The book is in perfect condition, other than missing it's dust jacket. I like to take a glance at old coffee table books when thrifting. You never know when you'll find a gem. As soon as I opened this one, I knew it was coming home with me. The art is what grabbed me.
Once I sat down at home to really take a close look, I saw Walter Cronkite's name. The book is about two friends, Walter Cronkite and Ray Ellis, traveling down the Eastern Coast traveling the Intracoastal Waterway, from the Chesapeake Bay to Key West, Florida. Each recorded their impressions, Walter through writing, and Richard through his art (90 paintings!) I had not heard of Ray Ellis before, but it turns out he's quite an artist!
The book is huge - each page is 15 inches wide by 12 inches tall. Some of the paintings take up two pages.
I looked the book up online and saw it for sale for as low as a few dollars and as much as $600. There didn't see to be any rhyme or reason to the price variations. I saw lots for a few dollars (plus shipping, which can be fairly high since the book is so big) and lots for over $50 and a good many for over $100. I'm going to put my copy for sale in my booth in a few days. My price will be very reasonable - probably $10. I hope whoever gets it enjoys it as much as I did.
I took some photos of the paintings. My photo quality is not good. I didn't even bother to take time to flatten each page. That little mistake can make things look oddly crooked - some of the buildings appear to be be leaning. Here's a peak at some of the beautiful paintings. Enjoy!
