You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Growing up with Swedish and Norwegian grandparents with a dash of Danish thrown in for balance, Eric Dregni thought Scandinavians were perfectly normal. Who doesn’t enjoy a good, healthy salad (Jell-O packed with canned fruit, colored marshmallows, and pretzels) or perhaps some cod soaked in drain cleaner as the highlights of Christmas? Only later did it dawn on him that perhaps this was just a little strange, but by then it was far too late: he was hooked and a dyed-in-the-wool Scandinavian himself. But what does it actually mean to grow up Scandinavian-American or to live with these Norwegians, Swedes, Finns, Danes, and Icelanders among us? In Vikings in the Attic, Dregni tracks down and...
Eric Dregni’s great-grandfather Ellef fled Norway in 1893 when it was the poorest country in Europe. More than one hundred years later, his great-grandson traveled back to find that—mostly due to oil and natural gas discoveries—it is now the richest. The circumstances of his return were serendipitous, as the notice that Dregni won a Fulbright Fellowship to go there arrived the same week as the knowledge that his wife Katy was pregnant. Braving a birth abroad and benefiting from a remarkably generous health care system, the Dregnis’ family came full circle when their son Eilif was born in Norway. In this cross-cultural memoir, Dregni tells the hair-raising, hilarious, and sometimes po...
A history of the motorscooter from its beginnings in the early 1900s, through its popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, to its status today. Includes well-known names such as Vespa and Piaggio and less famous examples from around the world.
I simply want to live in the place with the best food in the world. This dream led Eric Dregni to Italy, first to Milan and eventually to a small, fog-covered town to the north: Modena, the birthplace of balsamic vinegar, Ferrari, and Luciano Pavarotti. Never Trust a Thin Cook is a classic American abroad tale, brimming with adventures both expected and unexpected, awkward social moments, and most important, very good food. Parmesan thieves. Tortellini based on the shape of Venus's navel. Infiltrating the secret world of the balsamic vinegar elite. Life in Modena is a long way from the Leaning Tower of Pizza (the south Minneapolis pizzeria where Eric and his girlfriend and fellow traveler Ka...
Enjoy a (slow) spin around the old rink in the only history of the world-famous Zamboni ice resurfacer…now available in an updated edition to celebrate the 70th birthday of these iconic machines! Until 1949, resurfacing an ice rink required an ungainly tractor-pulled shaver followed by three or four workers scooping away the shavings and then spraying and squeegeeing water. The process—including the refreezing—took more than an hour, as skaters or hockey players waited patiently. That all changed when a tireless inventor by the name of Frank J. Zamboni—who also happened to own a skating rink in Southern California—put his mind to creating a quality sheet of ice in a shorter time. T...
A journey to find Norway's supposed bliss makes for a comic travelogue that asks, seriously, what makes Norwegians so damn happy--and does it translate? Norway is usually near or at the top of the World Happiness Report. But is it really one of the happiest countries on Earth? Eric Dregni had his doubts. Years ago he and his wife had lived in this country his great-great-grandfather once fled. When their son Eilif was born there, the Norwegian government paid for the birth, gave them $5,000, and deposited $150 into their bank account every month, but surely happiness was more than a generous health care system. What about all those grim months without sun? When Eilif turned fifteen, father a...
From The Honeymooners to The Big Lebowski, from The Flintstones to Ed, bowling has rolled right down the middle of American culture like no sport—or even pastime—in the nation’s postwar history. This entertaining, illustrated history illuminates the place that bowling holds in the heart of America, as well as its loftier antecedents and the high-kitsch status all things bowling have recently attained.
The Impossible Road Trip explores the roadside of all of America's 50 states, recalling the golden age of car travel with histories and color photos of iconic roadside attractions, as well as unique map illustrations.
A guide to unusual and one-of-a-kind roadside sights in the Midwest includes Minnesota's Spam Museum, North Dakota's forty-five-foot tower of discarded oil cans, and South Dakota's Outhouse Museum.
Since hitting the road in 1946, eighteen million Vespa motor scooters have buzzed the Earth. Vespa's success lies in the uniqueness of its design -- in the unmistakable sheet metal skin that, over the span of decades, has defined the concept of "motor scooter." The Life Vespa celebrates all aspects of the scooters and the thriving culture that surrounds them. Since Vespa is affordable and in high-style, the life Vespa encompasses all walks of life, from street urchins to celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, John Wayne, and Brad Pitt. Part of Motorbooks’ “Life” series, The Life Vespa melds machine and culture to immerse you in la bella vita.