Jeff quinn, what is the story that you tell in the book the vagabonds . The story i meant to tell in the beginning was how america morphed into a car culture in just about 20 years from everyones horse and wagon to everyone wanting to get in cars and go places. I had not known until i started researching that henry ford and Thomas Edison were at the forefront of this, so the book became a story at that point in their life, too. How did the idea come to you for telling this particular story auto tht this time . This is my 22nd book and what i try to do when i write my nonfiction books is to go everywhere where the people i write about went. Id rather drive and that way you really get a sense of place. Somewhere along the line in the 30,000 or so miles i drive every year i started wondering how we got to be a country, a culture where we take for granted and we can get in a car and go anywhere we want to. I thought it would be a good idea to write a book about that and as always happens w
Drive. Story atbecame the that point in their lives. Susan how did the idea come to you for telling the story at this time . Jeff when i try to do when i write nonfiction books is to go everywhere where the people i write about went. I always use my car. Id rather drive and that way you really get a sense of place. Somewhere along the line in the 30,000 or so miles i drive every year i started wondering how we got to be a country, a culture where we take for granted and we can get in a car and go anywhere we want to. I thought it would be a good idea to write a book about that and as always happens when you look into history, theres more to it than you ever expected. Susan your book begins and ends with someone thats a minor character, jeff bixby. Who was he and why was he interesting to you . Jeff one of the things that struck me as i researched the book was the vagabonds and edison and whoever may be with him on that trip could literally change the lives of anyone they met. They were
Susan we want to listen to just a little bit of jeff bixbys music so people can get a sense of what interested ford and edison. Susan just a little bit of the music. Would a lot of americans be listening to music of this type of this era . I would rather drive you get a sense of place. Somewhere along the line in the 30,000 or so miles i drive every year i started wondering how we got to be a country, a culture where we take for granted we can go anywhere we want to. Since i didnt know i thought it would be a good idea to write a book about that. Your book begins and ends with a somewhat minor character. Who was he and why was he interesting to you . Jeff was an elderly country fiddler working out of michigan playing barn dances and so forth, and that was pretty much the height of his musical career. He was listed in local archives as a shoe maker. Henry ford had heard about his sic and unexpectedly in 1923 his wife opens their door in this little tiny isolated town and there stands he
What is the story you tell . The story, to tell us how america morphed into a car culture to everyone wanting to get into cars and go places. I had not known until i started researching that henry ford and Thomas Edison were at the forefront of this. Idea come to you for telling the story at this time . This is my 22nd book. What i do when i try to do when i write nonfiction books is to go everywhere where the people i write about went. Id rather drive and that way you really get a sense of place. Somewhere along the line in the 30,000 or so miles i drive every year i started wondering how we got to be a country, a culture where we take for granted and we can get in a car and go anywhere we want to. I thought it would be a good idea to write a book about that and as always happens when you look into history, theres more to it than you ever expected. Susan your book begins and ends with someone thats a minor character, jeff bixby. We are going to show his picture on screen. Who was he a
Steve dryden as our speaker whos going to be telling us about john burrows who was a young man became to capitol hill during the civil war and introduced the nation to the Natural Beauty of washington and became one of the countries leading and wellknown net treat natures essay is but i suspect that burrows would have appreciated the career path of our speaker. He o started with the b. A. In Political Science from duke and a masters in International Affairs from f columbia. And those with steve to almost 20 years as a reporter and editor for an evening newspaper both here and abroad. Steve has focused on a very local founding of the rock creek songbird which is a Habitat Restoration project and many years as the a executive directr of the mill. It digs deeper into the history and Natural Resources of the very area that John Burroughs knew and loved years ago. Theres a second reason im delighted to bego introducing te speaker on this topic. For almost 20 years now the lecture room the o