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My new book is here: Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums by Chronicle Books. The hardcover book comes out on National Museum Day, May 18th, but can be pre-ordered NOWIt can be pre-ordered NOW.
Inside the book you will find 155 original pieces of artwork, illustrating 75 museums. There are stories for each museum in the book, some highlighting the museum (it's history or a story about the place), some showcasing a particular piece of work in the museums collection. The stories come from curators, museum workers, or museum visitors as well as museum lovers and friends…and some unexpected sources like Michelle Obama, Bill Murray, Ozzy Osborne and my mom.
A special thanks to acclaimed writer Elizabeth McCracken for the Foreword — I love it.
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The museums include the biggest (The MET and The Smithsonian) as well as the offbeat (Museum of Bad Art, the Spam Museum), spanning North America — the US, Canada, and Mexico. These museums span collections that specialize in art, natural history, academia and science, and more. Featured museums include:
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American Museum of Natural History, New York
Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City, Mexico
The Field Museum, Chicago
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles
Museum of Motherhood, St. Petersburg, Florida
The National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City
And 56 more
I tried to think of what I could do as a sequel to my Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores book when I had heard about how much museums were struggling due to the pandemic. I decided a book on museums would not only be fun but by showing off these museums, people would want to get out to see these places.
In order to write the book, I visited many museums in a very short period (some I visited on-line). I didn't realize there were hundreds, and on every topic imaginable (and I consider myself to be a museum-goer who lives in New York City). So I talked with people everywhere I went as I continuously drew, inspired by the artwork and conversations I had just experienced in the museums.I draw, inspired by the artwork I had just seen in the museums. I kind of wish this project never ended. That's my wish. If this book is well-received and I would love nothing better then to have the opportunity to do a sequel, one that includes those museums that didn't make it into this book, but also, I would like to expand the project to include museums from around the world.
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But first things first. I just hope that when one reads the book it conveys some of the same exhilaration I felt when I encountered the museums (and convinces you to then visit or at least plan a visit some of them. Maybe the book can become a museum bucket list.).
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If you buy a copy of my book as a Thank You I will give to you a 1-year subscription to the PAID version of this newsletter. Just email me using the button below that you bought the book — honor system.
Nowadays, any book's success is driven by word-of-mouth and reviews. So, if you enjoy the book, I would greatly appreciate any love you can give my way. Here are some enthusiastic reviews so far…
"A beautifully written and painted love letter to the museums of North America."
— Max Hollein, director & CEO, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
"Bob Eckstein is a national treasure." — David Plotz, CEO of City Cast, former CEO of Atlas Obscura
"Bob knows how to make a book come alive. And the range of his artistic taste is very impressive. Where else would you find the Museum of Fine Arts Boston alongside the Spam Museum?" — Sir Michael Palin, actor, comedian, author, and member of Monty Python
"A serene collection of some of North America's most famous museums. Suitable for all ages and great for finding new places to visit." — Library Journal
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