A Guide Book to Highway 66 [Paperback]

Jack D. Rittenhouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1989

This is an exact facsimile of the first guidebook of its kind to the full length of the famous Route 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles. It was first published in 1946. Route 66 is part of American history now, and this guide is useful for those who wish to follow the old road in lieu of driving on the interstate highways that have replaced it.

The book is divided into nine sections, corresponding to the journeys between stops by the average motorist. In addition, this structure makes the book useful to the traveler who wishes to follow only part of old US 66. Rittenhouse includes altitude and 1940 population figures for each town, with information on reliable garages, tourist courts (the forerunner's of today's motels), and other local attractions.

This fascinating piece of Americana recalls a day before the arrival of franchised restaurants and hotels, when travel still held some surprises. Anyone driving in the West or recalling a trip in the good old days will enjoy it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

An exact facsimile of the first guidebook of its kind to the full length of the famous Route 66.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (April 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826311482
• ISBN-13: 978-0826311481
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Tourist Destinations & Museums
  • #99 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > United States > Regions > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful artifact of the dawn of automobile travel, August 4, 2000

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Guide Book to Highway 66 (Paperback)

This reproduction of the original 1946 guide to Route 66 is an invaluable companion for any trip on the Mother Road. Not only does it give you a feel for what the road was like at the dawn of America's love-affair with automobile traffic, but it gives you a feel for the psychology of those pioneers who attempted to drive the Route.

While we're now accustomed to well-marked Interstates with easily located on and off ramps, early cross-country routes were less highway and more stitched and patched collections of local roads, filled in with connectors and dotted with small towns. The map was, in essence, the route itself. Following these early routes was not trivial, and drivers had to take caution not to find themselves stranded without food, lodging or fuel.

Rittenhouse's guide was the first comprehensive effort to assuage fears of long-distance car travel, and provide a mile-by-mile guide to services and sights along Route 66. While most of the sites (and most of the services) he documents are long-gone, the sense of wonder that is Route 66, and the thrill of coasting into the cities through which it threads, remains fully intact. No one should drive Route 66 without a copy of this in the glove box. Doing so would rob your of a good deal of the road's history.

Note to West Coasters: though the book is arranged from Chicago to LA, it can just as easily be read backwards for the Eastbound trip.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous read and a better drive!, July 24, 2000

By 

"starsapphire" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide Book to Highway 66 (Paperback)

This book reads like a good fireside friend, or an uncle, or even Tom Snyder in his famous Roadside Companion. It's a wonderful spin back in time to the period just before "Getting your kicks" became the American pastime, and provides a postcard view of the towns, cities and countryside that was America not so long ago. As an 8-time veteran of Route 66 roadtrips (and all within the last 5 years), I have to admit I'm chomping at the bit to get back out on the road and try to find traces of some of the landmark places and hamlets Rittenhouse has recorded in this highly usable travel guide. Kudos to the U of New Mexico Press for reissuing this book as a facsimile of the original (no updates save for a warm intro to the new edition by the author himself!), and doing so at a very accessible price point. A must have for any 66 roadie's collection.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun historical kitsch guide, June 22, 2005

By 

Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Guide Book to Highway 66 (Paperback)

The road out west from Chicago to LA can be tedious at times, and this cheap and fun little guide was a great way to pass the time. It's an exact reprint of the 1946 first edition about HIghway 66. I was able to call out towns and gas stations that were now in a shambles or abandoned on the side of the road. Fun book, right price, and it made my trip more interesting.