Customer Reviews

Route 66: The Mother Road

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've always enjoyed 'Road Books' and this has got to be one of the best.Of course we all are familiar with the song "Get your kicks on Route 66" as well as the TV Series;which was a long time ago and to me is lost in the fog of the past.I've always had it in the back of my mind to "do" Route 66,all the way from Chicago to the coast,so when I saw this book,I just had to pick it up and read it.It is an extremely good read,with a large number of great photos.I don't think it is possible to do a book like this without including all the pictures.The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words certainly applied here.Until I read this book I had no idea of the lore and interest that so many people have about this road.I get the feeling there is nothing short of many thousands who make it a hobby in itself.Just for fun, I did a search on Amazon for Route 66,without specifying an author, and it turned up 193 items--wow!Every type of book imaginable,postcards,cook books,guides,maps;you name it,and its there to be had.
I guess this book must be one of the best since it was listed first.
My only experience with Route 66 was about 20 years ago when I visited Meramec Caverns in Stanton,Mo.While the book is excellent,I fear the trip,if taken now,would be somewhat disappointing,as it appears that so much has fallen victim to the ongoing march of "progress".However,I am sure there is still lots to explore and experience;particularly if one studies up on it and takes time to dig out the relics of the past.Then again,anytime one gets off the Interstates and takes time to observe while travelling the "back roads"there is lots to find and great people to talk to.Route 66 should still be no different.

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).

Wallis is a skillful storyteller who brings this highway alive! He ignites in the reader the desire to travel the road & get to know the cast of characters who live & work on the shoulders of Rt 66. Lots of great memories for baby boomers who took family driving vacations. The book reminds us that so much of what we love about America; the "mom & pop" businesses, the quirky tourist attractions and the good people are still out there, waiting to be rediscovered on Route 66.

This is an excellent tape, with its narration by the author. I have listened to this book while travelling Route 66, and it really makes for excellent driving/listening! Sound quality is excellent; the abridgment does not compromise the book at all. Wallis really knows the road and its people, and his narration brings the book to life.

I read Wallis' original book some years ago and now he has offered us an update. It is now 75 years since the highway numbering system went into effect, and more than ten years since the original book came out. What we get is an extra chapter in the back outlining some of the many changes that have occured in the past decade. Some old friends of the road have passed away; and a whole lot of new ones added. One gripe. We don't hear how Angel and Juan in Seligman are doing these days. Experienced 66 hands will know who I mean--the rest of you, make sure you find out about those two fine gentlemen. This, new, book will help you on your way. Highly recommended.

2006--I should mention that Juan Delgadillo, the "Juan" in my review, passed away Summer 2004. Regrets. He seemed like such a genuine character.

Between about 1958 and 1963, I was lucky enough to drive the western portion of Route 66 twice in each direction. (From about Tulsa, Oklahoma to its terminus at Santa Monica, California) Today's Interstate Highways have cut the driving time down considerably, but, as this book shows so well, that which has been sacrificed for speed is an experience of place and people that is irreplaceable.

Even today, when I think of Arizona, I can't picture it without the series of Jack Rabbit signs along westbound Route 66. As I remember them, the first inkling of things to come was a small sign along the roadside with a small, black, long-eared jack rabbit on it. No information, just a lonely little jack rabbit. After another 10 miles or so, there was another one, only a little bigger, then another and another, each a little bigger than the previous one. Eventually, you came upon the sign shown on page 186; still just a jack rabbit only much larger, and now with the words, "Next Exit." No other words, just "Next Exit." Finally, one last sign as shown on page 187, this one billboard size, a huge black jack rabbit and the words "HERE IT IS." Then "IT" came into sight: The Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, AZ, as shown on pages 186-187. A huge Jack Rabbit stood on the roof. After having your curiosity piqued for a hundred miles or so, how could you not stop? This is the kind of memory that is brought back by the illustrations on almost every page of the book.

With a State by State rundown, and with multiple pictures, reproductions of old postcards, photographs of both ruins of and still standing motels, gas stations, and cafes, and interviews with some of the "characters" who populated and had businesses on the Mother Road, this book would seem to have something for anyone who ever drove along old Route 66, or who would like to know what traveling was like in the days when there really was something new and different around every curve in the road.

A really fantastic book that tellsthe story of this famous road. It'svery well written and the images arewhat I remember as a child riding inmy father's '41 Cadillac with a canvas water bag on the front of the car and a swamp cooler hooked to thepassenger window. Tulsa to Los Angeles was our route on Route 66.Michael and Suzanne Wallis really know their stuff!

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.

It was a very helpful book it was great on the trip. Almost gave you too much information, but that was ok, you could select what you wanted to see or not see. Easy to use.

While interesting and informative, this book tends to ramble without really giving you a tight narrative of a trip on "The Mother Road". While perhaps appropriate given the disjoined nature of todays remnants of the famous road, I would like to have seen the state by state commentary accompanied by a start-then-now map of the road with the highlights/attractions indicated and located.

It is none-the-less an interesting and reasonably well illustrated book