William Least Heat-Moon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Least Heat-Moon
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Least Heat-Moon at the Seattle Public Library (2008)
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| Born | William Lewis Trogdon August 27, 1939 Kansas City, Missouri |
| Occupation | Travel writer, historian |
| Language | English |
| Education | BA, MA, Ph.D. in English BJ in photojournalism |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri |
| Genre | Deep map, travel literature |
| Notable works | Blue Highways |
William Least Heat-Moon (born William Lewis Trogdon, August 27, 1939) is an American writer and historian. He is known for his books about interesting journeys across the United States. He has traveled by boat and, most famously, in a van. He describes his background as English, Irish, and Osage.
About William Least Heat-Moon
William Trogdon was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His family name, Trogdon, comes from his European heritage. The name Heat-Moon comes from his Osage background. His father called himself "Heat-Moon." His older half-brother was called "Little Heat-Moon." William was called "Least Heat-Moon."
William grew up in Missouri. He went to the University of Missouri. There, he earned several degrees in English. He also studied photojournalism. Later, he became an English professor at the same university. Today, he lives in Boone County, close to the Missouri River.
His Amazing Books
William Least Heat-Moon has written many popular books. They often tell stories about his travels.
Blue Highways (1982)
This book is about a three-month road trip Least Heat-Moon took in 1978. He had lost his teaching job and was going through a tough time. He traveled 13,000 miles across the United States. He tried to stay on small, less-traveled roads. These roads were often shown in blue on old Rand McNally maps. That's how the book got its name.
He lived out of his van. He visited small towns like Nameless, Tennessee and Bagley, Minnesota. He wanted to find parts of America that were not changed by big cities or fast food chains. The book shares his search for meaning. It also tells about interesting people he met in roadside cafés. Blue Highways was very popular. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for 42 weeks. It also won a Christopher Award.
PrairyErth: A Deep Map (1991)
This book explores the history and people of Chase County, Kansas. It introduced the idea of a "deep map." A deep map looks at a place in many different ways. It includes its history, nature, and the lives of its people.
River-Horse (1999)
In this book, Least Heat-Moon describes a four-month boat trip. He traveled almost 5,000 miles across the U.S. He went from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He followed routes used by early explorers. These included journeys by Henry Hudson and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Columbus in the Americas (2002)
This book is a short history of Christopher Columbus's famous journeys.
Roads to Quoz (2008)
This is another "road book." It's not one long trip. Instead, it's a collection of shorter trips Least Heat-Moon took over the years. A reviewer from the New York Times Book Review said he celebrates "serendipity." This means finding good things by chance.
Here, There, Elsewhere (2013)
This book is a collection of Least Heat-Moon's best short travel stories.
An Osage Journey to Europe 1827-1830 (2013)
Least Heat-Moon helped translate and edit this book. It tells the true story of six Osage people. They traveled to Europe in 1827 with three Americans.
Writing 'Blue Highways' (2014)
This book shares how Least Heat-Moon wrote his famous book, Blue Highways. He talks about the journey itself. He also discusses writing, publishing, and other parts of creating the book. It won an award for Distinguished Literary Achievement.
Celestial Mechanics: A Tale for a Mid-Winter Night (2017)
This is William Least Heat-Moon's first novel. A novel is a long fictional story.
Themes in His Writing
Least Heat-Moon's books often explore important ideas.
Connecting with Nature
Many of Least Heat-Moon's works focus on how we connect with nature. He often writes about the environment. He shows how humans and nature influence each other. Nature is often like an active character in his stories. It's not just a background.
He also looks at how society defines its borders. He is interested in times when the line between society and nature blurs. It can be hard to tell if society has changed nature or if nature has changed society.
His writings also point out how human progress can harm the environment. Through his travels, he learned about his own personal growth. At the same time, he thought about how he fit into the larger world. His book River-Horse is a good example. It talks about how we manage our natural resources.
Finding Yourself on the Road
Blue Highways is famous for its physical journey across the U.S. But the most important part of the book is the inner journey Least Heat-Moon takes. The "blue highways" gave him space to think. He thought about who he was and who he wanted to be. He also thought about how he fit into the world.
He started this journey after losing his job and his marriage ending. His search for himself literally took him down the "road less traveled." Blue Highways has been compared to other famous travel books. These include Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck and On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
Least Heat-Moon was influenced by these writers. He wanted to explore the U.S. as a thoughtful observer. His decision to travel in search of personal truths continued a tradition. This tradition captured the spirit of a certain time in U.S. history.
Mapping and Places
Least Heat-Moon's work also touches on how we map and understand places. This is especially true with his idea of a "deep map."
