Essential Reading
Guidebooks and must-haves before setting out on your own journey
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association Trip Guide
This guide gives clear directions and a brief look at the communities along all 400+ miles of Oklahoma Route 66. Don’t leave home without it!
EZ-66 Guide for Travelers
by Jerry McClanahan
The best turn-by-turn directional guide that covers the entire length of the road. Jerry lives in Chandler and operates an art gallery there - stop by on your trip and he will happily sign your EZ Guide!
Route 66: The Mother Road
by Michael Wallis
To many, this is the book that started the Route 66 renaissance. Written in 1990, the decertification of the road was still fresh. It’s a love letter to the road that was and a story of hope for the road that will be.
Oklahoma Route 66
All books are available through Amazon - and the links here all include an Amazon Smile tie back to the Association to help us continue serving the Mother Road.
Oklahoma Route 66
by Jim Ross
Meticulously researched, this book contains maps, images, and detailed history of Route 66’s path through the Sooner State.
The Father of Route 66: The Story of Cy Avery
By Susan Croce Kelly
There would be no US Highway 66 without Cyrus Stevens Avery of Tulsa. This book tells his story.
Once Upon a Highway: Route 66 in Oklahoma
by John Womack
Over 155 sites along Oklahoma Route 66 are captured in this book by Oklahoma artist John Womack. Some of the scenes drawn and written about are gone today and this remains an important historical record.
Greater Route 66
Want to know more about Route 66? Check out these books to learn all there is to know about the Main Street of America.
Along Route 66
by Quinta Scott
This book celebrated the architecture of the Mother Road circa 2000, before the wave of revitalization really took hold. Today it serves as a time capsule and shows how far the road has come in the 21st Century.
The American Dream?: A Journey on Route 66
by Shing Yin Khor
This graphic novel tells the story of the author and her trip down Route 66 in 20??. It tells the story from an immigrant’s perspective and helps us interpret the road today.
Portrait of Route 66
by Dr. T Lindsay Baker
Dr. Baker pored over postcard archives and tied the final images to the original photographs that served as the model - telling the story of many places along the road and showing the subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes made when it came to advertising.
The Illustrated Route 66 Historical Atlas
by Jim Hinckley
Jim Hinckley has written many books about Route 66, all of them worthwhile. His Illustrated Atlas is a great jumping-off point to get a good picture for the Route 66 experience.
Route 66 Crossings
by Jim Ross
Documents most of the bridges along Route 66, even the ones that have been demolished. Includes terrific photographs and a unique lens of the road’s history.
Secret Route 66: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure
by Jim Ross and Shellee Graham
A guide to some of the road’s more colorful stories and locations.
Miles to Go: An African Family in Search of America along Route 66
by Brennen Matthews
Join Brennen and his family as they explore Route 66 for the first time, bringing an international perspective to the people they meet along the way.
Route 66 in Pictures
Whether it’s historic photos showing what once was or modern-day photographs of how the road has evolved, these books tell the visual story of Route 66.
A Matter of Time: Route 66 Through the Lens of Change
by Nick Gerlich and Ellen Klinkel
A stunning collection of photographs and commentary from across the route.
66 on 66
by Terry Moore
Terry Moore has been taking photographs for decades. This book catalogues some from his journeys and provides a window to the past that is unlike any other.
Route 66: Then and Now
by Joe Sonderman
Joe Sonderman is a passionate roadie and historian from St. Louis. This book is a collection of “before and after” photographs that show how the road has evolved over the last nine decades.