Offbeat Museums: The Collections and Curators of America's Most Unusual Museums

by Saul Rubin

Book Overview

Offbeat Museums contains profiles of the curators and collections of America's most unusual museums. From the Banana Museum in California to the Tragedy in U.S. History Museum in Florida, Saul Rubin takes you on a guided tour of the United States' strangest institutions, and introduces you to the offbeat people who run them.
Included among the places you will visit are:

Cockroach Hall of Fame
The Museum of Questionable Medical...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0963994646
• ISBN13: 9780963994646
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Santa Monica Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.4" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

I love the weird ones!

This book is cool, I've been to two of the museums already and I'm adding the others to my TO DO list, but BE WARNED. This book was published in 1997 and a new edition is out. I wish I had noticed that before I put this one on my wishlist and received it. If you're interested in these crazy museums (and you really should be) get the updated version of this book and enjoy!

Great escape reading

This book is a very good resource for those of you who are looking to break from the pressures of everyday life. Although it is unlikely that you will have the occasion to visit more than a handful of these museums, I think that it is still a great book for anyone interested in getting away and seeing what America used to be like before the Internet. Its short reviews of each museum (2-3 pages) make for very entertaining reading and give the reader a tour of the museums' highlights. As the previous reviewer mentioned, some of the museums are now defunct, an unfortunate end brought about by our fast-paced society. Still, just reading about these fascinating places should inspire the readers imagination. Try it out and if you don't go seeking odd museums in your town, perhaps you should ask yourself why. Again, as the previous reviewer stated, this can become an addicting hobby!

Offbeat Museums - better than most!

...and I mean that both ways. The book is better than most books I have used to guide my travels, and offbeat museums are better than (on beat?) ones! As a frequent traveller, this book has guided me well to many of the locations. The descriptions are lighthearted but still in-depth. Its just plain fun reading. Everyone who sees it laying around has to pick it up and give it a read. My only complaint is the at least one of these museums is closed down now, and a few of the directions are a bit hazy. (I did however find every place I looked for!) But overall, even if you aren't planning on GOING to all these places, as I do, it's still a great read. (Be warned: Silly Museums are addictive)