1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Armchair Traveler's Delight, July 12, 2003
This review is from: Tandem Towns of Texas: Tuxedo, Frognot, and Oatmeal (and Many More) (Paperback)
There is so much dry wit and humor in this book that I am afraid any levity I might try to inject in this review would pale in comparison. For that reason, I'll just give you my opinion and let the book more or less speak for itself.
The bottom line is that this tome is highly readable, humorous and educational at the same time. If there was a scale of average witticisms per page, I'm sure that Tandem Towns of Texas would hold the record.
As set out in the Introduction, the purpose is twofold: 1) to spotlight Texas communities that have quirky monikers and double-digit populations, and, 2) to group them together in pairings based on natural association, alliteration, or rhyme. For example, Beaukiss and Lovelady, Trickham and Dodge, Ding Dong and Bells.
Each page contains one of these pairings. Additionally, it tells the location of the towns, the derivation of the names, and the history of those towns, and (when needed) names spelled phonetically. The index has all of these names plus the population of each one.
After more than 150 of these matches, this book provides some additional zany information. This would include (an amazingly long list of) Texas towns with the first names of people (Alvin, Leona, Melissa) then a huge listing of odd names from the other 49 states (Tomato, AZ, Bliss, NY, Burnt Corn, AL). Finally, if you haven't had enough of this silliness, the authors provide a listing of books that also feature unusual town names throughout the U.S.
Found in the book is some pre-publication praise from John Troesser, editor and chief of a very popular history and travel magazine on the Internet. According to Troesser, "The table of contents itself is worth the price of admission for this delightful, witty, and (only slightly) thought-provoking book. Just what would Tarzan do in Notrees? There are perhaps six people in Texas capable of connecting Electria and Blanket. Bill and Clare Bradfield are two. The other four are blood relations who carry the same mysterious gene. . . Vattman and Robbins indeed" He concludes, "This books even a great way to travel from Munday to Friday without leaving your armchair."
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