Indiana National Road Book

[DennyG]

Although I've ordered "Driving the National Road in Indiana", I haven't actually seen it yet so cannot give any sort of opinion. But Mary Beth Temple, the book's author, will be in Indiana in a couple of weeks which I figure is worth mentioning now. Her current schedule is at

http://www.drivingthenationalroadinindiana.com/tourdates.htm

I'll add my impressions to this thread once I've seen the book.

[roadmaven]

Thanks for the heads up, Denny. I had not heard of this coming out, so this is a pleasant surprise. Look forward to picking it up.

 

Pat

 

P.S...and a hearty happy birthday!!

[DennyG]

I've driven the road and now I've read the book. Of the two, driving is better by far but the book's not bad. It isn't a heavy duty guide book with detailed instructions for traveling the historic road across Indiana nor does it reveal any old lost alignments. But, for all I know, there are no lost alignments and the Historic National Road Byway, which is the path Temple follows, is fairly well marked through the state. What the book does do is provide an east to west description of all of the counties and many of the towns the byway passes through. Attractions on or near the byway are described, usually with photos and contact information. It's a glove box sized paperback of about a hundred pages - 6 by 9 inches. There are lots of photos. Virtually everything mentioned in the text can be seen in at least one black and white picture on the same or adjacent page. Most of the contemporary photos were taken by Temple.

 

This is the first thing I've read from Mary Beth Temple. Her background seems to be mostly in knitting and antiques although, in 2004, she did write "Touring New Jersey's Lighthouses". "Driving the National Road in Indiana" is hardly indispensable for driving the National Road in Indiana but it might help.