Customer Reviews

Traveling Literary America: A Complete Guide to Literary Landmarks

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I'm sure I'll be using this book as a reference for many years to come. If you do any kind of book-related traveling, you'll be glad you picked up a copy.

Welborn crossed the U.S. several times while researching the book, and her diligence shows. The guide is loaded with excellent facts and useful tips, and it couldn't be easier to navigate.

The book lists over 200 homes, museums, exhibits, memorials, etc., and it's divided into sections by region of the country. It includes historical information about each author and his or her work, as well as little-known tidbits that will make your journeys infinitely more interesting.

If you're looking for a thorough reference on author homes and other literary landmarks, this is the book for you.

Anyone who loves books-which presumeably includes anyone reading this review website, will love Traveling Literary America. It is a hefty (more than 500 pages) and features more than 200 literary sites in nearly all 50 states, including author homes, memorials, poetry walks, exhibits and museums. What's more, author B.J. Welborn offers descriptions of towns associated with a particular writer (Jack Kerouac's Lowell, Mass; Willa Cathers "Catherland" in red Clouod, Neb); unusual literary treasures (Yiddish Center in Amherst, Mass); art colonies (MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire); hiking trails (Edna St. Vincent Millay Poetry Trail in New York), and sidebars on literary movements (Romanticism, the Beat Generation). There is a lot of fascinating stuff in here.

Ever since I visited Cross Creek (Rawling's home), I've been on the look out for more author's homes or related sites to visit. It was such a great experience to see her place after reading her books.
Now with Traveling Literary America, readers can visit places associated with Dr. Seuss, Mark Twain, Jack London, Edgar Allan Poe and other admired authors. Besides such well known authors, he includes more offbeat literary figures such as poet Joyce Kilmer's home (New Brunswick, NJ) and songwriter Woody Guthrie's birthplace (Okemah, Okla).
I can't wait to see some of these places and having the book on hand allows me to fit them in wherever I travel in the US.