cover image Eccentric Circles

Eccentric Circles

Richard B. McAdoo. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $19.95 (343pp) ISBN 978-0-395-52441-1

In 1982, after retiring from Houghton Mifflin, McAdoo bought a recreational vehicle and set out to see America. By 1989, he and his wife had made six trips, each time starting from their home in New Hampshire and covering most of the continental United States in a series of circles that took them south, west and, finally, to California. In this straightforward account of their travels, the author blends portrayal of life in a motor home with descriptions of the numerous places the couple visited--well-known tourist attractions like Niagara Falls and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo., and spots off the beaten path, such as a distillery in Kentucky and an old mining community in Montana. McAdoo fleshes out some of his narrative with historical information, but in covering so much ground, he provides only a very superficial look at the country. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Mar.)