Description
From the Dust Jacket
The land yacht had sleeping accommodations for eight and a half, and all were needed when one recent summer, Mr. Wibberley, his wife Hazel, their six children and the family cat set out from their Southern California home to voyage through the American West, Theirs was a real voyage — Mr. Wibberley planned from the outset to give himself room for sudden side trips, for sojourns prompted by whim alone. Herewith, the delightful chronicle of that voyage. Like the best books of its kind — and this is certainly one — its appeal is manifold. A warm and hearty narrative of family adventure, it is also a scrupulous and informed account of wonders seen and experienced. And perhaps most importantly, it contains a series of perceptive observations on our physical environment, the state of repair — or disrepair — of our noble natural heritage. Sights and splendors on the family’s itinerary include the Mojave Desert and Death Valley (still lethal, still announced by a 50-gallon water tank at the entrance, flanked by a cautionary sign about refilling car radiators); Zion National Park, Monument Valley, Dinosaur National Park, the Tetons; Yellowstone, the Redwood Highway, and the Avenue of the Giants. (This last outpost of grandeur Wibberley compares to the wasteland immediately next to it, a sickening reminder of irresponsible logging.) The Grand Canyon is one of the high points of the trip, “a place too big to be disbelieved.” There Wibberley touches a gastropod fossil 200 million years old embedded in the wall of the canyon — a miraculous confrontation of two points in time. One of the most engaging aspects of Voyage by Bus is the Wibberley drollery: the time Wibberley instrumentally entertains the family with “The Fox,” rendered first (startlingly) on the guitar and second (smoothly) on the viola; the incredible saga of the nonbiodegradable peanut butter sandwich; throughout the voyage the Wibberley family, primed with bedtime reading of The Hobbit, imagining dwarfs in every mountain tunnel. Mr. Wibberley writes, “We tend to approach time like starving men at a banquet. We eat our fill and are surprised that everything should be so tasteless.” Voyage by Bus was his experiment to savor the immensities and peculiarities of the West, and it’s a tasty feast indeed — a warm and satisfying journey with an adventurous spirit, a cultivated mind.
Publishing Information
Voyage By Bus: Seeing American By Land Yacht by Leonard Wibberley. From William Morrow and Company in 1971. This hardcover book measures about 8-1/2″ x 5-3/4″ and has 186 pages.
Condition
Click photo to see larger version. The dust jacket has some storage but is in good condition for age. The boards are in very good condition with some softening on the corners. The pages are in very good condition. The binding is tight with light forward lean. Name marked out of front free endpaper; no other markings noted. Purchased used. Stored in and ships from clean, smoke-free, pet-free home.
Shipping
Generally sent the same day payment arrives. Unless you request otherwise, I will wrap the book in plastic wrap to help protect it from the elements, create a custom-made cardboard box to ship it in, and send via Media Mail with Delivery Confirmation tracking. See the shipping page for the cost to send a two-pound Media Mail package. Insurance is an additional cost as described. I am delighted to combine postage and insurance costs if you purchase more than one item. The second item may travel for free or just a few cents more — so it’s worth taking a look at my other items before you complete your order.
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If you’d like more information or photos for Voyage By Bus, please feel free to contact me. If it’s the price you don’t like, make an offer!
