Ghost Towns of Route 66

A great history lesson with some glorious, rich colour photos throughout. As someone who has only travelled a very small amount of the historical Route 66, this had me longing for another road trip across the United States. The author provides some fantastic information about the smallest of small towns along the journey, and there is a ton of reflection to be had here in considering the impact of industrial and online growth on these tiny places. There is a ton of nostalgia in the photographs, as well as a deep melancholy when viewing the beaten and broken down buildings that have succumbed to 'progress'. Really enjoyed this, and would be very interested to read other such books on varied American roads.

My bucket list includes a trip down Route 66. I want to see all the historic sites, the kitschy sites, the abandoned sites. Ghost Towns of Route 66 takes readers on a beautiful, bittersweet journey of once thriving towns on this famous road.

I love this book. The photos are breathtaking! This is a wonderful guide for folks planning a trip down Route 66 or a wonderful (but a little sad) book of memories for those who have already taken that trip.

Get Your Kicks

I drive the California - New Mexico stretch of Route 66 frequently and I'm always happy to see a new book celebrating the highway. This is a fine and interesting, though not definitive, addition to the shelf. Lots of Route 66 books are basically scrapbooks of ephemera - like postcards, old diner menus, and what have you. That's fine. Some are travel journals that tell you way more about the author and his head space than about the Route.

This book is a nice combination of history, remembrance, factoids, and photos. The emphasis on lost sites is especially entertaining because it's the "vanished" part of Route 66 that most grabs my attention. This book has loads of evocative photos of abandoned places and eerie landscapes, and, at least in the southwest, that is possibly the most impressive and memorable lesson to be drawn from a Route 66 drive.

While the book isn't a travel guide in the conventional Fodor's or Frommer's sense it is organized to highlight notable sites as you drive from east to west. It also incorporates excerpts from the famous 1946 Rittenhouse guide, which gives a nice sense of history to the guidebook feel. The level, or depth, of commentary about particular sites varies considerably, and of course there are plenty of locations that don't even get a mention. That said, we do get a fairly evenly spaced out trip along the Route. Our author is congenial, and both informative and engagingly amiable. The tone is just right, and the reader is free to imagine the highway without too much interference from the author.

So, another trip to visit "Mom, (the Mother Road), and a nice bit of historical preservation. This impressed me as an excellent find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

A charming book that looks at, in pictures and words, "ghost towns" along this iconc highway. You'll see vintage pictures and postcards along with color and black-and-white pictures.

I found reading this that I didn't exactly have much of a preconception about Route 66, or if I did it was wrong. Heading west, this book does its best to point out forsaken places, where anything from chance, sheer closeness to a bigger town, a rerouting of the major roads, or even Agent Orange, could all have put paid to success. But I also found this book would defy my own small sense of preconception. I expected a photo essay into decay, where urban explorers could find ruin after abandonment, and people would have to dodge falling-in roofs and lax security to invade and get a sense of what ghosts remained.

Instead, the text is much more fully-fledged than I thought what would just accompany the photos. There is a lot more here of the Civil War history than I might have imagined. There is also reference constantly to a 1946 guidebook, meaning this is a lot more aligned to the Michael Portillo TV programmes we in the UK know of, where he follows his nose and a Victorian-era gazetteer for the train traveller. There are also references to current road numbers, and suggestions, making this again more of a straightforward, serviceable guide to Route 66 than I expected, and not just a quirky memento of the extinct little hamlets and so on that the Route touches on. The only problem then (beyond the obvious quirk of describing anything of two storeys as "towering") is the fact it was written in 2011, and despite gaining a current, 2020 copyright, not appearing to have been changed much, if at all.

This would be an eye appeal for any living room coffee table. The book boasts 60 historic ghost towns along Route 66 as if coasting down this highway alone didn’t have its own appeal. I browsed through the pages taking in some scenic looking pictures and tidbits about the different towns and what they offered. Collectors will love the Route 66 memorabilia through out the pages.

What did I like? Gorgeous pictures with a haunting feeling since most of these places are abandoned and falling down. It’s really sad that more can’t be saved. I kind of wonder who owns all that land these ghost towns are sitting on. This was a unique book and I’m sure anyone who has driven the Route will love a look at the flip side of the attractions of Route 66.

Would I recommend or buy? I would love a copy, it would make for an interesting conversation piece for sure. People who love to seek ghost towns will love all the pictures and fun tidbits. Gas stations seem to be the biggest theme of the book. So for sure ...take a ride through the pages. You won’t regret it!

I received a copy to read and voluntarily left a review.

"If you ever plan to motor west, Travel my way, take the highway that is best. Get Your Kicks on Route 66....." -Bobby Troup.

Ghost Towns of Route 66 by Jim Hinckley takes on on an amazing photographic journey of the history of Route 66. Hinckley manages to paint us a picture of the towns that littered the highway back in the good old day to the point where we can see why Bobby Troup wrote his famous song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66." Essentially, Ghost Towns of Route 66 is a coffee table book, however, it also contains a rich amount of information about the history of each town and the restoration process that they are going through. The photographs themselves are absolutely amazing and to be truthfully honest, a little creepy. It's like everybody just up and left the town and will be back at any moment even though it's been years since anyone has set foot in them, It's sad to see the state of the abandoned towns. However, I am very glad to read about the fact that a lot of them are being restored back to their former glory because of all the new interest about Route 66. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Route 66 or US History. I give this book a four out of five stars.

I am a big fan of old Route 66: I subscribed to the quarterly magazine, I have several books and maps, I have driven most of the Illinois road and various chunks of the rest all the way through California. So I was really looking forward to reviewing “Ghost Towns of Route 66: The Forgotten Places Along America’s Famous Highway” by Jim Hinckley.

Mr. Hinckley does a good job in walking us through the journey, from Chicago to Santa Monica. But unlike other guides, he focuses instead on the lost and abandoned towns and stops along the way, or those that are pretty close to becoming abandoned. Although some directions and suggestions are provided, the focus is on the towns themselves, their histories.

The stories are a bit repetitive, since a common fate seems to have befallen most of the towns: they started out due to some natural resources, they grew and expanded when the railroad came to town, Route 66 services then became the next driver to keep the town alive, the town collapsed once the interstate was built. We see this scenario play out over and over. Comparisons to the 1946 guidebook just keep showing how the interstates ended these small-town businesses.

But don’t get this book for the stories – get it for the pictures. Abandoned and decaying structures, old pictures from a bygone era, nature reclaiming what man has built. Even in the electronic version of the book, the pictures capture the spirit and feeling of the open road, of places now forgotten.

A great addition to the Route 66 library.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Motorbooks / Voyageur Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Beautiful photographs of the (mostly) run-down and neglected buildings that once shone as beacons on Route 66. There are a few that have been restored with a high amount of nostalgia, and the writing is captivating as well. I've never driven down Route 66, and probably never will, but this book takes me there. Thanks for the Road Trip!

I received an advance copy of, Ghost Towns of Route 66, by Jim Hinckley. I love the pictures in the book, I feel like im really there. This book is really informative about the history and ghost stories of, Route 66.

I would have loved to have read this but unfortunately, I could not download the file onto either my computer or my kindle. Great concept for a book though and I will look out for it on release date for a physical copy.

From Illinois to California, the Ghost Towns of Route 66 span the entire left half of the United States.

With plenty of pictures, this book emphasizes the chutzpah of the past facing the modernization of the future. Realistically, how would the country move all the trucks of food and other commodities we currently have over the two-lane Route 66?

Even so, it is heartbreaking to see entire towns just die from disuse. At least in California, the old route is frequently repaved. However, it is rare to see more than a few tourists and motorcyclists on its abandoned sections.

The Ghost Towns of Route 66 does a great job depicting the sadness at the heart of the route 66 story. However, I would have enjoyed a larger look at why politicians decided to build their freeways apart, rather than on, route 66. 4 stars!

Thanks to Voyager Press, Quarto Books, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A full-color trip down memory lane as readers learn about Route 66 and what became of it. The pictures are a fantastic, yet heart-wrenching reminder of what once was and what could have still been. There is nothing like driving down the open road, stopping and meeting new friends, and experiencing life up close and personal. Now, people can sit in their living rooms and take a road trip via Google Maps. This book is a must-have for any fan of road trips, roadside attractions, or American history.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Motorbooks for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

This book made me travel in a time when travel are forbidden.
I was always fascinated by Route 66 and the great photos brought me there.
An excellent book, well written and fascinating.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A fascinating history of some of the old towns that used to line Route 66, the most celebrated road that runs coast to coast in the US. I started reading this book as I was planning on making the journey myself, and the first thing I realised was that Route 66 doesn't even exist any more. So good start there! Although, it has to be said that "I get my kicks, on Interstate 60" doesn't scan quite so well.
This is a well researched and documented book, with lots of photos of the old towns and details as to where Route 66 ran, and which roads now comprise the old route. Hopefully we'll still get to make the trip one day, as there are still plenty of things to see along this classic American route.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the pictures to the descriptions of places and the history behind each place or town. Having grown up by Route 66 it actually went through my home town and throughout my childhood, I would drive on it every day. Even after the government took away it’s designation where I grew up old Route 66 is still part of the main street and the surrounding area.
Here is just more of the history of the road as it once was and how the building of new highways has left some towns to almost shut down and others did. Where I lived businesses either moved to stay open and some just closed. Along with businesses many people left as well and in the town that was growing in the ’60s, 70’s by the middle part of the 80’s we could see businesses closing on the main street some moving closer to the freeway for business.
I enjoyed reading and seeing the history and stories of the small towns that have been forgotten. Years ago my wife and I took our daughter on a drive across country and we drove on the I-40 WHICH RUNS ALONG THE OLD Route 66, we would get off sometimes to see the different towns and it was good, meet nice people saw a great deal of the country and reminded me of when the main street was really main street. That was Route 66 like the song “Get your kicks on Route 66” very much worth reading and look at. The photos are wonderful.

Fascinating book - a trip along old Route 66 and a look at the "ghost towns" (abandoned or hugely de-populated) that fell into steep decline when the interstate highway system replaced the legendary road. I loved the pictures of ruins or old buildings compared with images and descriptions of the same places in their heyday; the snippets from an old 1940's era tourist guide were interesting as well. Since I read this as an e-book I couldn't see the fold-out map, which I would've loved. Makes me want to do a road trip!

Having always wanted to drive Route 66, I was very excited to get a copy of this book to review. It didn’t disappoint! It’s a beautiful book to read and dream of future travels.

This would be a great trip planning book for anyone wanting to travel The Mother Road. It would equally make a fantastic coffee table book because the many photographs inside are amazing.

Everything we need to know about Route 66
is here. It’s a travel book, a coffee table book, a photographic book, a history book - a must have book. The writer expertly incorporates everything that makes us curious and nostalgic. On some pages I am drawn in as if I’m on the road discovering these weathered buildings and overgrown grounds. The photographs capture a place and time that sometimes might be lost in history. Here we have it in the form of exceptional photos and eloquent writing. Loved it! It’s made me not only want to go there but also created an adventurous spirit that wherever we travel to be open to its histories and past memories. “Ghost Towns of Route 66” by Jim Hinckley should be our map for adventures.

This is not a good time to read travel books. Now I am really motivated to go and travel, but corona does not allow it. A road trip along Route 66 sounds awesome right now. These pictures are amazing, and a good variety of them. I learned a lot about these ghost towns. There is enough information. It's just good. Go read it and get inspired.