Customer Reviews

Trailer Trash: The World of Trailers & Mobile Homes in the Southwest

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Remember all those mobile home monstrosities that used to roam the highways in the 50's and 60's? The ones with all the fancy "space-age" angles and windows? Well, not all of them ended up being recycled as Toyotas and Bob Moore has done a yeoman's job of finding examples of them (or their remains) all over the place in the Southwest.

Bob photographed each one and then researched what they looked like when they were new, using original materials from (many long-defunct) manufacturers. As you go through the book, the left-facing page shows an advertisement for a new copy of the trailer and on the right-facing page is Bob's photo of the derelict. It makes you laugh, shake your head, and generally ponder the mortality of all things on this good earth.

The last part of the book contains trailer advertisements of many kinds including split-level designs and other innovations. Accessories are also featured in this section.

Bob's text - like all of his writing - is humorous as well as insightful, and is scattered throughout the book. You will not be disappointed.

I've been a fan of Bob's books and magazine articles for a while now. Thanks for yet another delightful read. The photographs are amazing!

I'm a huge Bob Moore fan. His novels reflect his awesome gift for time and place. It was with great joy that I discovered that "Trailer Trash," while not an actual novel, was chock-full of the time, place and even character that infuse his clever tales. Page after page of nifty photos, anecdotes, and trivia prove once again that Bob Moore has his finger on the pulse of true Americana. His humor and wit are only matched by his heart and passion. He truly respects his subject. This is why even the title drips with reverance and irony. No coffee table is complete without "Trailer Trash."

Last year Bob Moore's book, Trailer Trash, was given to me as a birthday present. It was the perfect gift! First of all, I know and love the southwest part of our country. Secondly, it took me back to my childhood of the 50's and to my grandparents trailer home. I remembered the toilet with the rushing water that was so loud I was sure that the whole world knew I had just gone to the bathroom. It brought back the closeness of the cramped trailer quarters of the 50's and a smell I would recognize anywhere. As has been said hundreds of times, Bob, "thanks for the memories."

Although "trailers" in this case includes a number of mobile homes, the research that the author has done is amazing. While the captions and photos are humorous, the book provides a great picture of a world that was slightly different. As other reviewers have noted, the basic approach is to show an ad of the original trailer, with a current picture of one he found somewhere and a humor/information caption. Shows a heck of a lot of research and presents a fascinating read.

As a long time fan of the desert southwest's timeless icons I say "hats off" to Bob Moore and his book Trailer Trash. I have traveled much of this region and am certain I've seen some of the examples in Mr. Moore's book firsthand but lacked the camera to capture the shot. The vintage trailer advertisements balanced the images with what they once were. I have many friends who are going to enjoy my gift to them in this book.

While the cover title and photo would suggest this is a humorous tome of photo's on travel trailers it is more a book on mobile homes of the 1950's ... the documentation of advertising of the mobile homes of the 50's is excellant however the photos are images of derelict and abandoned mobile homes which leave little to warm the heart of the reader ...