Arizona Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff

U.S. State Curiosities

by Sam Lowe

Arizona is the only state in the union that has adopted an official state neckwear and a state reptile, and the only place in the world to prosecute a man for murder by gila monster. It's home to the world's largest sundial, world's smallest museum, world's only teacup-as-art project, and dinosaur sentries who stand guard along an interstate. Learn even more as you laugh your way through the pages of Arizona Curiosities.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grabbed this at the library on my recent stay in AZ along with more serious books on local flora and birds. I will say that while the field guide entries on, say, saguaro and roadrunners were more informative, the ones here were much more entertaining (apparently, one town claims the saguaro with the most arms in the world ... but no one's wanted to get close enough for a definitive count). And the short, snappy descriptions were easy to read out loud to our whole group. However, it's clearly dated and the author apparently is from a more conventional background than I am, since a number of things got the response, "... isn't everyone's town like that?"

Personal note: Scottsdale's public library offers free passes to area attractions, prompting my thrifty snowbird mother-in-law to insist we sign up. As a constant nomad, I now have the distinction of carrying around library cards from eight municipalities in five states & constantly trying to use the wrong one.

[Heather G Gentle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have to pick up where I left off when I get a replacement. I was sent a copy that had extra pages of a whole section and was missing another 45 pages..like it so far.
Got replacement... fun book .. things to look for when I make my way west again..