More than three decades after Route 66 went by the wayside, so to speak, it remains a nostalgic signifier of a 50-year period when cross-country travel was synonomous with meeting interesting characters, absorbing marvelous new sights, and stopping to check the oil along the way. In this colorful biopic of the "Mother Road," author Tim Steil retraces the wandering path of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica, returning home with a scrapbook of new color photography and evocative period imagery profiling businesses and attractions that continue to operate alongside Route 66 despite the demise of the legendary two-lane. The result is a unique look at motels, service stations, restaurants, truck stops, and museums, and the colorful folks who continue to whittle out a livelihood along Route 66 despite the death of the road trip as spelled out by the vapor trails overhead.

Route 66 (Enthusiast Color)

Arts & Photography

Steil, Tim

Photography & Video

Voyageur Press

Once an integral part of daily American life, the traditional full-service gas station has given way to sterile convenience stores with automated, pay-at-the-pump service. Fortunately, memories of old service stations live on in this entertaining book filled with original period color images, as well as modern color shots of surviving filling stations. Readers will witness eccentric and wacky station styles, including airplanes, teepees, windmills, petrified trees, railroad tanks cars, icebergs, and more. Author Tim Steil also examines the role of the automobile and filling station in American society, from the earliest days in the 1910s through the end of the service station era in the 1970s.

Fantastic Filling Stations

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Antiques & Collectibles

Motorbooks Intl

Stretching from New Orleans to the U.S.-Canada border in Grand Portage, Minnesota, U.S. Highway 61 - like its east-west counterpart Route 66 - is a dying vestige of a time when two blacktop lanes represented the zenith of cross-country highway travel. Unlike Route 66, however, a strong case can be made that Highway 61 - running 1,699 miles through the gut of the nation - is a much truer cross-section of American heritage and geography. From the Deep South, steeped in the tragic legacy of slavery and the magic of rhythm and blues, to the lily-white North Shore of Lake Superior, inhabited largely by the descendants of Scandinavian immigrants, this evocative and artfully executed celebration of Highway 61 is organized as a "road trip" book in three acts: 1) Louisiana to Memphis, 2) Memphis to Wisconsin, and 3) Wisconsin to Canada. As such, it provides an unprecedented and visually intense look at the road's past and present, tying into the people associated with the cities and towns along the way (Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, Elvis), the literary locales (Mark Twain's Hannibal, Mo.), its proximity to historic sites (Vicksburg), and less-famous but nevertheless interesting folks (Supa-Chikan, a folk artist/musician who builds guitars from 5-gallon gas cans). Each of the eight states through which 61 passes is represented.About the Author:Tim Steil has worked as a reporter in radio, television, and print for almost 20 years, including stints with the Chicago Tribune, Daily Southtown, and numerous national magazines. He is also the author of MBI's Route 66 and Fantastic Filling Stations.

Highway 61 Revisited: 1,699 Miles from New Orleans to Pigeon River

Revisit the roadside glory of a bygone era filled with custom cars, neon-trimmed motels and quaint restaurants. Relive the reign of the drive-in restaurant, a true American icon. Then cruise down Route 66 which, even years after its decommissioning, stays alive with a variety of unique attractions. Stocked with memorabilia, full-color photography and cultural history, Classic Roadside Americana is sure to take you for a trip down memory lane. It combines Michael Karl Witzel's Drive-In Deluxe (ISBN 0760302111) and Tim Steil's Route 66 (ISBN 0760307474) into one value-priced hardcover book.

Classic Roadside Americana

Witzel, Michael Karl

Crestline Pub Co

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Steil, Tim. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Steil, Tim

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Steil, Tim. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Route 66 (Enthusiast Color)

Fantastic Filling Stations

Highway 61 Revisited: 1,699 Miles from New Orleans to Pigeon River

Classic Roadside Americana