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The Best Book About Hitch-Hiking I Have Read
This archived discussion is "read only".
» gargalon - Hitch-hiking literature Recently at my local recycling center thrift store I found a tattered paperback copy of an out of print book called "Confessions of a Hitch-Hiker" by a Londoner named Adrian Reid. For the low cost of 53 cents it was a must-buy.This book turned out to be a fantastic reading experience. It chronicles the adventures of two teenage girls hitching around Europe in 1970. It is funny, shocking, inspiring and just plain wonderful. I cannot find words better than that to do it justice. True, I haven't read many books on hitch-hiking, but I read a lot of books and this is one of the best things I've picked up in ages. As an avid reader and hitch-hiker, I was thoroughly delighted. It is interesting to compare "Confessions" with Don Mitchell's novel "Thumb Tripping" which was published around the same time. I only read one chapter of "Thumb Tripping" but it was enough to get an appalling flavor. Mitchell's skill as a writer is good, but the characters and events in his narrative (which the author himself described as a "bum trip") were absolutely hideous. My fleeting impression was that of horrible people doing nasty things to each other, all viewed through the apathetic eyes of a couple of stoned hitch-hikers travelling along the California coast. I mention this, because I found the two books interesting to contrast. Adrian Reid's protagonists are delightful, inspiring souls who make the best of circumstances that are either luxurious or horrible. They touch people's lives. They are Taoist vagabond angels. Mitchell's young hippy moron tools just puff and pass, morally indifferent to the nastiness that surrounds them. Is the gulf in attitudes between the USA and Europe really that vast? Wait, what am I saying? Of course it is. I suppose I should read all of "Thumb Tripping" before I pass final judgement on its contents. In any case, I cannot recommend "Confessions of a Hitch-Hiker" enough. If you are lucky enough to come across a copy, grab it, read it, share it. It is good stuff. And, supposedly, it has been made into a film. Sincerely, Jon Olsen. gargalon@hotmail.com Eureka, California. -- posted by gargalon » The_Thumb - Re: Hitch-hiking literature That's funny, most reviewers have described Reid's book as trash! Seriously. I'm more open minded. It presents itself as factual, but does indeed strike me as fictional. Not that it matters.In any case I've not fonud a copy of Mitchell, so I can't comment on his work, though it is admittedly fictional and fiction doesn't rate highly on my reading ro acquisition list. Still, I expect I'll get around to reading it. All the same, I'd not rate Reid's book that highly. Wernig, another American put together a book that is far more stunning, a photo essay called The Hitchhikers. If you can lay hands on that, I think you'll be impressed. It is something of a rarity. Published in 1972 by Celestial Arts Printing. I have a PDF copy I could share, but it runs at over 5 MB! -- posted by The_Thumb » applepickinjohn - Re: Hitch-hiking literature In response to message posted by gargalon:i'm not familiar with the books you've mentioned except for "thumbtripping" which i read so long ago i can't really remember.the best book on hitching i've ever read is "One For The Road"by tony horwitz.he is a talented travel writer,in the same vein as paul theroux without the heavy sarcasm.in this book he hitches from sidney thru the outback,then to the coast and halfway around the continent.in the outback they measure distance by cartons of beer and instead of thumbing point the index finger the direction you're going.check it out. -- posted by applepickinjohn » The_Thumb - Re: Hitch-hiking literature In response to message posted by applepickinjohn:Yes, I liked Horwitz too. I tried to track him down for an interview once,. Last I'd heard he was in Cairo, so when I passe dthrough I mailed off an effort to his publishers. No luck. He's probably in London now. But like some writers, hard to find it seems ;-). Anyhow I'm now in Tasmania, not London or Cairo so neither is important anymore ;-). -- posted by The_Thumb » MorganSalman - My Road Talisman My favorite hitch book is a guide, actually- probably because it was the first book on the subject I ever found. The Hitchhiker's Field Manual, by Paul DiMaggio. I know Bernd has made mention of it on his own resource site- ( http://garlic.aitec.edu.au/~bwechner/Doc... ).Written in '73, it's a sign o' the times, and is packed with resourceful info- from contact #'s of crash pads, universities, and missions, to hitchhiking and pedestrian laws state by state in the U.S. (yep, it's a guide for the States, only). There's also a great little ditty about each region and an overall review of how good (or bad) the thumbing is in each state. Though it's been out of print for years, you may come across a copy in a used bookstore at some point. I've found two to date, and I always hitchhike with the first copy I purchased (for $2) in Flagstaff, Arizona. (The second I found in Hood River, Oregon on a jaunt several years ago.) The references in the book are almost entirely out of date, but I still feel good having it with me. Call it a road talisman. I'm curious- do any of you carry a talisman of sorts as you hitch? A 'lucky charm' or something with sentimental connection that always goes with you? -- posted by MorganSalman » The_Thumb - Re: My Road Talisman In response to message posted by MorganSalman:Yep, diMaggio's book is grand, the best of the best believe me, if dated. With but one small exception perhaps, two lads, the Evans Brothers, produced a rare and self-published tome called "Hey Now, Hitch-hikers" in the '80s and it is THE best of the best! Believe me, this is a must Morgan, if you can lay hands on it! Try www.bookfinder.com. As far as charms go I've carried one thes elast years, but mainly out of happenstance. I was living in Geneva for a long while and I had balcony on my flat. One day I found a 1951 Australian Penny on my balcony. Weird. I pocketted it and have carried it around since. It's not often you find a penny form home olde rthan you are on your balcony on a foreign continent ... well, not if you're Australian anyho (U.S. money makesit evrywheore somehow ;-). -- posted by The_Thumb » AirOne - Re: Re: Hitch-hiking literature The only book I've ever read on hitch-hiking is the dutch book "Al liftend" by Barbara Noske. I would be surprised if it's translated in english, but it's possible. (ISBN: 9041702520)The book is about Barabara's hitches in many different countries. It contains a lot of advice on hitching and typical stuff that happened while hitching. I liked reading it because it also tells a lot about hitching from a womens point of view. Typical women problems while hitching are discussed and also a lot on safety while hitching. For the dutch among us a must read I think. The book is written in an easy readable way, like she's there with you telling her stories. Only the end of the book worried me because it kinda made everything said on safety undone, but still the advice given in the book is good. -- posted by AirOne
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