Icons of the Highway: A Celebration of Small-Town America
In this full-color photographic tribute to the American highway culture of "the 1950s and 1960s, when the independent motel was king," U.K.-based husband and wife team the Worobiecs (Ghosts in the Wilderness) compile images from five road trips through the heart of the U.S. From the high plains of Montana and North Dakota to the length of Route 66 to the dusty towns of Texas and Kansas, the Worobiecs photograph diners, motels, movie theaters and landscapes at twilight-appropriate lighting for independent businesses struggling to survive under threat of "slick franchised establishments." From the rich, neon-embellished facade of the restored Palace Theater in Georgetown, Texas to the historic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, readers will find much to grow nostalgic for. Despite the harsh reality these establishments face, this volume demonstrates that "the style and grace of an earlier era" has a value beyond profit. The Worobiecs have provided brief but arresting captions, maps of each trip and commentary about their journeys, a rich collection that will interest fans of the American West, the open road and color photography.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.