Monday, September 10, 2012

Route 66 Travel Books

EZ 66 Guide for Travelers
2nd Edition
by Jerry McClanahan
National Historic Route 66 Federation, 2008
Frequently updated

This one has to be my favorite.  The spiral binding allows the book to be folded for easy use when traveling.  The author personally researched entire Route 66 and points out towns, points of interest, a bit of history, museums, and other great oddities of the old highway.  This book and its Dining & Lodging companion listed below are a great set for your Route 66 adventure.



National Historic Route 66 Federation Dining & Lodging Guide
14th Edition
Los Angeles, 2008

Updated frequently.  A quick guide to places to eat and sleep along the Route.  Divided by locations.  Spiral bound for easy reading when traveling.



Route 66 Quick Reference Encyclopedia
by Drew Knowles
Santa Monica Press, 2008

A thin, tall book with small pictures, and points of interest listed by localities.  It briefly describes towns, diners, motels, and special attractions.



Route 66 Traveler's Guide and Roadside Companion - Collector's Edition
by Tom Snyder
St. Martin's Griffin, 2000

Contains maps, some photos, plus a few 1930s advertisements for the fun of it.  Mostly it's a handy guide to the Road and the towns you'll encounter all the way.  Handy size.  Information is nicely arranged by locality.




By Motor To The Golden Gate
by Emily Post, edited by Jane Lancaster
McFarland Company Inc. Publishers
Original text, 1916
Introduction and notes, 2004

Not a Route 66 guide book, but a wonderful look at an early 20th century cross-country road trip taken by etiquette expert Emily Post, her cousin Alice Beadleston, and Emily's college son, Edwin "Ned" Post, who served as their chauffeur.  Many of the highways they traveled became part of the Mother Road a decade later, or were very close to the as yet unplanned Route.



Haunted Route 66
Ghosts of America's Legendary Highway
by Richard Southall
MJF Books, 2013

A fun book of 66 hauntings listed by state, then by city/town along the old highway.



Murder on Route 66
Edited by Carolyn Wheat
Berkley Prime Crime, The Berkley Publishing Group, 1999

Fiction. Short stories. Various authors.
People traveling Route 66 encounter mysteries and murder along the way.
Was also published as an audio recording in 1998.