Road Trip Fodder: Sometimes revolting, always interesting
The
Gallery of Regrettable Food (2001)
by James Lileks. A funny,
garishly illustrated (but beautifully designed) look at cookbooks from
the 1940s
and 50s, which touted dishes such as "Baked Peppers with Creamy
Marshmallow Sauce." Perfect gift book for
the little homemaker or that gourmet chef brother-in-law. ~$16.
Dixie
Before Disney - 100 Years of Roadside Fun
Roadside
Historian Tim Hollis chronicles the golden era of vacation attractions
in tha American south -- the children's parks, the mini golfs, from
the forgotten historical tourist trap to the struggling tropical
paradise. 30%
off -- only $17.50
Wisconsin
Death Trip (1973, 2nd edition 2000)
by
Michael Lesy. Fascinating view of a town losing its mind a hundred
years ago. Assembled from glass plate negatives and news clips from
a region
of Wisconsin between 1890 and 1910. The author puts bits and pieces
of family portraits, arson, disease -infested water, accident-prone
factories,
murder and mayhem together to show how it really was in the good
old days. ~$24.
Death
to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies? (2001)
by Ken Iserson. A greatly expanded and revised edition provides a
comprehensive overview of everything dead: autopsies, botched embalming,
funeral rites,
the magic of decay, and more, more. Ken Smith read the whole thing,
and marked
the good parts with about a hundred yellow post-its ("Ken's Guide to Death"?)
to make it more convenient for the rest of us ... Retails for 48.95, but
check the price at Amazon.com.
Re/Search #16: The
Re/Search Guide to Bodily Fluids (1996)
by Paul Spinrad.
An exhaustive tour of bile, snot, blood and all manner of bodily
bilge,
traced through
history and into modern culture. Paul is a funny guy, so buy his
book. $12.79.
Executioner's
Current(2002)
Author Richard Moran chronicles
the invention of the electric chair and the battle between Thomas
Edison and George Westinghouse for energy supremacy -- direct current
vs.
alternating current. A fascinating historical read before you visit America's
electric chairs or the site where Edison electrocuted
Topsy the elephant. (Amazon ~$18)
Confederates
in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War
(1999)
Tony Howitz's funny and thoughtful account of his travels through
the
South, trekking to Civil War battlefields and modern Reb hotbeds
with hardcore reenactors. He visits almost all the heroic body parts
from
our "Hello to Arms" tour....(Amazon ~
$12)
