Iowa : The Spirit of America

This is one of a series of compact books designed to celebrate the essence of each of the 50 United States, illustrating and describing its natural wonders, historical and cultural milestones, industrial innovations and personalities who have helped to shape the state's distinctive heritage.

The illustrations encompass fine and folk art, architecture, crafts, and photographs of people and places.

Also included are lists of museums, historical societies, tourist attractions and a perennial calendar of events.Iowa - "America's corn capital" - is rich in far more than its fertile soil.

From the American Indians who roamed Iowa's woodlands to the immigrants who tamed the plains and founded its small towns, this book depicts the state as seen through the eyes and words of its artists, writers, musicians, preachers, poets and politicians: through Rodgers and Hammerstein's "State Fair", Buffalo Bill's showmanship, Bix Beiderbecke's jazz, Grant Wood's painting "American Gothic", the rich farmland made famous in the film "Field of Dreams", and the covered bridges of Madison County.