NOTE: Book reviews featured here are “reprints” from the SCA Journal, both recently published and from our archives. Not all titles may still be in print, or if in print, offered at the price or in the format listed.
The Maine Roadshow: A Roadside Tour of the State’s History, Culture, Food, Funk, and Oddities
The Maine Roadshow: A Roadside Tour of the State’s History, Culture, Food, Funk, and OdditiesBy Tim O’Brien
Nashville: Casa Flamingo Literary Arts, 2023
Softcover, 120, $29.99
Reviewed by Joel Floyd
This new book should inspire anyone to make a first-time road trip to the beautifully attractive state of Maine or depart on a revisit to seek out a wealth of previously missed roadside attractions. The book divides the state into eight geographical regions, making navigation easy to find over 400 intriguing roadside places, each with a creative photograph and description, along with addresses, websites, and phone numbers.
Your Sheep Are All Counted: A Roadside Archeology of South of the Border Billboards
Your Sheep Are All Counted: A Roadside Archeology of South of the Border BillboardsBy P.J. Capelotti
Whitman Publishing, 2022
Hardcover, 272 pages, $29.95
Reviewed by Frank Brusca
Your Sheep Are All Counted is a retrospective of one of the most spectacular and successful outdoor advertising campaigns ever staged. Over the past 75 years, SoB’s clever and orthodox advertising campaign by founder Alan Schafer transformed a tiny beer stand into a significant tourist attraction. Capelotti’s richly-illustrated tome draws upon hundreds of black and white and full-color photographs from SoB’s advertising archive and roadside photographers such as John Margolies.
Consuming Landscapes: What We See When We Drive and Why It Matters
Consuming Landscapes: What We See When We Drive and Why It MattersBy Thomas Zeller
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022
Hardcover, 239 pages, $53.23
Reviewed by Brian Gallaugher
Central to Zeller’s thesis is the concept of “Roadmindedness,” that is, the belief, current in the early 20th century, that roads would elevate society and contribute to progress; and, even more, that “roads are worthy in and of themselves.”
Isaly’s: Chipped Ham, Klondikes, and Other Tales
Isaly’s: Chipped Ham, Klondikes, and Other TalesBy Brian Butko
Pittsburgh: Senator John Heinz History Center, 2021
Softcover, 148 pages, $19.95
Available at https://visithei.nz/isalys-book
Reviewed by Harold Aurand Jr.
Brian Butko’s new book, Isaly’s: Chipped Ham, Klondikes, and Other Tales from Behind the Counter is aimed at people who remember Isaly’s glory days. Isaly’s (rhymes with “fries, please”) dairy business started in eastern Ohio, established a chain of stores in the surrounding area and quickly rose to become the world’s largest chain of dairy/deli stores.
GOOGIE MODERN: Architectural Drawings of Armet Davis Newlove
GOOGIE MODERN: Architectural Drawings of ArmetBy Michael Murphy With Text by Alan Hess and Photography by Jens Lucking
Angel City Press, 2022
Hardcover, 206 pages, Retail: $50
Reviewed by Heather David
GOOGIE MODERN is a celebration of both art and the built environment. But perhaps, more importantly, the book is a tribute to a highly innovative architectural firm that helped define a period in U.S. history. The architecture of Armet, Davis, and Newlove brought the seemingly impossible to life. The firm’s innovative designs were created for mass consumption and captured an optimism for a future that seemed limitless.
The American Highway: The History and Culture of Roads
The American Highway: The History and Culture of RoadsBy William Kaszynski
Jeferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2000
Softcover, 237 pages
Reviewed by Ralph S. Wilcox
William Kaszynski’s book is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of American roads or its businesses, providing readers with a scenic ride along American roads, including side trips exploring roadside establishments.
66 on 66: A Photographer’s Journey
66 on 66: A Photographer’s JourneyBy Terrence Moore
Tucson, Ariz.: Schaffner Press, 2018
144 pages; 10 x 11.5 inches, $27.95 hardcover
Reviewed by Douglas C. Towne
Terrence Moore is a talented photographer, and his gifted eye is apparent in 66 on 66, a coffee table book that is his latest contribution to the lore of the Mother Road. The book’s 66 images are more than a display of Moore’s photographic prowess, however. They synergistically work together to create what contributor Clark Worswick describes as “a memorial to a vanished time and place.”
Florida Roadside Attractions History
Florida Roadside Attractions History: The Complete Guide to Florida Tourist Attractions Before DisneyBy Ken Breslauer
Gaithersburg, Md.: Signature Book Printing, 2018
208 pages; $29.00 hardcover
Reviewed by Ralph S. Wilcox
Three years ago, my parents retired to Florida from Pennsylvania. They, like many other Northerners, fled south for warmer weather and to escape the never-ending snows that always seemed to blanket their area. It was for these very same reasons that thousands of tourists flocked to Florida every year beginning in the late 19th century.
