Tucked into this story from the Carthage (Mo.) Press about a Jasper County board meeting was this:
In other business, Gerry “Ringo” Meyer, Shawnee, Kan., spoke with the commissioners about the county buying advertising space and getting involved in a travelogue his company was putting together about Route 66.
He described “Keeping You on the Mother Road” as a 300-page travelogue that was the first of its kind to detail the entire route from Chicago to Los Angeles.
He said it would have chapters about the different states, maps, stories about Route 66 icons and the people who live on the route and advertising by businesses on or near the route.
The commissioners said they would get back to him regarding whether the county could participate.
An Internet search about this travelogue book has been fruitless. Does anyone out there know more about it?
UPDATE: I tracked down Meyer by phone on the road. He said “Keeping You on the Mother Road” will contain a schedule of events, Route 66 maps, directions, stories, photos and histories in full color, magazine-quality paper.
He anticipates distributing the books sometime in early 2010. The minimum print run will be 20,000, although that could rise depending on how much advertising is sold. Longtime Route 66 enthusiast Jim Conkle is writing the introduction for the publication.
In addition to distributing the books at museums, businesses and associations along Route 66, the company has deals with Borders and other major bookstores.
The price of the book, Meyer said, will be $19.66. Advertisers will receive a minimum of 10 free copies.
Blue Valley Inc., which is a longtime publisher of phone directories in Shawnee, Kan., is the publisher. Meyer said the Web site for the “Keeping You on the Mother Road” is motherroadinc.com, although the site wasn’t loading as of Friday morning.
If you are interested in advertising or want more information, you can call Meyer at 785-766-7800 or Dave Emerson at 913-387-6539.
I’ll be eager to see the finished product.