Route 66 100 Years & Illustrated Route 66 Historical Atlas 2 Book Set

Commemorate 100 years of America’s “Mother Road” with this enthralling trip through the past, present, and future of Route 66.

The most iconic road in American history is turning 100. Over the past century, Route 66 has far surpassed its original prosaic purpose as an automotive thoroughfare from Chicago to Los Angeles, becoming a pop culture icon embedded in literature, song, film, and (most significantly) our imagination. It remains so even decades after the Interstate system mostly bypassed it. Route 66: 100 Years offers the ultimate road trip from veteran Route 66 author and historian Jim Hinckley and the expert panel of Mother Road historians assembled for the richly illustrated journey. The book features:

• Essays about the history of Route 66 in each of the eight states through which it passes (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California), written by Route 66 experts from those states
• Period and contemporary photographs of legendary must-see attractions
• Images of memorabilia from throughout ten decades and maps
• Sidebar features, including appearances in popular culture, side trips, sites past and present, strange occurrences, and profiles of the people who continue to make 66 a popular destination for travelers from around the world

The National Register of Historic Places lists more than 250 stops along "America's Main Street." Let Route 66: 100 Years ignite your wanderlust to join the millions of Americans in exploring the locations and embarking on road trips anchored in history and nostalgia. Local experts from each state guide you with boots-on-the-ground knowledge, insights, tips, and more.

Get your kicks on Route 66 like never before!

The definitive, fully illustrated state-by-state atlas of the shifting alignments, historic sites, and current points of interest along the United States' beloved Route 66.

Route 66 changed immensely in the six decades between its opening in 1926 and its removal from the U.S. highway system in 1985. Since that time, Route 66 has enjoyed a renaissance, and interest in America's Mother Road as both a historical byway and a travel destination continues to grow. In this unprecedented volume, prolific Route 66 author Jim Hinckley presents an illustrated Route 66 atlas that explores the road's history from its inception into the present day. The Illustrated Route 66 Historical Atlas features sections on eight U.S. states that include points of interest along or near Route 66, divided into six categories: pre-1926 historic sites (such as Lincoln's home and presidential library); noteworthy landmarks; the locations of infamous crimes and disasters; parks of interest; key sites in Route 66's evolution (such as Hooker's Cut, Missouri, an engineering marvel when completed); military-specific sites (including Civil War battlefields and POW and internment camps); historic attractions from the road's midcentury heyday (such as Little Beaver Town and Geronimo's Trading Post); film-related sites; and locations important to Route 66's modern resurgence. Illustrated with photography and memorabilia, The Illustrated Route 66 Historical Atlas is a unique, colorful, and visually dynamic look at 500 of the Mother Road's most significant sites from the past and today.