Remember the announcement about an "Abe on 66" bookstore in Bloomington, Ill., which specializes in items from Route 66, Abraham Lincoln and "The Wizard of Oz"? It opens Friday. It's at 402 1/2 N. Main St. (map here). However, this excerpt from the Bloomington Pantagraph's story troubled me: Initial store hours at Abe on 66 … Continue reading “Abe on 66” bookstore opens tomorrow
Category: Books
Virtual road trip
Andrew Wood completed a full-length trip of Route 66 a few weeks ago, and he's put his musings and adventures on a Web site here. It's chock-full of good writing and a ton of hyperlinked photos. Be prepared to spend a couple of fun hours on it. Wood, by the way, is the author of … Continue reading Virtual road trip
Upcoming book about Route 66 trip optioned for film
Michael Zadoorian has written a novel about a Route 66 trip, "The Leisure Seekers," that's not going to be published for almost another year, but it's already been optioned for film rights, says the Hollywood Reporter. The project, which has echoes of "The Bucket List" and "About Schmidt," revolves around an elderly couple who, to … Continue reading Upcoming book about Route 66 trip optioned for film
Michael Martin Murphey to perform benefit for Route 66 center
Michael Martin Murphey, best-known for his hits "What's Forever For" and "Wildfire," will perform a solo show in the historic Armory building in Chandler, Okla., at 7 p.m. Sunday, reports the Tulsa World. General admission tickets are $20 each, with reserved seating $30 each. All proceeds will go toward the Route 66 Interpretive Center, which … Continue reading Michael Martin Murphey to perform benefit for Route 66 center
Route 66 historian’s book about Pete Seeger reissued
David King Dunaway, a professor at the University of New Mexico, has done a lot of historic research about Route 66 and helped others do the same with his oral history workshops. He also produced the excellent the "Across the Tracks: A Route 66 Story" for radio. We've met Dave at just about every significant … Continue reading Route 66 historian’s book about Pete Seeger reissued
Book details Ash Fork’s history
Using the recent release of Marshall Trimble's "Images of America: Ash Fork" by Arcadia Publishing as a jumping-off point, the Prescott (Ariz.) Daily Courier also does a pretty good job of laying out the Route 66 town's history. You'd be hard-pressed to find a burg with as much bad luck as Ash Fork: But within … Continue reading Book details Ash Fork’s history
Book review: “Time of Triumph”
"Time of Triumph" helps answer one question -- what happened to Ron Chavez when his famed Club Cafe in Santa Rosa, N.M., closed? Club Cafe was best-known for its smiling "Fat Man" logo on Route 66 billboards in New Mexico. Chavez's storytelling was nearly as praised as his down-home New Mexican cooking, and his restaurant … Continue reading Book review: “Time of Triumph”
Book review: “Bunion Derby”
From the When It Rains, It Pours Department: After years of very few volumes about the famed 1928 "Bunion Derby" footrace across America, two remarkably comprehensive books are released three months apart. The first was "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race" by Geoff Williams. The second is "Bunion Derby" (256 pages, University of New Mexico Press, … Continue reading Book review: “Bunion Derby”
Book review: “San Bernardino”
The sprawl in the Los Angeles metro area is so extensive that one is tempted to describe San Bernardino, Calif., as simply one of its many suburbs. It may surprise some that San Bernardino was founded in 1810 and was incorporated just three years after the City of Angels. With more than 200,000 people, San … Continue reading Book review: “San Bernardino”
San Bernardino’s past detailed in book
Steven Shaw has turned his collection of 700 vintage postcards into a book about the history of San Bernardino, Calif. About 225 of the postcards were used in the Arcadia Publishing book titled "San Bernardino," which comes out Monday, reports the San Bernardino County Sun. Shaw told the Inland Press-Enterprise something interesting about preservation: "Everybody … Continue reading San Bernardino’s past detailed in book