Ghost Towns of Route 66 Hardcover – June 6, 2011

This is a great book for the "armchair traveler", OR, someone who is actually planning to take a "Slow Ride" down the ole Mother Road. Descriptions are sparse, BUT, there are just enough directions so you actually can find stuff. I'm doing the Illinois portion of the book this summer. The only other comment I can make is that I wish they would have just listed NON "Ghost Towns" that are near the deserted places. Atlanta, ILLINOIS has an amazing "REAL" Route 66 experience just waiting for anyone to LIVE the dream. Places like The Palms Grill Café (since 1934). NO "poodle skirts", or pictures of hot rods. Honest "Blue Plate Specials" like in the REAL days of Route 66. It's also a restored Former Greyhound Bus Stop.Buying this book from Goodwill was the best way to go. I have always gotten GREAT books, CD's and the like from the Amazon Goodwill sellers. It's ALWAY been clean, almost new, odor and smoke free merchandise.WILL BUY AGAIN! (Oh, and if your thinking of "doing" Route 66, DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOUR EXCUSES CATCH UP WITH YOU! DO IT NOW! EARTHLY "TOMORROW" IS PROMISED TO NO ONE!)

I recently spotted this book at our local public library, and quickly realized that I had to have a copy of my own. I have driven Route 66 and have read many books about the trips of others. This is the best book I have yet read about Route 66. It is also one of the most important. It is important because we should always remember the small towns and villages that served the needs of the Route 66 traveler. When the traffic on 66 ended, so did their very existence. Yes, the book is sometimes sad, but it also shows restorations in contrast to the ruins. The books also shows "then and now" comparisons for these ghost towns. The photography by Mr. James is memorable, and Mr. Hinckley writes briefly about how these towns rose, before their fall. Five stars isn't enough for this book.

This is a great book about the Mother Road but there is a sadness to it also. The text is interesting and the photos are quite good. The sadness comes when you think about how these towns must have been in their heydays and see what they are now. Amazing what damage is caused when towns are bypassed by interstates. Reading about these towns makes you mourn a simpler, slower-paced time. The roadside attractions that ranged from the beautiful to the bizarre all had their appeal. I guess it's a shame that they couldn't have both an interstate for those in a hurry and an intact Route 66 for a more leisurely and interesting drive. This book gets you thinking about all that. Well done.

I'm a fulltime RVer, travel all over the country, and spend time on Route 66 whenever I can. The thing I really like about this book is that it includes both the pre and post alignments of 66 and tells me how to get to any town, ghost or not, that still is in existence. It's a great reference book in addition to being interesting and well written and I have purchased additional copies to give to fellow travelers. Highly recomended.

You won't find these places by following the rare pieces of Route 66 that still show up as access roads to the (new) main highway. You have to use maps that show the original Route 66. Warning: When you get to Manta Monica, there are signs that lead you through town, to a parking lot, onto Muscle Beach--and straight into the Pacific Ocean! Recommendation: Stop in the parking lot. Route 66 rose as the fortunes of my family fell during the Depression; as the world slowly recovered from Depression, the eventual end of Route 66 became clear. Some of my family returned on Route 66 while others stayed. I would love to take a guided tour from Chicago to Santa Monica!

I purchased this book for my brother. He has quite a collection of Route 66 books and memorabilia. He loves and has visited some the site included in this book.

This is a great book filling a gap in the "what to see" when taking the Route 66 journey. While most books about Route 66 touch on the rapidly disappearing sights on the 'Mother Road', none of them deals with the 'Ghost Town' aspects as well or as completely as 'Ghost Towns'. We have made the entire journey once, and have plans in the works to once again experience the Route. This book is a very welcome addition to our library and will be of great help in helping us focus on, and find, the places we are seeking. We highly recommend this read, whether you plan to take the trip, or just like to read some history of this great, old road.

Book is just a collection of historical references but not organized as a travel guide.

This book was purchased to provide stimulation and accuracy for a hand stitched project. What a joy it is to have found it. A tutor on a stitching course saw me refer to it, only to seize on it lovingly. She had lived in the US for a number of years and went on to explain how well the book had been put together and presented to its readers.The entire work is sensitive to the one-time residents' lives and goes on to include reasons for the towns' demise and development of nearby routes. All photographs included are poignant with images of individual family experiences to community strongholds. Some re full colour, others with sepia tones.I would recommend this book for all Route 66 enthusiasts and those planning routes for their future trip.It could also be presented as a lovely gift too.

Bought this book for my mam for Christmas and I got a surprise at the size of the book for the price 'its a big book'. My mam loves it. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the longest road in the USA. If you are not interested this book is an eye opener.

I did Route 66 with my son a couple of years back and thought this would be a nice book to have - photo's are good but a few important sites left out in my opinion - perhaps I was expecting too much of it.Nice to have but not in any way close to a definative guide.

Gorgeous book. Beautifully bound with fantastic photos. Bought as a gift and he seems to like it too !

Arrived on time and in excellent condition. This book was used as a travel book for a trip on route 66 during the Autumn and proved to be very useful. It is well written and illustrated.