Some people still ask if my new book Lincoln Highway Companion has been published and I’m glad to say yes, it’s available. Below is a picture from A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway producer Rick Sebak of local friend Tom Weisbecker with the book at his Isaly’s dairy store in West View, north of Pittsburgh. (And if you haven’t been to Isaly’s lately, or ever, take a trip there this week: 448 Perrysville Ave/US 19, north of Pittsburgh.)
LHC list price is $26.95 and it’s available in bookstores — if not on the shelf, they can order it for you — or get it from Amazon at a discount price of $17.35. Or get one from Tom for $19.99 and enjoy a meal while you’re there.
It’s always a surprise — and a relief — when a book you’ve been working on for years finally arrives in finished form. Today I was finally able to hold and look through a completed Lincoln Highway Companion, sent on ahead by the printer. Ahh, the smell of fresh ink and new paper!!
Like my last book, Roadside Attractions, this one incorporates written contributions from dozens of friends and fellow old road enthusiasts; it’s an honor to include their roadside recommendations.
No matter whether others like your book or not, you know every image, every fact, every comma had to be chosen, tracked down, and approved. It’s like your child — you love it no matter what. I filmed a little video preview of Lincoln Highway Companion for YouTube that you can play here too.
With Spring travel not yet here and snow surprising many of us, there’s not much news from the road, but my editor just sent some good news – a few honest-to-goodness samples of my Lincoln Highway Companion book have arrived! These go out to booksellers that want a look before ordering, and perhaps reviewers. I’m hoping to see one too — he says “Looks great!!!” but I’ll still be anxious till I see it myself. Here’s a photo from it of the Frazer Diner that Stackpole Books posted on Facebook. Click it to see it a bit larger.
Past LHA president Jesse Petersen has extensively researched the Lincoln Highway in Utah, mapped it, and co-authored a book on it with Gregory Franzwa. His newest project is A Route for the Overland Stage: James H. Simpson’s 1859 Trail Across the Great Basin. The exploration of the Great Basin by army topographical engineer Simpson opened up one of the West’s most important transportation and communication corridors, a vital link to the Pacific Coast that was followed by the Overland Stage and Pony Express.
Petersen writes, “My interest in the Simpson expedition was a result of my interest in the history of the Lincoln Highway. I was attending the Lincoln Highway Association’s 1996 conference in Reno, Nevada, when one of the presenters mentioned that the historic highway had followed much of the route that James Simpson had opened through Nevada in 1859.”
Jess walked or drove the entire trail west and Simpson’s variant path returning east to accurately describe, map, and photograph the route. Published by Utah State University Press, the 240-page, 8.5 x 11 paperback is $24.95 or buy it on Amazon for $18.96.
My next book, Lincoln Highway Companion, lists places to eat, stay, and visit from coast-to-coast. It also features maps and must-see lists for every state. The guide was intended to coincide with Rick Sebak’s PBS program A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway but with a house move and some family passings, I delayed the book till 2009.
The design proofs just arrived a few days ago. Above are pages from Nevada, Iowa, and the “feeder route” or branch through Washington DC. As you can see, they feature a mix of maps, photos, and brief place descriptions. Some knowledgable LH friends are helping to check the pages, and I’ve contacted many of the places listed for updates. We’re already working on improvements to the maps so there’s LOTS to do this week.
Lincoln HIghway Companion is listed on Amazon but won’t be available till Spring 2009. For now, you can find statewide maps and route descriptions in my Greetings from the Lincoln Highway book, also on Amazon.
Brand new from Simon & Schuster is Old Dogs: Are the Best Dogs by photographer Michael S. WIlliamson, co-author of The Lincoln Highway: Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate (2007). The $19.95 hardcover runs 160 pages. Williamson’s photos are accompanied by Gene Weingarten’s writing. Michael told me, “We are having a big opening at the Smithsonian here in D.C. on Oct. 30th — just a day after the LH documentary telecast so it’ll be a good week to be an author! A couple of the doggies in the book live on the Lincoln Highway so I guess that makes the two projects a teeny bit connected.”
From the publisher:
If you’ve known a favorite old dog, you’ll find him or her on these pages. Your dog might go by a different name and have a different shape, but you’ll recognize him or her by the look in an eye or the contours of a life story. There is the dog who thinks he is a house cat; the herder, the fetcher, the punk and the peacock, the escape artist, the demolition artist, the patrician, the lovable lout, the amiable dope, the laughable clown, the schemer, the singer, the daredevil, the diplomat, the politician, the gourmand, and the thief.
The Smithsonian launch and lecture will be at the Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW, Oct. 30 at 7pm. Tickets are $25 or $15 for members; call (202) 633-3030.
The Deseret News had a nice feature on Gregory Franzwa, author of 20 books including a state-by-state series on the Lincoln Highway. His new book, The Mormon Trail Revisited, retraces the 1846-47 route of the Mormon pioneers across the midwest and into Utah. The book mixes history with driving directions to the 1,400 miles of trails and country roads. Its 284 pages include more than 200 photographs of the trail and historic sites.
The article offers some insights into the author’s work and the trail:
“This exodus was the most amazing thing. There’s been nothing like it before or since. You think of the 2,500 humans and 500 wagons that left Nauvoo and camped at Sugar Creek. That has to be the biggest wagon train in history times 10.”
Franzwa and his wife, Kathy, who now live in Tooele, spent three years tracking the trail. They follow the mass exodus across Iowa, where the “adhesive mud so frustrated the pioneers’ plans to cross the Rockies that year that they had to hole up along the Missouri River. That must have been so discouraging for them.”
He then follows the trail that Brigham Young and the lead wagon train followed across the plains and into the Salt Lake Valley. “We found every single campsite,” he says.
His purpose in writing the guide was twofold. He wants to help people get there — “right in the traces. Right where the mules and oxen and wagon wheels left those scars. To get out of the car and stand in those ruts….
A second reason for the guide, however, is equally important, he says — to encourage preservation. “When a person has read that history, stood right on those pioneer pathways and driven or hiked the pioneer routes, it is unlikely that there will be much support for proposals which would damage or destroy the historic trails or sites.
To purchase the book ($24.95 paper, $39.95 cloth) or for more info, check Franzwa’s Patrice Press site patricepress.com/.
Click the map above for a full-size view of the Lincoln Highway.
Like this blog? You'll LOVE my books!Lincoln Highway Companion features detailed maps and places to eat and stay. Click the book to buy it on Amazon.
Click the Greetings book below to purchase the ultimate guide to the history and route of the Lincoln Highway!
Another fun book! The Ship Hotel: A Grand View along the Lincoln Highway recalls the greatest roadside attraction along the coast-to-coast road.
And for those who LOVE diners, click the book below to purchase our completely updated guide to the history, geography, and food of Pennsylvania's Diners!
Some people still ask if my new book Lincoln Highway Companion has been published and I’m glad to say yes, it’s available. Below is a picture from A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway producer Rick Sebak of local friend Tom Weisbecker with the book at his Isaly’s dairy store in West View, north of Pittsburgh. (And if you haven’t been to Isaly’s lately, or ever, take a trip there this week: 448 Perrysville Ave/US 19, north of Pittsburgh.)
Lincoln Highway News 