling. There are hundreds of nice color and B&W photographs and illustrations, including one of a white squirrel taken by the roadnoise.com staff.

	The Lincoln Highway Main Street across America by Drake Hokanson
This is a history book. It's about the conception and execution of the first cross-country highway in the U.S. It's also the story of how America got in their cars and took to the road in the early part of the twentieth century.

	Amazing America by Jane & Michael Stern
It's out of print, and terribly out of date, but it's still fun to read. Published in 1979, you'll be saddened to discover that many of the places mentioned are long gone, but you'll be glad you at least got to read about them. The authors have specialized now, writing strictly about road food the last several years. It's a shame.

	Offbeat Museums The Collections and Curators of America's Most Unusual Museums by Saul Rubin
This is an excellent book! It isn't a large collection of museums, but the ones in here are covered in depth, more depth, in fact, than I've found in any other book. There are plenty of interviews with the curators of the museums. It's fun to read, even if you don't travel.

	Atomic Irons & Branding Irons A Guide to Museums, Collections, and Roadside Curiosities in Washington and Oregon by Harriet Baskas, Adam Woog
Limited in scope (it just covers Washington and Oregon), this book identifies the kind of small, bizarre museum that we love ar roadnoise.com. If you are going to be visiting the Pacific Northwest, take this book.

	Rock 'n' Roll Road Trip The Ultimate Guide to the Sites, the Shrines, and the Legends Across America by A. M. Nolan
It's a shame this book is out of print. From this book we learned about all kinds of events that took place all over the country, and where they happened. While you probably won't plan a trip around this book, it's good for adding things to drive by along the way.

	An American Festival of World Capitals From Garlic Queens to Cherry Parades by Laura A. Bergheim
There's some good reference material here for finding "world capitals" (like the Sock Capital of the World), but what makes this book fun is depth to which they are explored. She also wrote Weird, Wonderful America, a book I've heard good things about, but I've never seen it, and it appears to be out of print.

	Route 66 Traveler's Guide and Roadside Companion by Tom Snyder
If you are planning to drive Route 66, this is the book to get. It is small and narrow and fits easily in a glove compartment. While the writing style is a bit too folksy, it will help you find your way.

	A Guide Book to Highway 66 by Jack D. Rittenhouse
This is a reprint of a 1946 book, so it won't be of any help on an actual Route 66 trip. That doesn't matter. Reading this book is like going back in time. While seeing old motels and attractions and driving old stretched of roadway can give beautiful glimpses what travel was like fifty years ago, this book gives you information about the experience you won't find anywhere else.

	America's Strangest Museums A Traveler's Guide to the Most Unusual and Eccentric Collections by Sandra Gurvis
This is an expanded version of the Cockroach Hall of Fame. There's some good stuff here, like addresses and phone numbers and hours, but I get the impression that the author didn't actually visit a lot of these places. It lacks the charm of many of the other books, and at times her puns are painful, but it's a good reference.

	Little Museums 1,000 Small (and Not-So-Small) American Showplaces by Lynne Arany, Archie Hobson official web site
This is a big book with a lot of museums listed. I find that it's OK for inspiration but works best as a reference. If you are going on a trip, check this book to see what is along the way.

	Blue Highways A Journey into America by Warren Least Heat-Moon
This is a very popular book, and it's pretty good, but it isn't really about doing recreational road trips or visiting tacky attractions. It's the story of a man who drove around the country and the people he met along the way. I like it, but don't expect it to be like the others.

	Travels with Charley In Search of America by John Steinbeck
This is the story of Steinbeck's journey around the U.S. with his poodle Charley in 1960. It's written well. Some of the book is fascinatingly dated, like Steinbeck's take on the advent of the mobile home, and sometimes he just doesn't get it, but you still need to read this.

	On the Road by Jack Kerouac
I guess I was too old when I read this, and I'd already been too many places, but it didn't inspire me to ditch everything and hit the road. I loved, it though, mostly for the historical context of the tale: the subtle racism in the protagonist's views, even though he was more liberal than most, and the exotic foods like "mashed beans" that he had with a Mexican family, which were probably strange to Americans in the '50s, but that we've all had from Taco Bell.

	Here It Is! The Route 66 Map Series by Jerry McClanahan and Jim Ross
Not a book at all, this is a collection of loose maps, one for each state on the road. It is nice, but I didn't use it as often as I thought I would the last time I drove Route 66.

	The Cockroach Hall of Fame And 101 Other Off-The-Wall Museums by Sandra Gurvis
This is out of print, replaced by America's Strangest Museums by the same author. It has nice details, like phone numbers and hours and addresses, but I get the impression that the author did a lot of the research on the phone or from other sources. They way she writes about some of the places I can't believe she actually went there.