Arizona Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff [Paperback]

Sam Lowe (Author)

Book Description

Series: Curiosities Series | Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Arizona is the only state in the union that has adopted an official state neckwear and a state reptile, and the only place in the world to prosecute a man for murder by gila monster. It's home to the world's largest sundial, world's smallest museum, world's only teacup-as-art project, and dinosaur sentries who stand guard along an interstate. Learn even more as you laugh your way through the pages of Arizona Curiosities.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Arizona Curiosities is your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Grand Canyon State has to offer. Popular humor columnist Sam Lowe has combed Arizona for one-of-a-kind gems that make his home state truly unique.
You'll meet John Shaw, a minor-league thief who posthumously drank a shot of whiskey; you'll see Arizona's special brand of roadside wildlife; you'll experience competitive Arizona sports such as worm racing, cotton-bale rolling, outhouse penny-pitching, and ostrich riding.
Whether you were born and raised in Arizona or are a recent transplant, Lowe's home-grown humor will have you laughing out loud as he introduces you to the neighbors you never knew you had and takes you to places you never knew existed - right in your own backyard.

About the Author

Sam Lowe has lived in Arizona since 1969, which puts him into the loosely regulated "near native" category. He worked as a columnist for The Phoenix Gazette and Arizona Republic for more than 25 years and was named "Humor Columnist of the Year" by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in 1988. After retiring in 1999, he became a freelance writer. He and his wife Lyn live in a two-bedroom house in Phoenix. There's nothing unusual about them or the house. Well, maybe the billboard-sized circus poster plastered across one wall in the garage.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 1st edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762725478
• ISBN-13: 978-0762725472
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Arizonians new and old!, February 23, 2006

By 

KDB English Teacher -- "literature lover" (CT, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arizona Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Paperback)

I bought this book for my parents. They've lived in Arizona for three years but tell me that they have been passing by all these really cool landmarks without knowing they were even there. Now they are finding out interesting facts about their own area and areas in the vicinity that they are planning on visiting (now that the book has given them even more purpose to venture there). I highly recommend it for the seasoned and the new.

4 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arizona -- or Arkansas?, January 27, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Arizona Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Paperback)

Am I the only one to notice that "Arizona Curiosities" really has the state of Arkansas on its cover? Are they joking? I mean, the states both begin in "A," but that's absolutely where the similarities end. Maybe this is a prime example of grade schools which allow students who have not learned the academic basics to move to the next level and the next, on through the system. And that's why some students can somehow get a high school or even a college diploma while still believing that Brazil is located in Europe.