The backstory of the book, Seeing the Elephant by Virginia Howard, formed my Friday blog. Frank Reaugh, renowned artist and teacher, took three ladies and three of his teenaged students including Virginia’s mother and namesake aunt on a two-month excursion to see the newly opened Grand Canyon. The book is based on the diary kept by the aunt.
The review today begins with the cover! The cover portrays two essential items in the narrative. In the center of the cover, the vehicle they used appears ready to get on the road. Today’s readers may see a bit of irony in its diary description as being “modern,” but the travelers are comparing it to an old Ford Tarantula and a Studebaker hack with horses that Reaugh had used for previous trips and feel they have moved ahead in spite of flat tires and various breakdowns with the retrofitted vehicle, called the Cicada. The frame surrounding the vehicle is formed from her mother’s pastels which Virginia still owns. They, too, have a modern aspect, designed and made by Frank Reaugh with flat sides so they won’t roll.
The text of the book reads like a cross between the diary and a travelogue with an almost daily entry for the two-month trip. Each day begins with Virginia Howard’s detailed description including the territory, the conversations, the food, and the current crisis with the Cicada. Her characterizations of the travelers as well as the people they meet on the way make them come alive. The actual diary entry made by her aunt is at the end of the daily account. The realism of Virginia’s fictional additions can be attributed to her knowledge of the participants, her own artistic interest and talent, and her knowledge of the geography that she obtained when she and her brother retraced much of the trip. Added bonuses are the map sketches of the route each time the group changes states and a bibliography of sources.
I will admit that having watched this book take form has added to its interest for me, but I would have enjoyed it even if I had not watched it taking form for twenty years or so. In case you didn’t see Friday’s entry, in a bit of serendipity, you can link to a sample from the publishing glitch of missing pages at http://themaliterarysociety.com/PDF/missingtext.pdf.