THE BANANA SCULPTOR, THE PURPLE LADY, AND THE ALL-NIGHT SWIMMER

Susan Sheehan and Howard Means. Simon & Schuster, $25 (288p) ISBN 0-7432-0122-1

Lots of people have hobbies--golf, knitting, collecting baseball cards--but the subjects of this lively oral history have bypassed the obvious pursuits. Instead, they collect Noah's arks and Gore Vidal memorabilia, swim the Great Lakes and play competitive tiddlywinks. Sheehan (Is There No Place on Earth for Me?) and Means (Colin Powell: Soldier/Statesman Statesman/ Soldier) interviewed 40 Americans with unusual hobbies. They provide some narrative, but mainly allow their subjects to speak for themselves--and the individuals aren't shy. They hold forth on everything from walking across suspension bridges to having the largest marble collection in the country. Other subjects include a one-handed bonsai gardener, a competitive kite-flying couple and "the Purple Lady," a Tennessee woman named Sonia Young who dresses in purple, lives in a purple-decorated house, drives a purple car and admits "without being the Purple Lady I don't think I have an identity." Some common themes emerge: many refer to their obsessions as life changing; they value the connections they make with kindred spirits or appreciate the relaxation their activity provides; and most find chasing their goal more satisfying than actually completing a collection or setting a record. Although the authors provide no analysis of their topic, the book is an enjoyable read--in short snatches--and offers an unusual insider's look at America's unconventional pastimes. Agents, Robert Lescher and Rafe Sagalyn.