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By 1914, Theodore Dreiser was a successful writer with an international reputation, as well as a fixture on the New York literary scene. He had not been back to Indiana, his home state, in over twenty years when he was approached by his friend Franklin Booth, a respected and very successful artist, to make the trip together by automobile. The result is a narrative brimming with detail and the first modern work of American road literature, capturing the euphoric freedom to be found behind the wheel of a car.
About the author
Theodore Dreiser authored realistic portrayals of life in the United States. His two best known works are Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy, but he wrote over 15 other books-of fiction, travel, autobiography, poetry, plays, science and politics.
Franklin Booth studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Student's League in New York. Best known for his intricate and precise drawings, he was a founder of the commercial art movement. His drawings appeared in magazines ranging from The Masses to Good Housekeeping.
Douglas Brinkley, Director of the Eisenhower Center for Leadership Studies and Associate Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and NPR poetry editor, is the author of such award-winning books as Dean Acheson: The Cold War Years, 1953-1971, Driven Patriot: The Life and Times of James Forrestal (with Townsend Hoopes), and Majic Bus: An American Odyssey.
Summary
A road book laced with philosophical musings on America and its people. It presents the author's impressions of the people and land in words while his traveling companion sketched some of these scenes. It covers various states, covering 2000 miles in two weeks, to arrive at Indiana.
