Eccentric America, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide to All That's Weird and Wacky in the USA (Paperback)

~ Jan Friedman (Author) "Before being consigned to the scrap heap, aging farm combines belching their last are brought to the Combine Demolition Derby in the small farming community..." (more)
Key Phrases: eccentric environments, potato wrestling, various locations throughout the state, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One very strange trip . . . Jan Friedman's new book is a guided tour to the weirdest and wackiest America has to offer. . . . You'll love Eccentric America."
--Marin Independent Journal
-- Review

Review

"Read the first couple of pages of this book and you'll realise just how much of the great US of A you've been missing."
--The Sunday Times, London

"Jan Friedman brings a wicked sense of the absurd to listings for places."
--Chicago Tribune

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 2nd edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841620904
• ISBN-13: 978-1841620909
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #289,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the first!, July 6, 2004

By	Kelly (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

I've had the first edition since it came out and it has provided a thorough guide to some really interesting places in the US. It made our road trip through barren and flat North Dakota a little more fun when we got to see a can pile or a huge cow perched on a hilltop! And the second edition has many more fun and interesting places to visit. It's a great companion for visits to different parts of the US and it's also a fun read for your coffee table. A must have!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep a copy in your suitcase!, July 30, 2004

By	Timothy Klein "www.yarncar.com" (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My other books live on a shelf, but this one lives in my suitcase! I take this marvellous guide with me whenever I travel. When I get back home and show my photos around, everyone's always amazed at my ability to seek out the odd and quirky. I've checked out similar guides, but this one stands far above the others. And the second edition has lots of new material, so I've happily retired my tattered and worn first edition. Very highly recommended!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the author, July 2, 2004

By	Jan Friedman (Greenbrae, CA USA) - See all my reviews

With more than 1000 entries, there's never a dull moment-eccentrically speaking, that is--in America. Offering a provocative look at the quirky people and places on the fringes of mainstream tourism, Eccentric America guides you to some of the country's most unforgettable experiences.

Celebrate events like Moon Amtrack, SPAMarama, and the Redneck games. Find out why people collect such things as umbrella covers, squished pennies, and bad art-- or why someone would sell everything but chickens in a chicken store. Gawk at the Alien Museum and the Insectarium. Laugh at competitions such as the wife-carrying championships, mashed potato wrestling, and cardboard boat racing. Sleep in a treehouse or in a cave. See a real life Mother Goose and her diaper-wearing ducks. Meet a pizza clerk with his own memorial restroom and a man who's built a mountain out of hay, putty, and old paint.

Featuring 330 all-new eccentricities, the second edition of this award-winning guide also includes Cross-Country Quirks, regional calendars of wacky festivals and events, and an intriguing "Heights of Eccentricity" map of the United States. An entertaining and funny read, it's also a comprehensive guide to a side of American culture you won't want to miss.