A poignant and beautifully-done collection of paintings so clear you can almost smell the burgers on the grill. A must-have both from an artistic standpoint and a preservationist standpoint, as diners become a rare breed.

Sensitive photorealistic watercolor studies of east coast diners, both inside and out, mostly postcard-like frontal views, interspersed with conversations the artist had with the people in and around his finds. My favorite was the man who spoke to him of having "Diner Feet." Like the feet of Langston Hughes' Jesse B. Semple, his feet have lives of their own and tell their tales. The paintings themselves clearly convey the joy that Baeder takes in his finds; fabled jewels found in barnyards

Why this book hasn't been reprinted since it's first pressing in the early '80s is one of life's mysteries. The photos, illustrations, text and general concept are all brilliant. There isn't another book on the American road quite like this one.

Oh my. This book is wonderful. I have been a collector of postcards for 25 years of my hometown. I was just becoming interested in Roadside Americana (Gas Stations, Motels, Restaurants, and odd roadside attractions) from the 1920s to the early 1960s when I discovered Baeder's book in the 1980s. I bought it and immediately became addicted to Roadside postcards.
This book is out-of-print now, but if you ever have a chance of buying the book...- buy it!! And what a great artist Baeder is. Some of his Roadside paintings are in the book also.
j.k.

While there are some fine examples of street signs that can be appreciated as "folk art", many of the examples in this book are just interestingly lettered signs. And after a while, I wanted something more than just a photographic showcase of interesting letters and typography. Unlike some of the hand-painted garden signs from Howard Finster's Paradise Gardens, or the "spirit" writing of J.B. Murray, or the frenzied writings of Prophet Royal Robertson which express the unique world view of the artist, many of the hand-written signs in this book are just interestingly lettered or arranged. Some are fun to look at, but as a whole this group of signs falls far below a great showing of "folk art."

In my opinion, this book is a case of someone wanting to make something into folk art...the author's are just reaching a little too far in most of the illustrations. It's great that someone has travelled extensively and photographed these signs that most of us will never see, but to make the case they are folk art is stretching it and a little misleading. Perhaps I was expecting more, but other than being visually pleasing, the signs shown were otherwise unengaging. While I wanted to like this book, I gave it 2 stars for the attempt, but it falls short of being a great survey of folk art signs.