Stories from the strange trail
Book news, curious history, unusual destinations, and behind-the-scenes discoveries from Spark Trail Press.
Read the latest stories
Latest stories and discoveries
Take the scenic route through odd history, weird America, and wonderfully unconventional travel.
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The Future Arrived Early, Exploded, and Asked for More Funding
Rocket mail, radioactive products, flying cars, mechanical men, and the brilliant failed inventions that helped build the modern world.
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Naples Has a Volcano, a Pizza Legend, and No Interest in Being Normal
Explore Pompeii, Vesuvius, Capri, Naples’ underground, pizza legends, cliff roads, and the beautiful complications of the Amalfi Coast.
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Route 66 Turns 100 and Still Refuses to Behave
Route 66 celebrates 100 years of neon diners, ghost towns, giant roadside creatures, desert oddities, and glorious American detours.
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California Found Gold. Everybody Else Lost Their Minds.
Abandoned ships, lawless camps, salted claims, wild fortunes, and the bizarre true history behind the California Gold Rush.
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Paris Is Beautiful. Paris Is Also Full of Bones.
Catacombs, gargoyles, guillotines, secret passages, haunted neighborhoods, and the wonderfully weird history hiding beneath the postcard version of Paris.
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Why Yellowstone Is Weirder Than You Think
Geysers, bison jams, strange history, and the unexpected stories that make Yellowstone one of America’s weirdest road trips.
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History Was Weirder Than You Think
Dead popes on trial, military emus, soldier bears, working baboons, and twenty true stories that prove history was gloriously strange.
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How to Cruise the Rhine Without a Cruise Ship
Follow the famous Rhine cruise route by train through castles, wine towns, legends, hidden villages, and scenic riverside stops.
Pick your kind of weird
Explore strange places across America, unexpected corners of Europe, or true history that sounds completely made up.
Explore the three series