Jan Friedman
1 Better then the first edition!!!
I wrote this about the 1st edition : This is really a top notch book for the guys that like to get in a car and drive down the state highways - avoiding the interstates. "Eccentric" = don't be scared off buy that - this is not a book of weird stuff - just FUN stuff. This is one of those landmark travel books that comes out every now and then. The author really did the homework to get it all down in print. ==== Now all that has changed is that it is BETTER. We sell this book in our gift shop - it is the best seller. What I like about it is that the author does not make fun of her subjects like other wacky travel guides. Also the amount of details is really handy to the traveler who likes details.
2 New Adventures
Eccentric America leapt off the book shelf and into my hand. Many uncontrollable chuckles and a few tears of laughter later, I exited the book shop with two copies. Within five merry, laughter-filled minutes the eleven year old son of a friend said, "Thanks, Tom," took a copy, and commenced planning his family's upcoming road trip to LA. We're all going adventuring together, thank you.
Janet has created a classic guide that has loaded my life with kinky, weird and fascinating now and in-the-future destinations of interest, erstwhile she has filled my soul with laughter, laughter and more laughter.
A bit of local adventuring initiated by Janet's cook book of weird and wacky, and I was thinking, "I've got an idea or two for you, Lady." Then I visited her website. Oh my god, the adventure bug is contageous. Just can't wait for what Janet and her team comes up with next.
3 Great Gift!
Whether you're traveling across America or just enjoy reading about the strange festivals and peoples across the US, this book would make a great coffee table/bathroom reading book! The map to eccentricity is fantastic, showing the spread of eccentricity isn't what you would necessarily stereotype (we're not all in California!) Anyone who wants to discover unusual facts about Americans and their odd celebrations will love this book.
4 Keep a copy in your suitcase!
My other books live on a shelf, but this one lives in my suitcase! I take this marvellous guide with me whenever I travel. When I get back home and show my photos around, everyone's always amazed at my ability to seek out the odd and quirky. I've checked out similar guides, but this one stands far above the others. And the second edition has lots of new material, so I've happily retired my tattered and worn first edition. Very highly recommended!
5 Even better than the first!
I've had the first edition since it came out and it has provided a thorough guide to some really interesting places in the US. It made our road trip through barren and flat North Dakota a little more fun when we got to see a can pile or a huge cow perched on a hilltop! And the second edition has many more fun and interesting places to visit. It's a great companion for visits to different parts of the US and it's also a fun read for your coffee table. A must have!
6 From the author
With more than 1000 entries, there's never a dull moment-eccentrically speaking, that is--in America. Offering a provocative look at the quirky people and places on the fringes of mainstream tourism, Eccentric America guides you to some of the country's most unforgettable experiences.
Celebrate events like Moon Amtrack, SPAMarama, and the Redneck games. Find out why people collect such things as umbrella covers, squished pennies, and bad art-- or why someone would sell everything but chickens in a chicken store. Gawk at the Alien Museum and the Insectarium. Laugh at competitions such as the wife-carrying championships, mashed potato wrestling, and cardboard boat racing. Sleep in a treehouse or in a cave. See a real life Mother Goose and her diaper-wearing ducks. Meet a pizza clerk with his own memorial restroom and a man who's built a mountain out of hay, putty, and old paint.
Featuring 330 all-new eccentricities, the second edition of this award-winning guide also includes Cross-Country Quirks, regional calendars of wacky festivals and events, and an intriguing "Heights of Eccentricity" map of the United States. An entertaining and funny read, it's also a comprehensive guide to a side of American culture you won't want to miss.
