The Panama Hat Trail: A Journey From South America
By Tom Miller. William Morrow & Co., 1986
My lifelong interest in travel literature began when, as a child, I read
Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas's account of his travels among
the Kurdish People of the Middle East. Miller's book is a good read on
traveling in Ecuador (where the best panama hats are
made), written by a professional writer in this genre (ON THE BORDER,
TRADING WITH THE ENEMY: TRAVELS THROUGH CASTRO'S CUBA, (among others).
This "hat classic" (my opinion), is a first-hand account as Miller
follows the making of these hats from the growing and harvesting of the
panama hat plant (cardoluvica palmata), through the process of curing
and preparation for weaving, the weaving itself, the various markets
along the way, the chain of distribution of the hat bodies, their
exportation around the world, the making of finished hats in a North
American hat factory, and finally the sale to a San Diego retail hat
store. The story ends when the final customer buys a panama hat in the
retail store. Reading this book cannot help but seal one's appreciation
for this materiel de resistance of the straw hat business. Buy a Panama Hat
![FREE Shipping on orders over $75 - Coupon Code: FREESHIP75 [No Wholesale/B2B]](https://www.villagehatshop.com/media/banners/FREESHIP75_926x90.png)
By Tom Miller. William Morrow & Co., 1986
