This is a rather twisty-turny book trail involving a lot of books so I may divide it into two posts. While in grad school I took a class in Historic Preservation in which I wrote a paper on barns. Included, of course, was Eric Sloane's classic book An Age of Barns. Illustrated by the author this is 'the' book about barns. Look for the original edition, the reprints don't have the beautiful color illustrations.

There were other barn books in my paper, but the two I most liked are no longer available and I cannot find information (beyond the title) on them. Pfft!

Farms had lots of outbuildings, including the outhouse. While not part of my paper, I wandered into this subject with Outhouses: Flushing Out America's Hidden Treasures by Londie Garcia Padella (photography) and Becky Prudent (text). What a hoot! Great pictures, wonderful descriptions ... check out the regional differences in outhouses! Next was Nature Calls: the History, Lore, and Charm of Outhouses by Dottie Boots. This book might make the reader miss the outhouse. (Okay, okay, maybe not). Here you will find stories about outhouses from around the world. You will learn about outhouse design (including a two-storey model). The ubiquitous crescent moon symbol will be explained. The author was the winner of the 1996 Crescent Moon Award, given to the author who has done the most to "preserve and promote, with dignity, the outhouse."

Several years later I came across Toilets of the World by Mora E. Gregory and Sian James. Who knew there was so much diversity in the simple toilet ... from the traditional outhouse to solid gold commodes, urinals that sway, public toilets that rise up from the street for a busy weekend, one with a face that moves forward to kiss the knees of women ... even one that is totally transparent until a switch is flipped.

A few years ago I was browsing the shelves at Village Books and found Out of Patience by Brian Merkel. A tween read and great fun! The town of Patience has a curse, a curse from more than a century ago when Jeremiah Waters installed the first flush toilet. Embarrassed by his father (aren't most 12 year olds?) who wants to open the American Toilet Museum, the main character longs to get out this small town.

Time for another round of drops in my eyes so I'll stop this 'trail' for now.

Reading Hermit With Dog