April 29, 2009
Talk of the South
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Extending through the Mississippi hill country, Highway 51 is the subject of a new photography book (right) by Gloria Norris.
Courtesy of University Press of Mississippi
Goings On
One for the Road
In a world of eight-lane superhighways lined by strip malls and Ruby Tuesdays, Highway 51 remains a road that’s worth slowing down for. Bob Dylan recorded a ballad named after it. William Faulkner and Eudora Welty grew up alongside it. But never before has the storied stretch of two-lane highway that bisects the Mississippi hill country—wending its way south from Memphis to Jackson—been the subject of a photography book.
With ninety original images, and an introduction by Rick Bass, Highway 51 (available May 1) is a sumptuous tribute to the legendary route and the distinct culture that has grown up around it. Taken by hill country native and author Gloria Norris, the photos capture swamps and pasture, a lone crawfish shack, the mist in the air after a good rain, and music, always music (the area is known for the likes of blues masters R. L. Burnside and Mississippi John Hurt).
If you can’t hit the road, we suggest having a seat on the couch, throwing open the windows, cranking up some road tunes, and cracking open the book. It’s the next best thing to cruising down the blacktop.
