Photographer Edward Keating, who won the Pulitzer Prize for documenting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks in New York City, announced he soon will publish a book of his Route 66 photography he's compiled over the last 17 years. Keating wrote in a Facebook post last week the book, titled "MAIN STRƎƎT," will be published by … Continue reading Pulitzer-winning photographer will publish Route 66 book in the fall
Category: Photographs
Book review: Charles Phoenix’s “Addicted to Americana”
If you wondered whether famed pop-culture enthusiast Charles Phoenix included Route 66 attractions in his latest book, "Addicted to Americana" (180 pages, hardcover, illustrated, Prospect Park Books), all you have to do is glance at its cover. It contains an image of the Desert Hills Motel neon sign in Tulsa and a tepee from one … Continue reading Book review: Charles Phoenix’s “Addicted to Americana”
John Margolies roadside photos now available for download
More than 11,000 photos of roadside America that John Margolies took during a nearly 40-year career now are available for download from the Library of Congress. The archive, which runs from 1972 to 2008, includes nearly 80 photos from Route 66. The entire archive is here; Margolies' Route 66 photos may be found here. You may … Continue reading John Margolies roadside photos now available for download
Book review: “The Route 66 Adventure Handbook” (fifth edition)
Bigger and better. That's the takeaway from Drew Knowles' fifth edition of his "Route 66 Adventure Handbook." Knowles keeps adding new things to new editions of his book, which comes out every five years or so. Knowles' first "Route 66 Adventure Handbook" in 2001 contained 240 pages. Subsequent editions swelled to 272, 384 and 431 … Continue reading Book review: “The Route 66 Adventure Handbook” (fifth edition)
“The Allure of Route 66”
Earlier this month, Tulsa photographer and Route 66 enthusiast Rhys Martin gave this presentation at Tulsa's Central Library as part of the "Travels with Tulsans" series. He was limited to 45 minutes for his presentation. For the benefit of people who couldn't attend it, Martin recorded it for posterity. https://youtu.be/7s8DcaPe-1g Forty-five minutes sound like a … Continue reading “The Allure of Route 66”
A collage of images from West Texas
This stunning video features the images of Wyman Meinzer, the official photographer for the state of Texas, and the music of Doug Smith. The images don't strictly come from Route 66 -- although Palo Duro Canyon State Park south of Amarillo is a common side trip -- but they're fairly typical from what you might encounter … Continue reading A collage of images from West Texas
Route 66 motel photos from 1970s shown by California gallery
Plenty of photographers have documented old motels along Route 66 in the past 20 years. However, a new exhibit, "Route 66 Motels" at the Joseph Bellows Gallery in La Jolla, California, shows images more than 40 years old. The images predate even Quinta Scott's valuable "Along Route 66" images from the late 1970s through the 1980s. … Continue reading Route 66 motel photos from 1970s shown by California gallery
Book review: “Route 66: A Trail of Tears”
This isn't a Route 66 nostalgia book. "Route 66: A Trail of Tears" (514 pages, soft cover, self-published) offers vivid evidence why some people regarded the highway with anguish and dread during its heyday. Historian Barry Duncan compiled hundreds of black-and-white photographs of accidents along a stretch of the Mother Road in southwest Missouri from the 1950s to the 1970s. The … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66: A Trail of Tears”
A sample of a treasure trove of photos
This new video features a collection of photos taken during the early 1980s by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation along NW 39th Street from Oklahoma City to the suburb of Bethany, before U.S. 66 become decommissioned. According to Rachel Mosman, a photo archivist at the Oklahoma Historical Society, the photos were animated by J.A. Pryse into a video. https://youtu.be/mvcUHhXO9ts In … Continue reading A sample of a treasure trove of photos
Book review: “Route 66 Crossings”
Because so many Route 66 books have entered the marketplace over the past three decades or so, one initially wonders why Jim Ross' new volume about historic bridges on the Mother Road hasn't been done before. But as one dives deep into "Route 66 Crossings" (hardback, 200 pages, color photographs, University of Oklahoma Press, $29.95), becomes clear why … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 Crossings”