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WEEKEND JOURNAL - THE WALL STREET JOURNAL TAKEOFFS & LANDINGS By Heather Won Tesoriero and Jessie Knadler Strange Pages WITH THE TRAVEL-BOOK market picking up after a two-year slump -- last year saw a 7% increase in the number published -- the latest crop includes some unusual subjects. In "Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here," author Chris Epting identifies pop-culture landmarks that have yet to be turned into official attractions, including the Army barracks where Elvis got his hair cut and the beauty salon where Monroe first became a blonde. Arranged by theme (history and tragedy, movies, celebrity deaths), the book has a chapter on literary landmarks, such as the spot where F. Scott Fitzgerald died and a place where Ernest Hemingway hung out. One downside: no color photos. Author Jan Friedman has added 330 eccentric landmarks and events for the second edition of her "Eccentric America." Some highlights: the world's largest ball of paint in Alexandria, Ind., is 104 inches around and weighs more than 1,300 pounds; Moon Amtrak, an annual gathering in Laguna Niguel, Calif. that draws thousands of people who drop their drawers in front of the two dozen passing trains. "People are delighted to be called eccentric," Ms. Friedman says. Copryright © 2004 - The Wall Street Journal |