There have been many books published about Route 66. A simple web search turns up over 50 different non-fiction books with “Route 66” in the title and all that I have checked were published in the last 21 years and nearly all in the last 10 years. In addition there are another ten books that appear to be fiction and perhaps the title comes from the author trying to capitalize on the highway as a setting or backdrop to their novel. There are map sets and calendars and videos listed as well. I think that most of these books were written to enhance the knowledge of Route 66 among us readers. Few of us have the budget to buy every book so where does one begin?
In my opinion the two best Route 66 books are the two earliest comprehensive books published almost twenty years ago: Route 66 by Susan Kelly and Quinta Scott originally published in 1988 and Route 66 The Mother Road by Michael Wallis which followed in 1990. Both books are extremely well-researched and well-written by people who loved and knew the highway’s history. Either book or, even better, both books (there is less overlap than one would expect) will serve as not only an introduction to Route 66 but also a solid history of the old road. I have loaned both of my books out to friends on several occasions.
There have been other comprehensive Route 66 books published since the time of these two. One might think that a book published later would somehow be better. After all, additional research is possible and more facts may be discovered. I have purchased some of these other books and read others and most have excellent photography, illustrations and layout but I think that some have not added much to the history and understanding of Route 66 itself (at least if the reader has already read the two pioneering books mentioned above) and some books have been disappointing to me. One book in particular is so riddled with spelling and factual errors it is remarkable to me that it even got published. Some of these later efforts make the two early books cited above stand out that much more.
One key element of these two early books is the abundance of first person interviews of people who lived and worked on the old road during its developmental years and/or during its later halcyon years. I do not think that either Susan Kelly or Michael Wallis, as talented writers as they are, could duplicate their landmark books today if they were beginning from scratch. The interviews, probably all conducted in the 1980s, made their books so special by giving the reader a real direct feel for the entrepreneurship and life on the old road. The interviewees were mostly in their 60s and 70s and older back then. Now add twenty years to those ages to get to today. Sadly, nearly all of the featured people have left us: Jack Rittenhouse, Gladys Cutberth, Howard Litch, Lucille Hamons, Homer Ehresman, Russell Soulsby, Lillian Redman, Juan Delgadillo, Buster Burris, Bobby Troup, Lyman Riley (Meramec Caverns), Francis Marten (“Our Lady of the Highway”), “Red” Chaney (“Red’s Giant Hamburg”), Will Rogers Jr., etc. And there are countless others mentioned briefly in either book who have surely passed now too. Those interviews and these two books can not be duplicated anymore. The time has passed.
To obtain a first person interview today a writer would have to seek someone who as a child grew up on the old road, although a child would probably recall Route 66 from a different perspective than an adult. Some more contemporary book authors have interviewed the children with success though.
If you are fan of the trading posts and small tourist stops along the western third of Route 66 as I am, I recommend Thomas Repp’s Route 66: Romance of the West. Mr. Repp’s well-illustrated book provides comprehensive stories and histories about what was nearly every small trading post and iconic business that once existed from Moriarty, New Mexico, west into Southern California. The emphasis is on stops in western New Mexico and eastern Arizona, which was the prime region for the ubiquitous “Indian Trading Post”. The book is available from the usual retail and on-line outlets as well as directly from Mr. Repp’s web site here.
If you are Mojave Desert buff and a Route 66 devotee like me, I highly recommend Joe de Kehoe’s The Silence in the Sun. Here are the detailed histories and stories of the development of a number of small settlements and towns in the central Mojave Desert of California. Also of at least the same importance if not more so are the human interest stories that open windows into the lives of early residents in this remote area. Route 66 towns from Siberia and Bagdad in the west to Chambless and Cadiz in the east are covered. Several other settlements south of Route 66 are also explored in detail. The book is available directly from Mr. de Kehoe’s web site here.
Some new Route 66 books that focus on the more contemporary experience of Route 66 are interesting. There are books that feature cooking, motorcycling, and other specific topics. One contemporary Route 66 book that I have enjoyed and can recommend is Drew Knowles’ Route 66 Adventure Handbook.
There have been several guidebooks to Route 66 published in the past twenty years and they have all added value at their time of publication. One problem is that the old road changes frequently and sights and businesses that existed one day may be gone the next. Tom Snyder’s The Route 66 Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion was a pioneering book when it was first published in 1990. A later version is also available. The paperback book includes AAA state strip maps and text that would get the traveler from Chicago to Los Angeles. It did not have a lot of specific detail and I missed some turns and some locations when I used it way back then. I consider it more of an armchair read nowadays that you can enjoy in your home.
Bob Moore and Patrick Grauwels published A Guidebook to the Mother Road in 1994 which established a standard for a useful mile-by-mile guidebook. It was written for east-to-west travel which was troublesome for me half the time but I used my copy for years and a number of trips. A later version co-authored by Mr. Moore is available.
I think that the best overall guide book for most Route 66 travelers today is Jerry McClanahan’s The EZ66 Guide for Travelers. This guide book was published by the National Historic Route 66 Federation originally in 2005 but a new 2nd Edition was published in 2008 incorporating most of the updates known to that time.
The layout of the book makes the instructions easy to follow in either a westerly or easterly direction. The book uses a robust spiral binding that allows it to be laid flat and opened to any page that you want. Being an artist, Jerry has clear and accurate maps and sketches provided in the guide book for every place that you may need them along Route 66. You can buy Jerry’s book from many retail outlets or directly from the Federation here.
Most importantly Jerry is committed to keeping The EZ66 Guide for Travelers updated, regardless of which edition that you have. Here's how it works. You can access Jerry's Route 66 web site here and then click on EZ66 Updates and you'll be taken to web pages where you can print out the updates known to that time. It works for me! Thanks to the internet and Jerry's work, this ongoing support is a major benefit that guide books in the past did not have. They were published once and accurate for that time only and there was no means to refresh them as businesses, conditions, and reference points along the highway changed.
You can find more detail and town and business history in guide books that focus on just one state. A decade ago most of these seemed to have been published in conjunction with the various state Route 66 associations but today it seems that most state guidebooks have been published by knowledgeable experts on their own. The internet web sites run by the various state Route 66 associations have information about the route in their state but as near as I can find, only the Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas Route 66 associations have specific guides or web pages that you can download to your computer and print for free. Jerry's web site provides access to the state Route 66 Associations and other useful web sites in the Links section. I won't repeat them here.
And finally, one more guide book that is really an interesting historical read today. The very first guide book was simply called A Guide Book to Highway 66 and was written and self-published by Jack Rittenhouse in 1946. Mr. Rittenhouse foresaw the increasing migration and travel in the post-War years along US 66 and prepared his book to address those needs. Of course, what existed back then infrequently exists today but surprisingly there are quite a number of old motor courts and buildings cited by Mr. Rittenhouse over sixty years ago that still do. The University of New Mexico Press published "A Facsimile of the 1946 First Edition" (same rough printing quality, illustrations and form factor) and it is still in print today.
Books that feature photographs from Route 66 are always enjoyable. As one who relies totally on my compact camera’s automatic focus and exposure capabilities to get a viewable snapshot, I admire the artistic and technical skill of the photographers working the old road these days. Many of these books focus on the photographs themselves and any storyline is secondary, but there are some exceptions. My favorite books are called Route 66 Lost and Found by photographer Russ Olsen. His angle is to begin with an old postcard or an historic photograph of a particular Route 66 building, business, main street, or intersection, as a “then” image and he pairs it with one of his fine contemporary photographs taken from the same location as a “now” image. If the "then" photograph is a black and white image Russ pairs it with his own black and white "now" photograph. If the "then" photograph is a color postcard Russ pairs it with his own color "now" photograph. Russ always includes a locating map and a short essay on the topic or view that complements the photographic presentation. Russ has two books published now and is working on third volume. You can buy his books at the usual places or purchase an autographed copy from Russ here.
Stunning color photographs of America's old highway culture have always made an impression on me. Clearly many others enjoy these images as well as evidenced by the numerous books and calendars published in the last dozen years or so that feature gorgeous photographic images of our disappearing roadside America. Perhaps fostering this demand is the American Boomers' yearn to visit or at least recall the quieter and more carefree time of their youth. The result of a collaboration of two of the most experienced Route 66 writers and photographers, Jim Ross and Shellee Graham, is a web site featuring their wonderful nostalgic images of Route 66 and other highway roadside locations. Whether historic or whimsical or frequently both, their beautiful photographs evoke a past time in America that we probably all wish we could at least visit once more. Scrolling through the huge catalogue (window shopping is permitted I think) has just got to make anyone smile.