If you want to know what it's like to run a motel on the Mother Road, Debra Whittington's "2 for $6 on Route 66" provides a vivid glimpse. Specifically, the book (140 pages, self-published, soft cover, $10) offers a glimpse from behind the desk of the now-gone Pony Soldier Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The Whittington … Continue reading Book review: “2 for $6 on Route 66”
Category: Books
Ed Ruscha to be named Oklahoma Cultural Treasure
Ed Ruscha, a trailblazer of the Pop Art movement whose photography of gas stations along Route 66 helped jump-start his career, will be named the 12th Oklahoma Cultural Treasure during the Governor's Arts Awards on Dec. 2. Ruscha is the first such Oklahoma Cultural Treasure honoree since historian John Hope Franklin in 2004, reported The Oklahoman … Continue reading Ed Ruscha to be named Oklahoma Cultural Treasure
“Father of Route 66: Cy Avery”
Author Susan Croce Kelly began her "Father of Route 66: Cy Avery" presentation during the Miles of Possibility Conference in Edwardsville, Illinois, by imagining what would have happened if Edwardsville hosted a good-roads conference 100 years ago. The city, which had about 5,000 residents, probably would have drawn a number of attendees well beyond the town's … Continue reading “Father of Route 66: Cy Avery”
“Route 66 in Illinois”
The "Route 66 in Illinois" presentation by Joe Sonderman and Cheryl Eichar Jett -- who co-wrote a book by the same name -- during the Miles of Possibility conference in Edwardsville, Illinois, contained a few tidbits of information even veteran roadies might not have known, such as: An explosion in 1942 at the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant … Continue reading “Route 66 in Illinois”
Book review: Lonely Planet’s “Route 66 Road Trips”
You know the renaissance of Route 66 has become a global phenomenon when the biggest travel guidebook publisher, Australia-based Lonely Planet, released its first guidebook on the Mother Road this year. With that in mind, one should consider "Route 66 Road Trips" (128 pages, soft cover, illustrated color) as an appetizer designed for an international audience, not … Continue reading Book review: Lonely Planet’s “Route 66 Road Trips”
Wife of Chicago Route 66 researcher David Clark dies
Carol Krohn, the wife of longtime Chicagoland Route 66 researcher David Clark, died at age 56 in early September of a cardiac arrest after she endured several other serious health problems, Clark said during a recent Facebook post. Clark concluded in a post Friday: My life partner left me at 7:45 a.m. on September 4th, … Continue reading Wife of Chicago Route 66 researcher David Clark dies
Many of the “66 bookstores on Route 66” aren’t on 66
A recent Associated Press article reported about used bookstores along Route 66. Specifically cited in the article are 5th Street Books in Kingman, Arizona; Downtown Books and The Book Case in Albuquerque; Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, California; and Selected Works Used Books and Sheet Music in Chicago -- all of which are on Route 66 … Continue reading Many of the “66 bookstores on Route 66” aren’t on 66
Book review: “The Trip”
A trip on Route 66 often changes the life of the person taking that journey. Andy Warhol's trip from New York City to Los Angeles in 1963 -- much of it on 66 -- probably didn't change his career, but it accelerated it into him becoming a Pop Art icon. Deborah Davis makes the case about … Continue reading Book review: “The Trip”
“Greetings from Coldwater” novel is available
This isn't going to be a book review, because I'm married to the author and am understandably biased. Regardless, Route 66 fans likely will be interested to know of the publication of Emily Priddy's first novel, "Greetings from Coldwater," set on Route 66 in the fictional town of Coldwater in eastern New Mexico. Print and … Continue reading “Greetings from Coldwater” novel is available
Book review: “Waldmire”
It seems a bit odd to call William Crook Jr.'s publication about his memories of the life of Bob Waldmire a book, as it's a slim 28 pages and staple-bound. Regardless, "Waldmire" (subtitled "An Artist's Life on Route 66") contains details about the hippie, environmentalist and Route 66 artist that might have escaped those who even … Continue reading Book review: “Waldmire”