Weird Arizona: Your Travel Guide to Arizona's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Wesley Treat (Author), Mark Moran (Foreword), Mark Sceurman (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Weird | Publication Date: October 1, 2007

2007 - Sterling - 1st Edition - Weird Arizona - By Wesley Treat - Hardcover - With Dust Jacket - Your Travel Guide to arizona's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets - Mark Moran & Mark Sceurman , Authors of Weird U.S. - New - Limited Edition - Colelctible

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

 

Wesley Treat, one of the three authors of Weird Texas, has spent the last decade seeking out unusual roadside attractions in the hope that two guys from the east coast would one day ask him to help write a book.

Wesley enjoys photography as both a hobby and profession. In his spare time, he likes singing 80s hits at stoplights, sneaking outside food into movie theaters and spelling things correctly. His hobbies include pressing buttons and purchasing needless office supplies. His favorite food is miniature cupcakes.

He is currently living in Arlington, TX and seeking an evil genius in pigtails. Map-reading skills a plus. Interested parties should submit a photo and describe their master plan in 50 words or less at www.wesleytreat.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; 1st edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402739389
• ISBN-13: 978-1402739385
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, March 1, 2008

By 

Poor White Trash - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weird Arizona: Your Travel Guide to Arizona's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Hardcover)

I grew up in Arizona--born, raised, educated. . .I'm a native. One of my earliest memories as a child, was my father holding me up to one of those $0.25 telescopes at the Grand Canyon--and looking at the wreckage of the two airliners that crashed there in the late 50's. . .I didn't know the mass grave was, however, in Flagstaff--or that there was a mass grave. This book does a service to the history of Arizona--as well as to the weirdness. I think I'll buy 50 of them and give them to my east-coast buddies. . .

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of All That's Weird in AZ, March 9, 2011

By 

Tracy Christenson "dictionary enchantress" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weird Arizona: Your Travel Guide to Arizona's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Hardcover)

Having grown up in Arizona, I can testify that there are a lot of really weird things and people in this state, and this book does a good job describing them. I've been to a number of the places they describe, and their descriptions are accurate. There were plenty of stories in there that I hadn't heard, and I've made it a point to visit some of the places in the book that I hadn't been to yet. It's a great book for anyone planning a trip to Arizona or someone who lives here but may have missed out on some of the great out-of-the-way places and interesting historical tidbits.

In general, I've noticed that books in this series include certain common sections, such as Local Legends, Bizarre Beasts, Local Heroes and Villains, Roads Less Traveled, and sections on ghosts, cemeteries, and abandoned places. In Weird Arizona, you get to read about people like infamous Old West outlaws (such as the man who was lynched yet had his death recorded as "emphysema" in spite of the picture that showed his lynch mob gathered around him) and eccentric sheriffs, past and present. There are ghost towns and Indian ruins. See the giant (wooden) baby playing with the tractor in the Roadside Oddities section. I expected to see The Thing listed under Roadside Oddities, but they put it under Bizarre Beasts instead. They don't actually describe The Thing itself under that section, but for anyone who's been there, the reasons are pretty obvious. The Thing is a roadside attraction/museum/gift shop well-known for advertising itself with numerous large, blue-and-yellow billboards. For a small fee (I think it was only a dollar or two when I was there myself, but it's been awhile), they let you explore their museum with an eclectic mix of objects that were "the thing" at one time or another, culminating in what looks like a coffin made out of cinder blocks containing . . . The Thing. No one has ever really explained precisely what The Thing is, although the theory that the book advances is a pretty good one. I won't describe what The Thing looks like, either, because that would spoil the surprise for anyone who wants to see it in person. The suspense is really the best part of the exhibit, and their description of how people feel after seeing it is, well, also pretty accurate. The book is also an excellent guide to some of the more unusual museums in the state and some of the most likely places to see ghosts, such as the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone. The cemeteries section may seem a bit creepy, but it's interesting because it makes you realize just how many people in the state were actually buried under pyramids. I used to think it was just Governor Hunt! There are also several variations of the ghost story La Llorona (The Crier) included and the legend of the Seven Cities of Cibola. Whatever you do on your trip, just remember not to take anything from the Petrified Forest away with you, or you too may suffer the curse! (Don't laugh, it's serious!)

It would take too long to tell you everything that the book covers, but if you're interested in Arizona trivia or looking to bypass the usual tourist traps in favor of the more unusual ones, this is definitely the book for you!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift idea!, January 23, 2012

By 

L. Stark (Issaquah, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Weird Arizona: Your Travel Guide to Arizona's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my grandma on a recent visit to her place in AZ. I had flipped through the WA version before and thought it was pretty neat. This one is entertaining as well. Some of the places my grandparents took me to as a teenager. She was delighted by the gift. It will probably get a lot use, since she gets a lot company coming to stay with her, especially during the cold months.