Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. William least heatmoons account of his journey along the back roads of the united states marked with the color blue on old highway maps has become something of a classic. First published in 1982, william least heatmoons account of his journey along the back roads of the united states marked with the color blue on old highway maps. Although excerpts from the book had first appeared in a magazine in late 1982, the book came out in january the next year. Blue highways blue highways revisited edgar ailor ed ailor edgar i ailor iii edgar i ailor iv william least heatmoon photography book coffee table. Their book blue highways revisited was published by the university of missouri press in 2012, on the 30th anniversary of blue highways. Ive driven a lot of those blue highways since then. I felt bad obtaining it, with its jaunty mapquest logo, even though it was free. Blue highways revisited edgar i ailor iii edgar i ailor iv.
Maps the journey of the author with accompanying reflections and essays. William least heat moon after being laid off from his college teaching position, the author traversed the united states on lesser roads, shown in blue on old road maps. My appreciation of the book is based on the quality of the authors ability to write very interesting prose telling the stories of his adventures linking to my own interest in travel by car for extended trips. The story of how a book happened, is a personal account of the four years of perseverance and persistence that it took to get blue highways published. William least heatmoon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about those little towns that get on the map if they get on at allonly because some cartographer has a blank space to fill. These blue roads led away from the rush of the city, enabling you to explore new. The book is about heatmoons travels around the united states on back roads. It won an award for distinguished literary achievement, missouri humanities council, 2015.
May 24, 2009 a few years back there was an american travel book called blue highways. May 20, 2016 the blue book guides and others like them were the predecessors to road maps and atlases, says john bauer, a geographer at the university of nebraska at kearney, who published what may be the only. Blue highways refers to secondary roads which at the time the book was written were blue on paper maps. Road atlases, it seemed to me, were the proper domain of rand mcnally. I read this book when it came out, i was in college. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Moon was at loose ends after losing both his job and his marriage. On the old highway maps of america, the main routes were red and the back roads blue, writes least heatmoon. Blue highways is a book that makes writers want to weep, for its seeming ease. Does the electronic version of the book completely replace the paper version. Hailed as a masterpiece of american travel writing, blue highways is an unforgettable journey along our nations backroads. In this highly acclaimed, bestselling memoir, a 38yearold laidoff college professor of sioux and white blood drives around the u. Westfall, md, mph james mold, md, mph lyle fagnan, md on the old highway maps of america, the main routes were red and the back roads blue.
It was best known for its pointtopoint road directions at a time when numbered routes generally did not exist wisconsin became the first state to number its highways in 1918. Aug 26, 2019 the title of the book refers to the back roads on maps major highways were red and small, back roads were blue. A journey into america is william least heat moons account of a threemonth,000mile trip around the united states. Heat moons longawaited next book, riverhorse, will be out in september and will draw much attention to this important author. Jan 20, 2010 i read this book when it came out, i was in college. Blue highways ia a splended book, outstanding americana, which i rank above the next. In reflecting on the journey, he also discusses writing, publishing, personal relationships, and many other aspects that went into writing the book. Conversation with william least heatmoon on writing blue.
In my mapquest atlas, the interstates are blue, with narrow white lines in the middle like a digestive tract, and the blue highways of the past are red or orange or nonexistent. Sep, 2015 does the electronic version of the book completely replace the paper version. He tried to avoid all major routes and stick to the secondary roads that are marked by blue on the maps. A journey into america audiobook written by william least heatmoon. The book documents the authors road trip around america following just the blue highways. Bowles wrote 150 years ago in across the continent, arguably the first true american roadtrip book.
On many old road maps, the expressways were printed in red and the local byways, printed in blue. When you have eliminated the javascript, whatever remains must be an empty page. On the old highway maps of america, the main routes were red and the back roads blue. Lets hit the road via the blue highways a travelers. Harveys show, which aired after his newscasts, was not a behind the scenes look at some subject, nor was it a howto. Blue highways is an autobiographical travel book, published in 1982, by william least. Blue highways route blue highways revisited edgar i ailor iii. These blue roads led away from the rush of the city, enabling you to explore new places where there is more time and space for you. I remember reading in it that my states name illinois came from the roads of the state, they make you ill and annoyed. The book was about a trip across america on the blue highways.
On the old highway maps of america, the main routes were red and. It is dedicated to traveling particular back roads in the area known as blue highways. Merloyd lawrence books, 1997, and john mcphee, the pine. But in those brevities just before dawn and a little after dusktimes. After being laid off from his college teaching position, the author traversed the united states on lesser roads, shown in blue on old road maps. The account is a highly personal one, filled with close observation, dry wit and keen style, but unlike many travel. The automobile blue book was an american series of road guides for motoring travelers in the united states and canada published between 1901 and 1929. Blue highways brought william least heatmoon immediate recognition. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Best of all, if after reading an ebook, you buy a paper version of blue highways. In excellent condition, with the following caveats. Blue highways route blue highways revisited edgar i.
A car whipped past, the driver eating and a passenger clicking a camera. Blue highways by william least, first edition abebooks. Throughout the first three quarters of blue highways i was tempted to quit. Projects include new regional roadways and improvement of existing roads to reduce congestion and improve mobility. Rediscovering the world of blue highways the new york. In a van he named ghost dancing, heatmoon set out to find a new direction by having no directionby exploring the united states and the people within her along more than 14,000 miles of the countrys back roads marked in blue on highway maps. The authors renaissance sensibility, his voluminous mind, his weltschmerz, simmers and bubbles throughout. The obsessively detailed map of american literatures most epic. The title of the book refers to the back roads on maps major highways were red and small, back roads were blue. Read the book on paper it is quite a powerful experience.
I remember reading it with a road atlas open in front of me, tracking his progress. The christian science monitor is an international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage via its website, weekly magazine, online daily edition, and email newsletters. A journey into america and millions of other books are available for. A journey into america became a cult classic on par with jack kerouacs on the road and john steinbecks travels with charley. Hailed as a masterpiece of american travel writing, blue highways. The current trade paperback edition houghton mifflin sells 25,000 copies a year but will be out of print by august 1999. Moving without going anywhere, taking a trip instead of making one. This edition of blue highways will include a new introduction by the author.
The ailors retravel the routes of heatmoon and seek out the. Also links with information on each place the author visited or mentioned. Maps are the only way we know our country is a country, a unified thing instead of a series of fields, forests and cities that go forever. The blue book guides and others like them were the predecessors to road maps and atlases, says john bauer, a geographer at the university of. Vacation experience for motorcycle enthusiasts located in wisconsin. The about page of the website introduces the concept of blue highways via a quote from heatmoons book. On many maps, the most important roads are red lines, the lesser highways are blue lines. Least heatmoon had driven every blue highway in america. In 1982, william least heatmoon published blue highways, his account of what happened after losing his wife, his job, and his direction in life. William sets out in his van to follow back roads of america, blue highways because they are colored blue on road maps. I have a 3 book maximum on any one fabric design then it will be retired, even then each of the 3 will.
Circumstances forced the two photographers to travel separately and split the route into individual trips, but the ailors eventually found success. Rediscovering the world of blue highways the new york times. Jan, 1983 he wrote a book about his travels in order to find out where he was trying to arrive at and called it blue highways, because on old maps the back roads were colored in blue. In the united states, the map, whether it be a conquistador sketch. Blue highways revisited edgar i ailor iii edgar i ailor. Streets and highways the rtc streets and highways division oversees motor vehicle fuel tax and question 10 funded roadway construction projects, including fuel revenue indexing projects. And since hes limited himself to the back roads, the bluelines on the map, he meets mostly blue collars in the little out of the way places. Blue highways is a beautiful sad book, truly an account of america from the inside, a description of where we are and a hint of where were heading. The story of how a book happened by william least heatmoon. The title referred to american maps on which the smaller roads are printed in blue, while the major arteries, the interstate system, are printed in red. A journey into america by william least heat moon online at alibris. Blue highways by william least heatmoon little, brown and. A journey into america moon, william least heat, heatmoon, william least, heatmoon, william least on.
The new york times blue highways ia a splended book, outstanding americana, which i rank above the next best thing preceding it in the genre, john steinbecks travel with charley. Classic rock cover band, doing the best of deep track covers, the who, the dead, and many. When planning trips, i always keep blue highways by william least heatmoon in the back of my mind. When he loses his job and his wife on the same cold february day, he is struck by inspiration. Once in the small and the forgotten places he finds on the map the book is named for the blue highways that are the small state and county roads on his map it may be an out of the way diner or cafe, a little college community, even a monastery, he retells histories and tales that make these places significant in their own way. A few years back there was an american travel book called blue highways. He wrote a book about his travels in order to find out where he was trying to arrive at and called it blue highways, because on old maps the back roads were colored in. William least heat moon he explained the source of the books title thus. Of course, i70 is not a blue highway, but it led him quickly to unknown territory. Except for the authors encounter with an old hitchhiking indian, the book was largely boring because it seemef the author was disinterested in the geography of the areas and in the people he met. This 1916 guide shows what the first road trips were like.
Aug 12, 2009 i felt bad obtaining it, with its jaunty mapquest logo, even though it was free. When he came to new england though his entire attitude changed. The story detailed an around the country road trip the author embarked on over the course of a year driving a pickup truck retrofitted with a camper shell, traveling the blue highways. A journey into america book by william least heatmoon. Ailor iv, blue highways revisited is a 30year followup to heatmoons original book. Writing blue highways 2014 is an account of how least heatmoon wrote his bestselling book blue highways.
Blue highways route blue highways revisited edgar i ailor. William least heatmoon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about those little towns that get on the. Feb 22, 2019 maps are the only way we know our country is a country, a unified thing instead of a series of fields, forests and cities that go forever. A journey into america by william least heatmoon is a great saddlebag book to have along, no matter how short or long the ride. Aug 06, 2015 when i was a kid, my mom gave me a book called blue highways written by william least heat moon. We introduce our book, blue highways revisited, in about our project. Map of william least heatmoons blue highways littourati. The book itself is almost pristine true blue clothimpressed paper and giltembossed spine lettering. He set his van up for camping and took off on a,000mile journey around the united. Practicebased researchblue highways on the nih roadmap. With apologies to author william least heat moon, this journal takes its name from the classic book that celebrates life off the interstates, off the beaten paths, along the smaller twolane roads which on traditional inkonpaper maps used to be indicated by the color blue. Scenic blue provides a glimpse of the diverse beauty of the thirtyeight states blue highways and blue highways revisited traversed. The story of how a book happened william least heatmoon like many people, what seems like a great many years ago, i was a fan of paul harveys radio showthe rest of the story. A journey into america and over one million other books are.
Forgotten people of the blue highways essay forgotten people of the blue highways journeying along the back roads of the blue highways of the road maps, william least heat moon discovers the forgotten people of america in blue highways. A journey into america by heat moon, william least, heat moon, william least isbn. Hailed as a masterpiece of american travel writing, blue highways is an. William least heatmoon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about those little towns that get on the mapif they get on at allonly because some cartographer has a blank space to fill. The places he discovers during his,000mile journey are unexpected, sometimes mysterious, and often full of simply the wonder of the ordinary. Called a masterpiece by robert penn warren, the book spent fortytwo weeks on the new york times bestseller list and has since become an american classic. I laughed at the absurdity of the photographs and then realized i, too, was rolling effortlessly along, turning the windshield into a movie screen in which i, the viewer, did the moving while the subject held still. Maybe twice a year i read a book i wish were even longer.