Recently, a number of books have added a subcategory to the famous travelogue -- tours of bizarre, off-the-wall, sometimes off-the-map places. Among the weirdest of the weird must be the C-SPAN-produced "Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?: A Tour of Presidential Gravesites." With wry gallows humor, and historical bemusement, the book offers a brief note about each US president, specific directions to their final resting places, and a brief essay.

The text is sprightly, despite its morbid subject matter. Each president's death is described, in addition to funeral arrangements. There are plenty of photographs of the cemeteries, crypts, and tombstones, including a color photo of each grave. Historian Richard Norton Smith adds a brief anecdotal note for each president, which are interesting and sometimes humorous.

I began reading the book on a whim, quickly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Historical nuts and political junkies should enjoy it, and many will decided to seek out the various tombs. For the truly obsessed, an appendix also gives locations of all vice-presidential gravesites. ( )

3427. Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb? A Tour of Presidential Gravesites, by Brian Lamb and the C-SPAN staff (read Apr 2, 2001) I read this guidebook-type book cover to cover. It is such a good book, showing the tombstone or tomb of every American president who is dead, and gives an account of each death and funeral. It is a book I reveled in and reading it is easier and almost as satisfying as visiting each site. Did you know seven presidents are buried in Virginia, more than in any other state? That Polk lived the shortest time (103 days) as an ex-President? And Hoover the longest (so far) (31 years, 103 days)? This book is a goldmine of interesting information. ( )