Legendary Route 66: A Journey Through Time Along America's Mother Road is an amazing homage to the historic American highway called Route 66.  Through an unprecedented collection of never-before-seen color and black and white images, follow the evolution of Route 66 from the early days of the trails to the era of the superhighway bypass.

Route 66 began in the heartland and originally ended in Los Angeles (not, contrary to myth, at the Pacific ocean).  It carried truckers crossing the country, Okies fleeing the ravages of the Dust Bowl, and vacationers seeking the sun. It was Americas Main Street, the Mother Road, the Will Rogers Highway, and, at its most dangerous curves, Bloody 66.

“Get your kicks on Route 66” with this wonderfully illustrated tribute to the best-loved highway in this car-loving nation.  Michael Karl Witzel and co-author Gyvel Young-Witzel share their expertise and wealth of personal, archive, collector, and contributing photographer images in these pages, offering a nostalgic tour of the charms and oddities of this road through American cultural history.

Starting in Chicago and running to Santa Monica, this unique book highlights the sights along the highway with historic and current photos in then-and-now pairings, and includes Route 66 postcards, road signs, trinkets, maps, brochures, and advertisements.  Here we see legendary 66 as it was in its heyday and as it is now, the neon glamour of yesterday versus the ghost towns of today.

Witzel and Young recount the highways history, its role in popular culture, and its demise—as well as the individual stories of famous sights, roadside attractions, and businesses.  Along the way, interviews and profiles of the people and personalities that breathed life into this highway are also included, offering an unprecedented insight into what it was like to live, work, and play along this great expanse of historic road, this legendary 66.

Authors: Michael Karl Witzel and Gyvel Young Witzel

Format: Hardbound
Pages: 256
Length: 9.00 w x 12.00 h
ISBN-13: 9780760329788
ISBN: 0760329788
Catalog ID: 144426
Publisher: Vogageur Press