ORLANDO, Fla. – Looking for a fantastic Christmas gift idea?
Look no further than “Accidentally Wes Anderson Adventures.” A new visual odyssey following the momentum of the 2020 New York Times bestseller simply titled “Accidentally Wes Anderson”.
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Author Wally Koval told News 6 that the concept for the books began on Instagram in 2017 and was inspired by the unique vision of director Wes Anderson.
Koval said he half-expected to get a “cease-and-desist” letter from the filmmaker, but it turns out Anderson liked the idea and was even gracious enough to write the foreword for both books. Anderson writes in the new book that he has never been to any of the locations — except the umbrella shop on page 153 (see below).
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If you are not familiar with the original “AWA” book, it consists of “Wes Anderson-style photos of quirky landmarks and undiscovered gems.”
The pictures are taken by individual photographers from different countries, some professional and some amateur, but all with a story to tell. The photographers are part of a larger community that has grown to nearly 2 million adventurers in 2024.
“They spell ‘Community’ with a capital ‘C’ and ‘Team’ with a capital ‘T’,” Koval said. “Both are proper nouns in the world of AWA.”
For the second volume, “AWA Adventures,” Koval said he and his wife worked with 168 photographers from more than 30 countries. They started with over 100,000 submissions from which they selected the 200 photos and stories featured in the book.
There are locations on every continent and on both poles and keeping with the Wes Anderson theme, the book features three grand hotels.
Here are six of my favorite pages:
Where Polar Bears Apply
The fourth most beautiful library in the world
The longest town name in Europe
Breakfast with a giraffe
Chapel of dogs
Grand Hotel Evropa
The “AWA” adventure phenomenon is not limited to their books.
Many locations not used in the book are displayed on their website, including several places in Florida (see below) and even in Orlando.
Between the book and the website, you can venture all around the globe and, as Koval likes to say, there’s “no passport necessary.”
A Kinda Cross Country Book Tour
Wally Koval, his wife Amanda, and their popular dog Dexter (who made the back cover of the new book) are on a three-week Kinda Cross Country Book Tour that started on Oct. 23.
Based on the photo below, they are drawing capacity crowds.
Koval told News 6, that RVshare lent them a beautiful vehicle, which is now packed with Wes Anderson signed books, merch, stickers, Adventure Compasses and tons of other goodies.
The Kovals will be leaving items in Little Free Libraries along the way that they will dropping coordinates to on social media.
On their website, they are taking suggestions on where else they should visit in 2025, and for all you Wes Anderson-style photographer hopefuls, Koval said, “Submissions are always open!”
Read by Jeff Goldblum
In a classic example of “saving the best for last,” “AWA Adventures” offers an audiobook version read by the inimitable Jeff Goldblum.
Koval said Goldblum did it as a favor to Wes Anderson.
You can listen to a couple excerpts below.
Win it for penguins
The Kovals are also offering someone a chance to win a trip to Antarctica for an adventure of a lifetime.
There is also a gift shop where you can buy an “AWA” puzzle and other collectibles like beanie caps, stickers, and notebooks.
To watch the exclusive interview with author Wally Koval, click the media player below.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: