395 ratings | 328 reviews | avg rating:3.68

Mark Gowan’s Followers (10)

Mark’s Bookshelves

to-read (11)
currently-reading (0)
read (398)
atheism (13)
bill-clinton (1)
democrats (1)
food (5)
philosophy (7)
politics (1)
social (4)
See all bookshelves »

Mark’s Friends (22)

Lewis Weinstein

4,397 books | 2,449 friends

Eric_W

6,200 books | 477 friends

George Bradford

174 books | 148 friends

E. B.

382 books | 2 friends

Costa Kazistov

823 books | 54 friends

Joshua Nomen-Mutatio

2,055 books | 485 friends

Søren Winther

0 books | 1 friend

John Winsor

14 books | 304 friends

More friends…

Mark Gowan

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://www.markgowan.com

Genre

Travel, Philosophy, Nonfiction

Member Since

February 2008

edit data

Mark is a writer and a musician who loves motorcycle camping. He has written numerous books on topics including travel, music, and motorcycle camping. The piano books, Colors, Textures, and New Ragtime Piano will be available soon. Books on his travels include True Stories and Other Rarities, Vikings on Two Wheels, and the motorcycle travel book: Two Wheels and a Tent. Among other adventures, Mark has lived and traveled throughout Europe and the United States, traveled through South Asia and India, drove an 18-wheeler, toured as a working musician, owned a small farm, worked as a carpenter, and taught philosophy at college level. He currently lives in the United States, plays jazz and Ragtime piano, tours on motorcycles and writes books.

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Mark Gowan questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Mark Gowan’s books

Average rating: 4.89 · 9 ratings · 1 review · 7 distinct works

	Two Wheels and a Tent: Motorcycling Adventures in America it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	True Stories and Other Rarities: Backpacking in Asia by Mark Gowan (Goodreads Author), Helle T Gowan (Photographer) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	True Stories and Other Rarities: Backpacking In Asia by Mark Gowan (Goodreads Author), Helle Gowan (Photographer) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vikings on Two Wheels: Bicycling Through England 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Finger Puzzles: Short Exercises for the Development of Finger Dexterity 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Colors: Small Piano Pieces for Beginners 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Guitar Handbook: A Beginners Guide to Playing the Guitar 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Mark Gowan…

209 posts
Mark Gowan's Blog

A Discussion

A discussion with a friend ensued about regulations. He complained that regulations were nothing but a bureaucratic way to suck profit from his business, that they made no sense, that they made doing business impossible. He then proudly announced that he was of a capitalistic mindset. He saw no other possibility.

His claims rolled around in my head as I purposely tried to gather the gist of his st

rss
Mark’s Recent Updates

Mark Gowan wrote a new blog post A Discussion A discussion with a friend ensued about regulations. He complained that regulations were nothing but a bureaucratic way to suck profit from his busine Read more of this blog post »
15 hours, 24 min ago · like
Mark Gowan rated a book it was amazing The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles & Their Secret World War by Stephen Kinzer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This historical account of two of the most influential persons on modern American history is both an enlightening account of how the country rose so quickly to superpower status, and the horrific ends by which it took to do so. The Dulles brothers ar ...more
Oct 23, 2025 10:02AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark Gowan rated a book it was amazing The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward's Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump by Bob Woodward	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Bob Woodward is famous for his honesty and his straightforward journalism and while some may admire him and some hate him, these characteristics cannot be denied. The Trump Tapes are a collection of recordings that Woodward had with Donald Trump duri ...more
Oct 23, 2025 09:53AM · like · see review
Mark Gowan rated a book it was amazing On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I've never thought of Stephen King as a producer of good literature, but more of an entertainer. I was wrong. Being a writer myself I enjoy reading and listening to other writer's processes and rituals concerning their own writing and King's book is ...more
Oct 23, 2025 09:42AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of On Writing by Stephen King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — On Writing by Stephen King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark Gowan rated a book really liked it Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Picking up this book not expecting much other than some entertainment, I did some research and found that it was likely that Schwarzenegger wrote this book himself without the help of a ghost-writer. I was impressed and decided to give it a try. Afte ...more
Oct 23, 2025 09:31AM · like · see review
Mark Gowan rated a book really liked it Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency by Michael Wolff	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The story presented is of Trump's last days in 2020 and culminates in the atrocious and grievous acts of his followers on January 6th. Michael Wolff's second installment of his 'insider' take on the Trump Whitehouse is illuminating, horrifying, enter ...more
Oct 23, 2025 09:20AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Landslide by Michael Wolff. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Landslide by Michael Wolff <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark Gowan rated a book liked it The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48 Laws of Power is a systematic description of different philosopher's viewpoints on how to defeat enemies, get ahead, and generally take advantage of situations and people. First Greene presents the laws and then follows with examples throughout hi ...more
Oct 23, 2025 09:07AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark Gowan rated a book really liked it The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Timothy Egan's tale of a dark time in American history is a harrowing read and a testament to the short-sighted and egregious greed that this country has been and is continually known for. Egan's story-telling portrays the lives of many both victimiz ...more
Oct 23, 2025 08:44AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark Gowan rated a book it was ok Objective Communication: Writing, Speaking and Arguing by Leonard Peikoff (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Leonard Peikoff, the famous editor of Ayn Rand's writings, presents a collection of his lectures and examples that make use of Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. Unfortunately, Objective Communications misses the mark in my point of view. The book is lo ...more
Jan 21, 2025 11:21AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Objective Communication by Leonard Peikoff. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Objective Communication by Leonard Peikoff <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Mark Gowan wants to read The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 20, 2025 10:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Mark's books…

Mark’s Quotes

“There are those who scoff at the schoolboy, calling him frivolous and
shallow: Yet it was the schoolboy who said 'Faith is believing what you
know ain't so'.”
― Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson

tags: faith, humor, wit

168 likes