Route 66: The Mother Road 75th Anniversary Edition

And really great photos. Lots of detail, too.

I've driven the route from Chicago to Santa Monica, and I loved the trip and hope to make it again soon. One trip on the Mother Road, and it becomes part of you. You find yourself driven to learn more and more about this cross-section of the United States, and you end up reading lots of books. This book is the best of them all. Author Michael Wallis is an excellent researcher, and a good author, and his books are a delight to read. - I've also read his book on the Lincoln Highway and another on the Donner Party and their winter crossing of the Sierra.Read this book, drive the highway, and then read the book again. You won't regret it.

This is a great book for just kicking back and taking a virtual ride on Rt. 66. I, myself, have never been down the road as I am an East Coaster and never yet made the western trek to California. However, I always dreamed of doing such in a RV and now I know for sure what road to take.While I have heard of Rt. 66 before, I (never prior to reading this book) knew much about the road. What got me started on Rt. 66. was the fairly recent Disney movie "Cars" (of which I highly recommend seeing). The movie touched upon what Rt. 66 means to America and it's past and also the effects of the Interstate system and I-40 on Rt. 66.The author of the book, Michael Wallis, has a cameo in "Cars" as the voice of the police car. So it was quite obvious to me that if Mr. Wallis' knowledge is good enough for Disney...Well, this made my decision very clear on what Rt. 66 book to purchase.Wallis's knowledge of the road is fantastic and expansive. He takes you from the road's beginnings both literally and historically. You go through each state and further to each town along the route, explaining in detail how the roads beginnings were to how they are today. After reaching California, Wallis then has a dedicated chapter on how a recent movement is presently undergoing to restore Rt. 66. highlighting those business's that remain and new and old attractions to visit.As other reviews pointed out, this book does create a very vivid image in one's mind that does allow you to virtually go down Rt. 66. It is a great 'primer' for those who want to brush up on thier Rt.66 history and also gives you a good idea of places to visit once you plan a trip on the historic road.Created in sections by state, you can either choose to go through the book front to back as I have or choose to reach each state in more detail. Everything is here.The only gripe I would have with the book is that while it is an excellent historical document on Rt. 66, I was hoping that key places would be easier to find and laid out more like a reference book. This way I could easily look up attractions in each state and see how they were and how they are now. I am assuming I would get this wish by buying Russ Olsen's "Route 66: Then and Now" book.As for traveling, I know I would want a quick reference. If you are traveling Route 66, using this book as a reference will have you fumbling through pages. So this book is best read BEFORE one takes on the trip. For the road trip itself I was recommended "Route 66 Adventure Handbook" by Drew Knowles and also the "EZ66 guide for travlers" by Jerry McClanahan. (I have still yet to read these). From what I gathered by other reviewers these two books supplemented with Wallis's book would give anyone everything they would need to know about Rt. 66.So bottom line, for overall history and just about everything you need to know about Rt 66. while taking a virtual tour of the road, well, this is it. This is where this book shines. A fantastic book best read from cover to cover.However for a quick reference to take on an actual Rt. 66 road trip, that is where this book falls short. There are probably better sources for that task.Overall a great buy for the price and it would make a great addition to anyone's American history library and it would also make a great coffee table book (especially if they made a hardcover edition).

I guess this book isn't really meant to be read straight through. It would make a great coffee table book. There's a lot of good information is the book. But the elongated size makes it hard to handle. The author also includes sidebar stories that jump from page to page. So you are reading along and have to decide to skip ahead to finish the sidebars or stick with the main narrative. It would be fine on your coffee table. It would be fine to take along on a Route 66 roadtrip and use it as a guide. The photos are great. The research is thorough.

The book is well written. The pictures and information are very interesting. If you're interested in the history of Route 66 this is the book.

I originally bought this book at a Route 66 museum in Oklahoma 2007. I thought it was available digitally so I donated it but turns out it was not available digitally so I had to buy it again - and I didn’t mind, that’s how much I liked this book.

This book was one of the inspirations for the Disney/Pixar movie "Cars," which was a cute bit of fun. This book was revealing and thoroughly enjoyable as a bit of heart-tweaking nostalgia. I became interested in pre-Interstate maps years ago and began collecting as much as I could about what US highways were like before the advent of the National Interstate System. This book will make you want to get away from the boringly hypnotic drives on the interstates, and take a few old highways and byways to see some things from days gone by, interact with small towns that grew up along these highways other than seeing the names as exit signs on the Interstate. This book contains a wealth of information about Route 66, and makes a very good introduction to a study of that road, and could inspire one to look at other old Federal highways that have seen much better days.

I just took a trip outwest and traveled the interstate but took some exits that led me to parts of Route 66..and I just recently watched a Route 66 DVD that featured a tour of Route 66 and some interviews with the author of this book, Michael Wallis.. So when I got this book I was eager to read it and I thoroughly enjoyed it... The copy I got was published in 1990 I believe but that doesn't matter... its loaded with interesting stories of the history and culture of Route 66 and also photographs of places along the way. I highly recommend it...

This is a really nice detailed book about the history of Route 66. It's packed with pictures and details about destinations on the route. I'm planning a trip to drive Route 66 and wanted a bit more than just a map, I wanted to know a little more about the history before heading there and this was ideal. It's nice to dip into to read a little more every now then.

Fascinating history of Route 66. The best parts are the old photographs and personal memories from those interviewed. I'd take a star off for the inconvenient shape of the book (far too wide and floppy to hold comfortably) but I suppose it was necessary to display the photographs in detail.

It bought back memories of the tour I did of 'Route 66'.

As I went on a coach trip on parts of route 66 I thought I would get a book about it ,its a good read

Excellent book, great value for money, good companion fir the route, good size pictures