Books review: “Yesterday’s Highways” and “America’s First Highways”

Prolific author Stephen H. Provost this spring released two books barely two months apart about the early history of American roads and the so-called golden age of U.S. highways. “America’s First Highways” delves into the pre-1926 era when the nation’s main roads — including a precursor to Route 66 — were named and not numbered. … Continue reading Books review: “Yesterday’s Highways” and “America’s First Highways”

A preview of Michael Wallis’ Lincoln Highway book

Road warrior and author Brian Butko dropped me a note Friday, telling me that he has received a cover image of Michael Wallis’ upcoming book, “The Lincoln Highway: From Times Square to the Golden Gate.” The cover is shown below: There’s no set release date for the book, except it’ll be out this summer. It’s … Continue reading A preview of Michael Wallis’ Lincoln Highway book

Book review: “The Big Roads”

Many Route 66 fans loathe to give much thought to interstate highways. However, to understand the history of the Mother Road, one must also understand the history of the superslabs. That’s where Earl Swift’s new book, “The Big Roads” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 376 pages, $27, e-book available), comes in. Subtitled “The Untold Story of the Engineers, … Continue reading Book review: “The Big Roads”