Pick of the picture books: Icons of the Highway

Something about the wide open spaces of small-town middle America has always inspired artistic expression in those who like to find the weirdness in the ordinary. Tony and Eva Worobiec, authors of Icons of the Highway (Artists' and Photographers' Press, £19.99), cite Edward Hopper as an earlier chronicler of this neon splendour. British fans might be reminded of Dave Gorman's latest road trip, America Unchained. Both celebrate the optimism of the little guy in these big places: the motels, movie theatres, diners and parking lots that set up their enticing lights right in the middle of Nowheresville. Many of the photographs are taken at dusk, lending an atmosphere of infinite possibility at the close of the day.