Return to Taos

In an extraordinary book that is also a rare autobiographical work, Eric Sloane shares his travel experiences during two trips he made from New York to his beloved Taos — in 1925 and again in 1960. The first time around, as a young man, he worked his way across America in a rickety Model T Ford, painting signs on bridges and barns to pay expenses. The story of that journey is recounted here by the revered “cracker-barrel philosopher” as he weaves his reminiscences in with an account of his journey to the New Mexican town 35 years later.

Sloane offers his wry, heartfelt, and incisive reflections on America’s rapidly changing landscapes and regional cultures, noting in both his charming commentary and his delightful pen-and-ink illustrations the roadside monuments he passed along the way: covered bridges in New Jersey, a “barn bridge” in Pennsylvania, early gas stations and grain elevators in the Midwest, panoramic views of the western landscape, and ultimately, views of Taos Pueblo, happily unchanged after more than a quarter of a century since the author’s last visit.

An immensely entertaining book, Return to Taos will delight anyone who enjoys reading about America’s past and sees its artifacts as part of a vast repository of national treasures.