What does it mean to think about Dallas in relationship to Dallas? In The History of the Future, McPherson reexamines American places and the space between history, experience, and myth. Private streets, racism, and the St. Louis World's Fair; fracking for oil and digging for dinosaurs in North Dakota boomtowns-Americana slides into apocalypse in these essays, revealing us to ourselves. -- from Amazon.

In the eighteenth century, naturalist and artist William Bartram traveled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and spent time documenting both plant life and the customs of the Middle Town Cherokees. Since that time, men and women like Bartram have journeyed through Western North Carolina's wildest and most remote places and written about their experiences. The essays in this volume compare the present day to those historical journeys and explore the idea...

"Organized state-by-state then province-by-province, 50 States, 5,000 Ideas showcases the best travel experiences in every state and province, from the obvious to the unexpected. Sights include national parks, beaches, hotels, Civil War battlefields, dude ranches, out-of-the-way museums, and the list goes on and on. You'll discover the world's longest yard sale in Tennessee; swamp tours in Louisiana; dinosaur trails in Colorado; America's oldest street...

On the cusp of turning 65, a man and his beloved rescue dog of similar vintage take a poignant, often bemusing, and keenly observed journey across America and discover a big-hearted, welcoming country filled with memorable characters, a new-found appreciation for the life they temporarily left behind, and a determination to live more fully in the moment as old age looms. Inspired by John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, Zheutlin, hits the road for...

"Does George Washington still matter? The bestselling author argues for his unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey as a new President through the former colonies, now an unsure nation. A new first-person voice for Philbrick, weaving history and personal reflection into one narrative. When George Washington became president in 1798, the United States of America was still a loose and quarrelsome confederation and a tentative...

Dear Bob and Sue chronicles the journey of Matt and Karen Smith, who took a mid-career break to travel to all 58 U.S. National Parks. Written as a series of emails to their friends, Bob and Sue, they describe their sense of awe in exploring our national parks, and share humorous and quirky observations. The national parks are among the most stunning places in America -- pristine wilderness, geologic wonders, and magnificent wildlife -- places everyone...

"Drive into the Heart of America. From pristine prairies and red rock mountains to the glittering Pacific, this fabled highway has beckoned everyone from Dust Bowl escapees to 1950s vacationers. Route 66 is lined with the history of those seeking a better life, whose stamina, perseverance, and imagination made it an American icon. Their stories are threaded throughout this book, amid the colorful characters and cultural curiosities that embody...

"New York Times-bestselling author Jim Harrison (1937-2016) was a writer with a poet's economy of style and a trencherman's appetites. Best known for fiction and poetry, Harrison was also a prolific nonfiction writer, with columns running in Sports Illustrated and Esquire, and work in Outside, Field & Stream, and others. Written with Harrison's trademark ribald humor, compassion, and full-throated zest for life, The Search for the Genuine is a collection...

"Through the author's travels in Europe and the United States, Try to Get Lost explores the quest for place that compels and defines us: the things we carry, how politics infuse geography, media's depictions of an idea of home, the ancient and modern reverberations of the word "hotel," and the ceaseless discovery generated by encounters with self and others on familiar and foreign ground. Frank posits that in fact time itself may be our ultimate,...