Tag Archives: travel

Book Review: The Smartest Kids In The World

Posted on August 15, 2019 by

The Smartest Kids In The World And How They Got That Way, by Amanda Ripley In reading this book I could not help but find it particularly amusing the way that the author dealt with the subject of comparing America’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Journals: 1934-1955

Posted on August 5, 2019 by

Journals:  1934-1955, by Bertolt Brecht I really wish I had read this book first among the Brecht books I have read (seven in all so far) instead of last.  Seeing what Brecht had to say about politics and literature and … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Great Railroad Revolution

Posted on July 29, 2019 by

The Great Railroad Revolution:  The History Of Trains In America, by Christian Wolmar There is a great danger when historians of a given subject, like the history of rail transportation in the United States take off their historian hat and … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Punk, Rotten & Nasty

Posted on July 29, 2019 by

Punk, Rotten & Nasty:  The Saga Of The Pacific Railway & Navigation Company, by Paul Michael Clock It is rather striking that a short-lived railroad that performed a notable task of civic-mindedness should have been saddled with such a terrible … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Medieval Towns, Trade, And Travel

Posted on July 28, 2019 by

Medieval Towns, Trade, And Travel, by Lynne Elliott When one thinks about the Middle Ages, towns, trade, and travel are not the most obvious things to think of.  After all, if one was seeking to write about the normal experience … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The King’s Best Highway

Posted on July 26, 2019 by

The King’s Best Highway:  The Lost History Of The Boston Post Road, The Road That Made America, by Eric Jaffe This book is a bit of a bait and switch.  For one, this book did not exactly make America, as … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Car Country

Posted on July 26, 2019 by

Car Country:  An Environmental History, by Christopher W. Wells I have to have a grudging degree of respect for an author like this one, who seeks to split the difference between the thesis that America’s transportation infrastructure is so car-oriented … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Tin Ticket

Posted on July 21, 2019 by

The Tin Ticket:  The Heroic Journey Of Australia’s Convict Women, by Deborah J. Swiss As someone who has read at least a little bit about Australia’s convict women, it is pretty clear that there was both something deeply problematic about … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Blow For The Landing

Posted on July 21, 2019 by

Blow For The Landing:  A Hundred Years Of Steam Navigation On The Waters Of The West, by Fritz Timmen I wanted to like this book more than I did.  In many ways this book seemed like less than the sum … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: By The Seat Of My Pants

Posted on July 17, 2019 by

By The Seat Of My Pants:  Humorous Tales Of Travel And Misadventure, edited by Don George There were a few mild surprises, at least in this particular book.  One mild surprise was that I was already familiar with some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment