ROADSIDE GIANTS, by Brian & Sarah Butko

Everybody who's ever taken an American road trip has a memory -- and more probably a photograph -- of a roadside giant. Paul Bunyan, the Jolly Green Giant, an oversized hot dog - there's at least one in every state, and Canada has scores of them, too. What is less obvious and remarkably fascinating is the history and evolution of these highway icons. In Roadside Giants, Brian and Sarah Butko not only identify 24 varieties of oversized statuary and object-shaped buildings, they reveal their histories.

Each chapter focuses on an outstanding example of roadside gigantism. Beginning with Long Island's Big Duck, the authors not only tell the story of how an enterprising duck farmer called attention to his egg stand, but also how "duck" has become a term to describe a building that visually represents the wares it sells. This carefully researched background information is what sets Roadside Giants apart from other books on the same topic. Many books have excellent photographs, but this one has depth, too. The authors treat their subjects with a respect they rarely get, and the result is an engaging look into the evolution of America's car-centric culture...[More]