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sarahcoller's review
4.0
I can't believe this book has been on my shelves for 10 years but I've just recently taken notice of it! Published in 1939, this is the travel diary of British author and lecturer, Hector Bolitho---apparently a big name then, unknown to me until reading his memoirs.
Bolitho was well read and well traveled and this is the account of his first trip to America. As one who loves to travel, I often enjoy the travel diaries of others---but this one was especially fun since it spanned America from East to West and back again. My first impression of Bolitho was that he was an annoying crude imperialist. However, it didn't take long for him to endear himself to me. He's visiting on the cusp of WWII and throughout the book he's very vulnerable about his concerns of going home to England. A couple times he considers leaving Europe for this seemingly safer and happier land of America. It was strange reading about Hitler and Mussolini before anyone knew how evil they would really turn out to be. It's almost comical if it wasn't so sad to read the author's thoughts about the two. In Hitler's case, Bolitho thinks he's awful but undoubtedly interesting, and in both cases, he postulates that the two's followers will likely "go back to normal life" once their leaders die. If only it were that cut and dried...
Oh! I just learned SO much reading this! It's funny the things that were "big news" in those days that are now lost to the pages of history. Anna Marie Hahn, the notorious serial killer, was someone I'd never heard of but was well-known enough that he'd heard of her before coming to the US. The Stone of Scone seemed to be a popular topic for discussion with American women who'd likely heard of the Suffragettes attempted bombing twenty years before. I was interested to learn more about his use of the term "dinosaurus" as a collective term for dinosaurs who are not brontosauruses, but I think it's just an archaic term for a T-Rex maybe? I was also interested to learn about the expanding concrete at Wimbledon and how it potentially adds 26 more seats in the summer. I wonder if that's still the case. How interesting. Oh, and Greenfield Village! I had no idea such a place existed. I want to go!
Bolitho learned a lot, too, on his travels. I found it fun to read about his experience with underground sprinklers (a novel idea he'd never seen before), his surprise at the idea that a family would have more than one vehicle, or that people would drink beer straight from the bottle! He had an interesting conversation with a Hollywood cameraman about the rules of decency (murder must only be shown in shadows, ladies have a code of modesty, the word "lousy" is not allowed). I especially loved hearing about his experience overhearing Wuthering Heights being filmed---I choked up a little at that.
I was proud to hear his good report of his positive reception at the college in my home state of Oregon (now OSU). I giggled when I read about his final stop in Texas---the "town" of Dallas which he liked best because he could relax as there was "nothing to see." Ha!
This book must be very rare because I can't find a thing on it---not even a cover photo. I'm hoping Mr. Bolitho wrote more travel diaries as I'd love to read them. He was a very entertaining writer and his open-mindedness helped open my eyes to many things I wasn't aware of in my own country!
Bolitho was well read and well traveled and this is the account of his first trip to America. As one who loves to travel, I often enjoy the travel diaries of others---but this one was especially fun since it spanned America from East to West and back again. My first impression of Bolitho was that he was an annoying crude imperialist. However, it didn't take long for him to endear himself to me. He's visiting on the cusp of WWII and throughout the book he's very vulnerable about his concerns of going home to England. A couple times he considers leaving Europe for this seemingly safer and happier land of America. It was strange reading about Hitler and Mussolini before anyone knew how evil they would really turn out to be. It's almost comical if it wasn't so sad to read the author's thoughts about the two. In Hitler's case, Bolitho thinks he's awful but undoubtedly interesting, and in both cases, he postulates that the two's followers will likely "go back to normal life" once their leaders die. If only it were that cut and dried...
Oh! I just learned SO much reading this! It's funny the things that were "big news" in those days that are now lost to the pages of history. Anna Marie Hahn, the notorious serial killer, was someone I'd never heard of but was well-known enough that he'd heard of her before coming to the US. The Stone of Scone seemed to be a popular topic for discussion with American women who'd likely heard of the Suffragettes attempted bombing twenty years before. I was interested to learn more about his use of the term "dinosaurus" as a collective term for dinosaurs who are not brontosauruses, but I think it's just an archaic term for a T-Rex maybe? I was also interested to learn about the expanding concrete at Wimbledon and how it potentially adds 26 more seats in the summer. I wonder if that's still the case. How interesting. Oh, and Greenfield Village! I had no idea such a place existed. I want to go!
Bolitho learned a lot, too, on his travels. I found it fun to read about his experience with underground sprinklers (a novel idea he'd never seen before), his surprise at the idea that a family would have more than one vehicle, or that people would drink beer straight from the bottle! He had an interesting conversation with a Hollywood cameraman about the rules of decency (murder must only be shown in shadows, ladies have a code of modesty, the word "lousy" is not allowed). I especially loved hearing about his experience overhearing Wuthering Heights being filmed---I choked up a little at that.
I was proud to hear his good report of his positive reception at the college in my home state of Oregon (now OSU). I giggled when I read about his final stop in Texas---the "town" of Dallas which he liked best because he could relax as there was "nothing to see." Ha!
This book must be very rare because I can't find a thing on it---not even a cover photo. I'm hoping Mr. Bolitho wrote more travel diaries as I'd love to read them. He was a very entertaining writer and his open-mindedness helped open my eyes to many things I wasn't aware of in my own country!
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