Route 66 (Enthusiast Color) [Paperback]

Tim Steil (Author)

Book Description

Series: Enthusiast Color | Publication Date: August 15, 2000

More than three decades after Route 66 went by the wayside, so to speak, it remains a nostalgic signifier of a 50-year period when cross-country travel was synonomous with meeting interesting characters, absorbing marvelous new sights, and stopping to check the oil along the way. In this colorful biopic of the "Mother Road," author Tim Steil retraces the wandering path of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, returning home with a scrapbook of new color photography and evocative period imagery profiling businesses and attractions that continue to operate alongside Route 66 despite the demise of the legendary two-lane. The result is a unique look at motels, service stations, restaurants, truck stops, and museums, and the colorful folks who continue to whittle out a livelihood along Route 66 despite the death of the road trip as spelled out by the vapor trails overhead.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"What sets this apart is the great narrative writing of Tim Steil...he bares his soul. You won't be dissapointed." -- Route 66 Magazine, Summer 2001

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (August 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760307474
• ISBN-13: 978-0760307472
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Americana

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Drunken toothless rednecks who would gladly cut your throat...", September 18, 2010

By 

Pond Frog (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Route 66 (Enthusiast Color) (Paperback)

Yes, these are the words of this author in this book. Extremely disappointed, but giving it a star for the photography. The author seems to have gone into this project with profound stereotyping and prejudice propaganda of the people he would meet throughout the Midwest. That is the only way I could explain the things he writes about.

As you move along through the book, there are more references to the people in these historical, meaningful old route 66 towns and cities that devalue and degrade them. He would have you believe that you are going to encounter people curbside "selling Nazi flags" along the way. Never mind the wonderful shops, native crafts, and exceptional people you will meet. Even bringing up Timothy McVeigh (Please check this books own index here on Amazon to verify this.), who I'm pretty sure no one that is purchasing a book on Route 66 is even remotely interested in. He even takes a shot at their Christian religion by calling a cross on the side of the road commercialism.

This is just a sad little book with a big "chip on the shoulder" agenda. Not the book you are looking for.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A must have", November 16, 2001

By 

Automotive Mileposts - See all my reviews

This review is from: Route 66 (Enthusiast Color) (Paperback)

Route 66, by Tim Steil, is a trip in present, but a journey back in time. There was a day and age when Route 66 was the heartbeat of the Western half of the United States. Unlike its predecessor the Lincoln Highway, Route 66 was modern road made offering fast travel from Chicago to Los Angeles for both automobiles and trucks. Because of the limitations of vehicles of the 1930's through the early 1960's, the road was lined with repair shops, cafes, motels and scenic wonders that range from simple statues or absurd monuments.

More than any other highway, Route 66 has a history and an allure that never ceases to draw the adventurous to it. These days traveling on Route 66 is sort of like visiting a huge living museum of automobile Americana. Steil, aided by photographer Jim Luning, take the journey and give their vision to this long familiar story. The nice part about this book is that MBI, the publisher, chose to offer it as part of the inexpensive Enthusiast Color Series rather than an expensive coffee table book. You can easily take this book with you for easy reading along the way and without taking up too much space at lunch counter. This was a good choice on their part and is sure to make give this book a long sales life.

The author is accurate in his descriptions and the photographer's keen eye caught quite a few features of Route 66 that have not appeared in other publications. Truckers are big part of this story, in fact the famous Dixie Truckers Home in central Illinois gets good coverage right in the beginning of the book. If the lore and legends of Route 66 are already part of your life, or you would just like a low-cost introduction to this famous highway then Route 66, by Tim Steil is a must have item.
- Gary Bricken

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A joy from beginning to end", February 25, 2002

By 

Automotive Mileposts - See all my reviews

This review is from: Route 66 (Enthusiast Color) (Paperback)

Probably the best book to date on the subject, Route 66 is a joy from beginning to end. Referred to affectionately as The Mother Road, Route 66 was the first highway built for high speed travel in the United States. Due to the reliability of the cars and trucks using this road, it was lined with repair shops, diners, and tourist traps. The photography is excellent and the text is insightful and well written. Travelling from Chicago to Los Angeles via this book is a joy!