THE NEW ROADSIDE AMERICA by Mike...

THE NEW ROADSIDE AMERICA by Mike Wilkins, Ken Smith and Doug Kirby (Fireside: $13). Thomas Carlyle wrote that it was America’s mission to vulgarize the world, but this tongue-in-cheek guide to roadside tourist attractions (with pictures!) suggests that vulgarity, like charity, begins at home. The authors highlight such tacky landmarks as the largest tree stump in Kokomo, Ind. (57 feet in circumference); the 4 1/2-story muskellunge (the world’s largest fiberglass structure) at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis.; the Creation Evidences Museum in Glen Rose, Tex.; Riverside, Iowa, which bills itself as “The Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk,” and the $15 million, 45,000-square-foot “World of Coca-Cola” pavilion in Atlanta. Enterprising readers might copy particularly awful listings and send them to the kids of people they dislike just before they depart for a cross-country vacation.