Route 66 is 100 years old this year, making the natural human for wander lust more fun, accessible and family friendly. As we celebrate the anniversary of our the Mother Road, here are three random reads for people who love roadside stops and tourist attractions..both new and ancient:
Route 66 A.D.: On The Trail of Ancient Roman Tourist by Tony Perrottet
While many books on Roman history, or even on the wonders of the ancient world are dry reads, Perrottet takes his pregnant girlfriend on a road trip based on a 2,000 + year old guide book and “highway map” he found in the library and reproduced on a scroll. From road, river and sea traveling around Italy, Greece, Egypt and more, Perrottet recreates what the ancients tourists set out to see in a modern day couple’s adventure. And it is really fun read. One of my favorite aspects this book is the tourists’ tendency to bitch about hotels and restaurants is by far not a new or Western Civilization thing. The Romans had their share to say about where they stayed and ate on their journeys. Of course, I don’t recall reading a YELP review complaining about human fingers found in their stew. That’s one you’ll have to read about from the Roman tourist.
National Parks History of WPA Poster Art
This is just a slim little look at some of famous WPA National Parks Service posters, compiled by Deborah T. Zindell and Jeanne-Marie P. Hudson. Since their re-discovery in the 1970s, these posters have become very popular with lovers of art, travel and American history. It is very strait forward: Nice clean examples of both historic and contemporary posters of our nation’s national parks dating back to the establishment of the WPA poster program in 1938. There’s just something about these bold, stylized posters featuring Mount Rainier, the Devil’s Tower, Hawaiian Volcanoes or the Statue of Liberty that remind us there are still so many wonderful things here in the United States to see and explore.
Roadside America: A Road Trip Through America’s Past by John Margolies
You need at least one big, old tacky coffee table book if you’re talking about roadside attractions, many of which are on Route 66. And this is pretty much just and oversized Taschen book featuring Margolies’ photos of giant dinosaurs, aging neon signs, mimetic architectures (aka buildings shaped like other things), deserted cool store fronts, and giant Indians, and Muffler Men. In other words, all the weird and wonderful DIY American photo ops we still want to get out and take photos of. If you can’t travel this year, this is a fun armchair way of doing it.
Never lose that thrill of wandering and adventure, even if the only escape we have this year is into a good book.