Reading and running

By Lylah M. Alphonse, Globe Staff, 09/08/02

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En route by armchair

"Literary Trips: Following in the Footsteps of Fame" is part travelogue, part biography, part guidebook. Editor Victoria Brooks has compiled a collection of short stories about literary figures and the places they made famous. Each story is paired with a detailed guidebook _ complete with facts about each location, where to stay and what to see, even how to get there _ allowing the reader to follow in the authors' footsteps. Visit Southern England in an essay on William Shakespeare written by Susan Koztrzewa; Kathryn Means writes about Atlanta through a lens colored by Margaret Mitchell and Tom Wolfe; Brooks herself pens the essay about Cuba and Ernest Hemingway. The books, published by GreatestEscapes.com Publishing in Vancouver, cost about $20 each, and are available at bookstores and online at www.Amazon.com and www.bn.com.

Baby grand jogging

For road-tripping families who cannot bear to vacation from jogging, and whose cars have a large cargo capacity, Baby Jogger has updated its design. The Baby Jogger 3 sports larger wheels, built-in shock absorbers, a bicycle-type handbrake, a large footplate, and a 100-pound capacity for holding bigger kids. Pockets hold all the stuff Junior can't do without, and a reclining seat lets him sleep while you run. It costs $300-$355, depending on wheel size, and is available at City Sports and Ski Market stores in New England, as well as The Baby Place in Natick (508-655-5305), the Cycle Shop in Andover (978-749-3191), Back Bay Bicycles in Boston (617-247-2336), and Belmont Wheelworks in Belmont (617-489-3577). It is also available online at www.healthchecksystems.com, www.babystrollershop.com, www.joggingstrollers4less.com., and retailers listed at www.babyjogger.com.

Lylah M. Alphonse's e-mail address is lalphonse@globe.com.