ADVERTISING BARNS: VANISHING AMERICAN LANDMARKS, by William G. Simmonds

We've all seen them -- old barns with huge painted slogans on the side or roof. They've been a feature of the American roadside for over a century. Condemned as eyesores back in the 1960s, advertising barns are now endangered and protected, even though the most prevalent barn-side promotion is for tobacco.

Ironic or otherwise, eyesores or not, advertising barns are now undeniably nostalgic remnants of a bygone era, and William G. Simmonds has done a marvelous job of immortalizing many of the remaining ones in his new book. Advertising Barns: Vanishing American Landmarks is the result of eight years and 45,000 miles on highways and country roads. In addition to finding and photographing dozens of colorful vintage structures, he "spent a lot of time reflecting" on what he saw. The result is a unique glimpse not only at the "vanishing landmarks," but also into the era and people that created them...[More]