Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums

by Bob Eckstein

A beautiful, smart, entertaining new art book from New Yorker cartoonist and author Bob Eckstein that is a love letter to museums and museum-goers, filled with lush and whimsical illustrations paired with stories and anecdotes from curators, museum workers, museum visitors, and more.

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums is a collection of the greatest and most beloved museums of North America, illustrated and explored through fun and fascinating anecdotes. Curated by Bob Eckstein, author of the New York Times bestseller Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores , this delightful twist on an art history book shows these institutes in a way not seen before, illustrated in a lush and idealized style.

The 75+ museums featured include the biggest and boldest names (MoMA, the Whitney) and the more offbeat (Museum of Bad Art, the Museum of Jurassic Technology). They span the US, Canada, and Mexico and include those specializing in art, natural history, academia and science, and more. The 155 original pieces of artwork illustrate a story about the museum or showcase a particular work of art in its collection.

Featured museums
A perfect gift for artists, art lovers, students, travelers, and adventurers of all ages, this collection of funny, heartfelt, and quirky profiles is a thought-provoking, inspiring celebration of museums, why we go to them, and why we love them so much.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Art, Museums, History

176 pages, Hardcover

Published May 14, 2024

About the author

Bob Eckstein is an award-winning illustrator, NY Times bestseller, New Yorker cartoonist, and world's only snowman expert. His fields of expertise are museums, bookstores, cartoons and humor.

He is editor of the popular Substack newsletter, The Bob and host of The Cartoon Pad podcast. His cartoons, OpEds, and short stories appear regularly in the New York Times, New York Daily News, MAD magazine, Readers Digest, The Spectator, Prospect, Wall Street Journal, Playboy, Atlas Obscura, LitHub, among many others. He was a columnist for the Village Voice, New York Newsday, and TimeOut New York. He has been interviewed in over 200 TV, radio, podcasts and magazine spots, including Good Morning America and People magazine. He was selected Erma Bombeck Humorist of the Month.

Follow him on Facebook Bob Eckstein and Instagram at bob_eckstein.

Bob Eckstein spent seven years traveling the world researching and attempting to answer the age-old question, who made the first snowman?

He has spoken publicly at many venues like The Norman Rockwell Museum, Miami Book Fair, The Grolier Club, Milford Readers & Writers Festival, and the Cooperage Theater and at the Erma Bombeck Workshop and Writer's Digest Annual Humor Conference.

He now lives in Manhattan. He has taught Writing & Drawing at N.Y.U., Pratt Institute, School of Visual Arts, Yonsei University in South Korea and many other places.

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all such projects, this book by definition is highly subjective - "the most fascinating museums according to WHO?" Well, Eckstein obviously - himself an artist/cartoonist/illustrator, which explains why nearly half the museums featured here are fine arts/"encyclopedic" museums, (that last term being a new one for me, but even after looking it up I STILL don't understand the distinction, since nearly all the museums listed there still end in "…Museum of Art").

So anyway, in my own highly subjective opinion this is way too many museums focusing on paintings - modern, old masters, European, whatever - and not enough on those museums that are REALLY fascinating. Why, just within an hour or so of my home in Virginia we have the outstanding Gettysburg National Military Park Museum, the downtown D.C. Spy and Bible Museums, and two Smithsonian Air & Space Museums. And speaking of, I'm totally calling BS on the section titled "Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Ships," since only one of the six museums listed there focuses on trains and NONE on aircraft - again, how can you leave both Air & Space Museums off this list? Or such smaller venues as Upstate New York's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, a "living museum" that not only has one of the world's most complete collections of WWI (and earlier) aircraft, but actually flies them in weekly air shows every summer? That's certainly more fascinating than yet another collection of dead white guy landscape paintings.

So yeah…subjective.

The book does include some of my favorites - New York's Metropolitan and Natural History Museums, LA's La Brea Tar Pits, Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum - as well as a number that I still hope to get to - the Field in Chicago, Boston's Museum of Bad Art, the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, etc. Plus, each museum spread includes 1-2 of Eckstein's watercolor illustrations along with a generally interesting story or anecdote from visitors or employees.





Eckstein's earlier but similar book is Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores: True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers, and that one may be of more interest, because I just can't imagine how there could be enough "fascinating bookstores" in the U.S. to fill a whole book - so look forward to getting that one from the library when it's available.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge museum goer visiting museums featuring Art, Natural History, Architecture, Science, Industry, Transportation etc. in many countries. This book includes over 70 museums and I was happy to see I have visited almost half of the ones listed. Most museums get two pages of space. They include illustrations of the museums, information on the background or focus of the museums and some other notes. This is focused on museums in North America. I counted three from Mexico and one from Canada and the rest from the United States. I have added several museums to my list for visiting in the future. I originally gave a lower rating because my digital ARC copy only gave me a portion of the book. I appreciate the publisher reaching out and correcting the issues and I am updating my review. This book is set for release in May 2024. Thank you to Chronicle Books, and Princeton Architectural Press for the corrected ARC and I am leaving an honest review.

[Susan Dunker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charmingly illustrated, this book of selected North American museums and historic homes left me longing to visit many of them!

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you adore museums, intriguing stories about them, and gorgeous illustrations that capture their essence, you will be captivated by the 75+ North American museums featured in this delightful book! It's made me think about how I can plan trips to the museums that most fascinate me--and help prepare for my visits to them. Or just armchair travel through them on a rainy day. Great fun!

[talia ♡]

i love museums! i love footnotes!

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. It had some pretty good anecdotes.

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I don't live near a lot of museums. Our biggest one is the D-Day Museum, which sounds fascinating but also kind of depressing, and not something I can see my little dude going to and being fascinated.

I enjoy reading about museums, which we can blame on From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I dream of taking the kid to a museum like that, one that inspires a young mind to want to run away and live in a museum.

It still inspires a 40-year old mind, to be fair.

I was worried when I first started this book, because the first few museums seemed...kind of enh. I mean, there's a Tennis Museum? Which does not feel fascinating at all?

But eventually the book got a rhythm going, and I found myself thinking about the locations of these museums, and wondering about my friends who live near them, and whether they would put up with me schlepping to their state, dropping my bags, and then abandoning them to go wander a museum from opening to closing.

Assuming I don't hide in a bathroom and sleep there.

BTW, this book makes absolutely no mention of Mrs Frankweiler, which is such a disappointing missed opportunity.

Definitely inspirational. Possibly even for a tennis lover.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book, but light on information, but then the title does say "footnotes". Each Museum gets 1-4 pages which include a sketch of the museum and maybe some sketches of the artwork, but there are no pictures of the actual works. I would suggest reading this near your laptop, so you can look up the mentioned art pieces if you are not familiar with them. There are also 2-4 quotes about the museum. The problem with these is they are in a handwriting-like font and placed over the sketches, making some of them hard to read. Some of the quotes have a very "insider" quality, making it hard to "get" why they are included.

The book does provide a nice overview of the (mostly North American) museums. Most of the featured Museums are located on the East Coast (especially New York), California or Chicago. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that those places are the epicenters for world-class museums.

The book is written for the museum lover, but its short summaries don't give much information that a museum aficionado would not already know. It might make a nice gift for someone who likes exploring museums and is looking for ideas for their "Bucket List" or for someone who wants to take a trip down memory lane and remember some of the places they have been. The main thing to note in the book is about the actual museums. While the author does list the most well-known artist or pieces you would find in the museum, the focus is on the building, it's founding and the type of things you will find there, with little information about the actual items in the museum.

[June Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to be in a police line-up? Well, without being arrested? There's a museum for that. Or, maybe you'd like to get in some serious exercise while entering a museum? There's a museum that will definitely offer you that challenge. Feeling a bit ghoulish? Like you'd like to check out Lincoln's death chair from Ford's Theater or maybe JFK's limo? Yep, you guessed it. There's one for that, too There are even even ones for bananas and broken relationships.

This virtual tour of some of North America's 38,000 museums, give or take, big and small, known and unknown,was a delight. There really does seem to be a museum for everyone, no matter what your tastes. Most likely even bored children will find something to intrigue them, too. I mean, one even features whale poop, er, excuse me. Whale ambergris. Having been on several whale tour boats here in Alaska, gotta admit, this one intrigued me, too.

The illustrations, watercolor, I believe, are beautifully done with the added benefit of featuring related quotes or input on them. Most added a personal touch to this virtual tour. Quite frankly, by the time I'd casually flipped through than gone back to read it through, I was ready to pack a bag and go museum hopping. Thanks #NetGalley and #ChronicleBooks - #PrincetonArchitectualPress for giving me this intriguing early peek/introduction to some of the most diverse, interesting museums around. This arm chair traveler adored it.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is not a bad book, but I have issues. First, despite the title, the focus as the introduction makes clear, is on North American museums. This fine except the numbers break down roughly as - 65 from the US, 1 from Canada, and 3 from Mexico. The ROM isn't even in the book. Additionally, 11 of the US museums are from NYC. Fascinating is also doing some heavy lifting in places, even taking its subjectiveness into account. Most of the museums in the book are world famous, so the book really doesn't bring anything new for a reader in regards to them. And to be honest, the footnotes weren't really all that interesting in some cases. Also some of them were difficult to read because of the contrast with the artwork.

Also the fact that Planet Word is not list in this book but the Ark Encouter is, is quite frankly a strange choice considering some of the information about Museum of the Bible which has items on loan to the Ark Encounter.

Illustrations were nice. And, to be fair, it does make you want to visit a couple places.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love museums and have spent enough time in them that my family has inside jokes about experience had in museums. This book was meant for me. Each page highlights a different museum in the United States, Canada, or Mexico (the majority in the U.S.) providing its location and a small summary of what can be found there. Along side that there is an illustration and a quote from someone about an experience they had at the museum. These quotes come from everyone from museum workers to patrons and they are absolutely delightful. I have been lucky enough to have been to about a third of the museums in the book and this made me add a few more to my list. The book includes traditional art museums, science museums, and some smaller kitschier museums and is organized by museum type. The stories are fun and this book would make a great gift for the museum lover in your life.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give this one a TEN?
This book takes us on a tour of museums large and small, sedate and silly, renowned and obscure with fun notations and illustrations as complex as M. C. Escher paintings. Did you know that there are over 33,000 museums in the US and another 2,000 in Canada? Or that Massachusetts has over 800 of them, making it the most of any US state per square mile? Yup, I geek museums!
The illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein are fun, colorful, expressive and delightful.
Well suited for reading (and enjoying) alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Chronicle Books | Princeton Architectural Press via NetGalley. Thank you, I just ordered one for myself!

[Cee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is interesting, fun and possibly a bit irreverent!
From the first museum Aftel Archive of Curious Scents and the information on breathing through a piece of wool to clear your olfactory palette I was hooked! And the last -The Spam museum and its 2nd page pun - this book is a true delight! The second + page(s) on each museum with a tidbit from visitors or employees ranges from hilarious to heartwarming! There are now quite a few new additions to my “must visit” list! By the same token there are a few that are definitely out of my comfort zone. I would be remiss in not addressing the amazing illustrations.
If you like museums, normal or avant-garde, you really should pick up this book! It would also be a great gift or just a conversation starter!

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping to learn about at least a few more oddball or less well-known. I'm sure most of the museums covered here already have whole books devoted to them. And only continental US and Mexico City? Geepers. He also didn't convince me to add a single one of these to my bucket list... but I can sure tell him about a few he should add to his.

Consider Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas. Or House on the Rock, Wisconsin. Or either major museums in OK, in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The Minneapolis Institute of Art is my favorite; when I visit I never get around to going to the Walker Art Center but I hear that's pretty great, too.

What special or especially interesting places did he omit that you can vouch for?

[Lisa Davidson]

I love the idea of this book, but it is one of the books that would clearly benefit from being a real, print coffee table book. Also, I wish it had been organized better so I didn't feel like it was caroming around.
That said, it is a really fun book about a really fun topic. There are so many different kinds of museums, and I was shocked at how big the collections were. My favorite was the museum where you could look at architecture examples. There were also art, car, and other kinds of cool museums.
Anyone who reads this will probably feel the need to travel.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

[Aja Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the content in this book. There were so many museums that I had not visited or even heard of, and I consider myself to be inquisitive and well-traveled. The book has inspired me to add some of these places to my roster. The diversity of the places and peoples covered was great; something that many coffee-table style books fail to do.

The briefs on each museum are short, just like a footnote would be. The watercolor artwork detailing each of the museums was an excellent style choice instead of a photograph. It makes me wonder (and want) to see these places in real life. Overlaid on the art are quotes of memories, just the right kind of touch.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

People who love museums? That’s me! I have lost count of how many museums my child and I have gone to, big ones in Austin and DFW and small ones in between. I was so excited to see this book, and surprisingly, I had only been to a few. However, this book does include my childhood favorite, the La Brea Tar Pits. Of course, now my list of places I want to go has grown.
The small fun facts and quotes about the museums made it an informative but quick read. The star of the show is the stunning illustrations. They are fun and beautiful. It makes you want to draw all the places you go.

Thank you, NetGalley and Chronicle Books, Princeton Architectural Press, for a copy to read.

[Pietro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly informative and interesting book about museums! As the title suggests, coverage is not exhaustive or in-depth, but includes a quick overview and entertaining anecdotes about a variety of museums. The book separates them into different types, which may be helpful for readers especially interested in just certain kinds of museums. The text is accompanied by beautiful illustrations, which makes this a perfect coffee-table book for skimming as time allows. While I loved reading about different museums across North America, I especially loved the section on historic house museums, which included a few that I had never heard of and would love to visit. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lsam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy of this beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written book for an article I was writing on it. I am a museum enthusiast and enjoyed reading about all the museums. Some of which I have visited (12 - so clearly I have some work to do!). I have been a fan of the Met since I first read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler in grade school. Bob's illustrations really take readers on a visual visit to each museum and the combination of the museums' descriptions and then informative and sometimes quirky tidbits just make reading the book fun. There are so many terrific museums, I feel like there could be a book 2-hint-hint.

[A.L. Renna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums by New Yorker cartoonist and author Bob Eckstein. Bob Eckstein is a delightful journey into the heart of museum culture, offering a unique perspective through the eyes of passionate museum enthusiasts. Eckstein, known for his witty illustrations and keen observations, brings his signature style to this collection of stories, anecdotes, and insights from individuals deeply connected to the world of museums.

Read the full review: https://travelnitch.org/footnotes-fro...

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums was right up my alley. I love museums, the more unique, the better! The art in this book was stunning and the blurbs about each museum were interesting and pinpointed what was unique about each location. I did remove one star because this ARC was not indicated to be a sample, but seemed to only provide a sampling of the museums that would be covered in the final edition. I already have that flagged in my Libby account to borrow when it is published since I did enjoy this sample so much!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a real lover of museums so when I heard about this new release, I was delighted. Eckstein is a well know writer and illustrator. He has chosen about 75 North American museums of all sorts and given them a little plug along with a lively painting with quotes and quips written on top of the pictures. It is a lot of fun to see what an array of objects and art have been the basis of so many public galleries. I enjoyed revisiting old and true friends, and museums that I have found on trips around the country. I am looking forward to exploring Art Car World, at least on line!

[Abby Epplett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The small hardcover with glittery gold title text and a watercolor painting of the MET on the front cover made for a lovely coffee table book. Inside, the contents was light and humorous, making an easy read for museum enthusiasts. While overall a delightful experience, my issue with this book was the disconnect between the title, the author’s original intention, and his apparent methodology of choosing the “most fascinating museums”.

Read an in-depth review here:
https://abbyeppletthistorian.blogspot...

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

illustrator Bob Eckstein presents beautiful watercolor paintings, short descriptions, and personal anecdotes from the Spam Museum to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although it's lovely and informative, the catch-all category of "museums" is way too broad and the chapter titles don't always line up in a way that makes sense. It might have been better to divide this into several books rather than lumping culture, science, history, art, and miscellaneous all together. Eckstein's previous volume, Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores was more successful because of its focus. Still, it's definitely worth a look to find some places deserving of a visit. Actual rating: 3.75

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review*

This book was so charming!! I think the illustrations were my favorite part, but all of the book gave me nostalgia like I was a kid visiting these museums for the first time. There was a bit of humor, and educational too. I would recommend this book. It's just a really, really fun read for those that like history and to arm chair travel. 5 out of 5 stars.

[Christine DeSmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

You probably know Eckstein from his many great cartoons over the years in famous magazines. This is a smallish “coffee-table” book for lovers of museums filled with Eckstein’s art and quotes from interviews with employees at great North American museums. If rainy days on vacations always find you in museums, find this book for your rainy days at home or gift it to the artist and cartoonist in your life.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be an amazing gift for any artist. It briefly tells you about each museum, then there is my favorite part, the quotes and personal anecdotes from others about each place. The illustrations are beautiful. I actually prefer them over photographs. This is a wonderful collection. I would love it on my coffee table.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People who Love Museums features 72 of the more than 38,000 museums in North America. In a format similar to his Footnotes book about bookstores, Bob Eckstein includes descriptions, anecdotes, and illustrations for each museum. It's fun to read, and I now have a list of must-visit museums across the continent.

[Mary Andres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love balancing nature with world class museums on holidays, (Hello upstate New York, Hello Tasmania!) and this book's anecdotes will shape future travel. The format of this book is visually appealing and inviting; it is not intended to be exhaustive, but inspirational. It works exceedingly well to that effect.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a breather between books and something illustrated and light-hearted like this will do the trick. The illustrations in here are lovely and most of the personal blurbs are from the staff of these wonderful institutions - which is frankly, very refreshing, considering our entire society seems to think famous people are the only people worth hearing from.