History of Travel

Feeling a little wunderlust? Pick one of these reads that offers a different view of travel, from covered wagons to flight attendant woes. Maybe you'll be able to relive some travel memories of your own, and in the very least pick up some fun trivia for a future seatmate!

Travels with George : in search of Washington and his legacy

Philbrick, Nathaniel, author.

973.41 /Philbrick

"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 political experiment. Washington undertook a tour of the ex-colonies to talk to ordinary citizens about their lives and their feelings about his new government, and to imbue in them the idea of being one thing--Americans. Nathaniel Philbrick embarked on his own journey into what Washington called "the infant woody country"--and to see for himself what it had become in the 230 years since. Writing in a thoughtful first person about his own adventures with his travel companions (wife and puppy), Philbrick follows the tour of America that Washington went on after becoming President--an almost 2,000-mile journey from Mount Vernon to the new capital in New York, a tour of New England, a venture out across Long Island, and into the hinterlands of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The narrative moves smoothly back and forth from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries, so we see the country through Washington's eyes as well as Philbrick's. Written at a moment when America's foundational ideals--or claims to them--are under scrutiny, Travels with George grapples bluntly and honestly with George Washington's legacy as a man of the people, a mythical figure of the early republic, a reluctant President, and a plantation owner who held people in slavery. At historic houses and landmarks, Philbrick reports on the reinterpretations at work, as well as meeting reenactors and other keepers of the flame. He paints a picture of 18th century America as divided and fraught as it is today, and he comes to understand how Washington entranced, compelled, enticed, and stood up to the many different kinds of citizens he met on this journey--and how through belief, vision, and sheer will he convinced them that they were now all Americans, creating a sense of national solidarity that had never existed before"--

Journey : an illustrated history of travel

Adams, Simon (Transport consultant), author.

910.202 /Adams

"An illustrated account of human movement, travel, exploration, and scientific discovery-from the first trade networks in ancient Sumer to the epic Voyager missions. Human journeys arise from all manner of impulses, from migration and the search for food, to pilgrimages, trade, scientific curiosity, or simply the quest for adventure. Journey traces each through lively accounts, alongside the biographies of conquerors, explorers, and travelers; stories of technological innovation; literary journals; and works of art. Themed spreads and feature panels capture the romance of travel with evocative accounts, archive images, historic maps, and artifacts, while catalog spreads add glamour and nostalgia, showcasing objects and documents associated with the rise of travel, such as postcards and passports. A textured cover with a picture-perfect image and shiny finishes make it ideal for gift-giving. Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution."--ONIX annotation.

Overground railroad : the Green Book and the roots of Black travel in America

Taylor, Candacy A., author.

973.00496 /Taylor

The first book to explore the historical role and residual impact of the Green Book, a travel guide for black motorists. Published from 1936 to 1966, the Green Book was hailed as the "black travel guide to America." At that time, it was very dangerous and difficult for African-Americans to travel because black travelers couldn't eat, sleep, or buy gas at most white-owned businesses. The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses that were safe for black travelers. It was a resourceful and innovative solution to a horrific problem. It took courage to be listed in the Green Book, and 'Overground Railroad' celebrates the stories of those who put their names in the book and stood up against segregation. It shows the history of the Green Book, how we arrived at our present historical moment, and how far we still have to go when it comes to race relations in America.

The Oregon Trail : a new American journey

Buck, Rinker, 1950- author.

917.392 /Buck

Buck's epic account of traveling the length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way-- in a covered wagon with a team of mules, an audacious journey that hasn't been attempted in a century-- tells the rich history of the trail, the people who made the migration, and its significance to the country.

Teardrops and tiny trailers

Keister, Douglas.

629.226 /Keister

Fly girl : a memoir

Hood, Ann, 1956- author.

305.409/Hood
Memoir

"An entertaining and fascinating memoir of "gifted storyteller" (People) Ann Hood's adventurous years as a TWA flight attendant. In 1978, in the tailwind of the Golden Age of air travel, flight attendants were the epitome of glamor and sophistication. Fresh out of college and hungry to experience the world, Ann Hood joined their ranks. She carved chateaubriand in the first-class cabin, found romance on layovers in London and Lisbon, and walked more than a million miles in high heels, smiling as she served thousands of passengers. She flew through the start of deregulation, an oil crisis, massive furloughs, and a labor strike. As the airline industry changed around her, Hood began to write-even drafting snatches of her first novel from the jump-seat. She reveals how the job empowered her, despite its roots in sexist standards. Packed with funny, moving, and shocking stories of life as a flight attendant, Fly Girl captures the nostalgia and magic of air travel at its height, and the thrill that remains with every takeoff"--

user image

This was a truly fun and engrossing journey, learning all about what life is like as a flight attendant and all the bumps along the way. I sped through reading this I had so much fun!
- Amanda

Don't make me pull over! : an informal history of the family road trip

Ratay, Richard, author.

910.4 /Ratay

Explores the history of the family road trip, how its evolution mirrored the evolution of the United States, and why road trips have largely disappeared.

The vagabonds : the story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's ten-year road trip

Guinn, Jeff, author.

917.304 /Guinn

In 1914 Henry Ford and naturalist John Burroughs visited Thomas Edison in Florida and toured the Everglades. The following year Ford, Edison, and tire maker Harvey Firestone joined together on a summer camping trip and decided to call themselves the Vagabonds. They continues the summer road trips until 1925, when they announced that their fame made it too difficult for them to carry on. Although the Vagabonds traveled with an entourage of chefs, butlers, and others, they also had a serious purpose: to examine the conditions of America's roadways and improve the practicality of automobile travel. Guinn shares the story of these pivotal moments in American history, and shows how the trips made the automobile ubiquitous and magnified Ford's reputation, even as Edison's diminished. -- adapted from jacket

A short history of the railroad

Wolmar, Christian, author.

385.09 /Wolmar

From the earliest steam engine to the high-speed bullet trains of today, A Short History of the Railroad reveals the hidden stories of railroad history across the world - the inspired engineering; the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the construction of the tracks; the ground-breaking innovations behind the trains that travelled along them; and the triumphs and tragedies of the people who made the railway what it is.

The conquest of the ocean : the illustrated history of seafaring

Lavery, Brian, author.

910.45 /Lavery

Spans five thousand years of the ocean's history to tell the stories of the courageous individuals who sailed the seas for trade, to conquer new lands, and to explore the unknown, from the early Polynesians to the first circumnavigations by the Portuguese and the British.

The edge of the Empire : a journey to Britannia : from the heart of Rome to Hadrian's Wall

Riley, Bronwen, author.

936.2881 /Riley

"AD 130. Rome is the dazzling heart of a vast empire and Hadrian its most complex and compelling ruler. Far-away Britannia is one of the Romans' most troublesome provinces: here the sun is seldom seen and "the atmosphere in the country is always gloomy." What awaits the traveller to Britannia? How will you get there? What do you need to pack? What language will you speak? How does London compare to Rome? Are there any tourist attractions? And what dangers lurk behind Hadrian's new Wall? Combining an extensive range of Greek and Latin sources with a sound understanding of archaeology, Bronwen Riley describes a dramatic journey from Rome to Hadrian's Wall at the empire's northwestern frontier. In this strikingly original history of Roman Britain, she evokes the smells, sounds, colors, and sensations of life in the second century."--Jacket flap.

The first railroads : atlas of early railroads

Hayes, Derek, 1947- author.

385.09 /Hayes

"A highly illustrated volume tracing the emergence of modern railways. In this book, Derek Hayes compiles archival maps and illustrations, many never before published, showing the locations and routes of the world's early railways, as well as the locomotive and rail technology that was key to the development of those railroads. In addition to maps, the illustrations include photos of most of the surviving first locomotives from collections around the world and of replicas too, where they exist"--Amazon.com.