Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums

Bob Eckstein

Book cover for Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums
Book cover for Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums

Bob Eckstein

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Description
A beautiful, smart, entertaining new art book from New Yorker cartoonist and author Bob Eckstein that is a love letter to museums and museum-goers, filled with lush and whimsical illustrations paired with stories and anecdotes from curators, museum workers, museum visitors, and more.

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums is a collection of the greatest and most beloved museums of North America, illustrated and explored through fun and fascinating anecdotes. Curated by Bob Eckstein, author of the New York Times bestseller Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores, this delightful twist on an art history book shows these institutes in a way not seen before, illustrated in a lush and idealized style.

The 75+ museums featured include the biggest and boldest names (MoMA, the Whitney) and the more offbeat (Museum of Bad Art, the Museum of Jurassic Technology). They span the US, Canada, and Mexico and include those specializing in art, natural history, academia and science, and more. The 155 original pieces of artwork illustrate a story about the museum or showcase a particular work of art in its collection.

Featured museums include:
  • The Field Museum, Chicago
  • The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
  • The Museum of Modern Art, New York
  • The Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA
  • The National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
  • La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles
  • National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
  • Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
  • Museum of Motherhood, St. Petersburg, Florida
  • Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City, Mexico
  • American Museum of Natural History, New York
  • And many more

A perfect gift for artists, art lovers, students, travelers, and adventurers of all ages, this collection of funny, heartfelt, and quirky profiles is a thought-provoking, inspiring celebration of museums, why we go to them, and why we love them so much.

About the Author

Bob Eckstein is an award-winning illustrator, writer, and cartoonist for the New Yorker, New York Times, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian Magazine, Atlas Obscura, and many others. His Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores was a New York Times bestseller and made many "Best Of" 2016 lists and continues to be an "Amazon Most Wished for Title" years later. A postcard set based on that book was published in 2018. He is also the author of The History of the Snowman, The Illustrated History of the Snowman, and The Complete Book of Cat Names (That Your Cat Won't Answer to Anyway). He was editor for The Ultimate Cartoon Book of Book Cartoons series and is contributing editor for Writer's Digest. He lives in New York City.

Critical Reviews

"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

"A joyous book featuring the greatest museums in the world."
--Steve Martin, actor, comedian, and author

"A beautifully written and painted love letter to the museums of North America."
--Max Hollein, director and CEO, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

"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 former member of Monty Python

"Bob Eckstein is a national treasure."
--David Plotz, CEO of City Cast, former CEO of Atlas Obscura

"A touching rumination on public art's potential to provoke personal epiphany."

--Publishers Weekly


"Presents a smorgasbord of museum options and, through words and imagery, suggests the potential opportunity for an enjoyable, interesting sojourn."

--New York Journal of Books


"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


"Encourage your grad's love of culture and travel... The illustrations are gorgeous, and your grad might just learn a thing or two."

--E! Online


"An entertaining guide. It will increase your must-see list."

--Afar Magazine


"A lovely wish list...dreamily illustrated."

--Chicago Tribune


"A joyous book featuring the greatest museums in the world."

--Steve Martin, actor, comedian, and author


"A beautifully written and painted love letter to the museums of North America."

--Max Hollein, director and CEO, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


"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 former member of Monty Python


"Bob Eckstein is a national treasure."

--David Plotz, CEO of City Cast, former CEO of Atlas Obscura

Publishing Information

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Pub date: 2024-05-14
Length: 176 pages

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