Sign Language

Book excerpt: John Baeder, author of the classic books of roadside Americana, Diners and Gas, Food and Lodging, has a particular passion for handmade street signs. Collected here are 205 of Baeder's photographs of his favorite signs. Baeder's text offers revealing observations about folk are and real life and tells the reader much about letterforms, composition, and brushwork. But, more importantly, the author finds many of these signs true "cries from the heart", and his personal responses add new meanings to these simple, and often touching, public declarations. Reading this book will add pleasure to car trips and casual walks on city streets.