Highway History Bibliography

Recent Publications

The latest additions are in bold

Ballon, Hilary, and Jackson, Kenneth T., Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York, W. W. Norton and Company, 2007. This book, which accompanies exhibitions at the Queens Museum of Art and the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University, examines the works and impact of Robert Moses, one of the greatest builders of roads, bridges, and other public works in history, on New York City. It's the first major examination-in some ways a reexamination-of the works of Robert Moses since Robert Caro's 1974 biography, The Power Broker (see separate entry).

Crosse, Jesse, The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time, Motorbooks, 2006. (Discusses the craft behind great movie chases and includes the author's Top 20.)

Giblin, Kelly A., "The Jersey Barrier: You've Probably Never Heard of It-But it May Well Have Saved Your Life," American Heritage of Invention and Technology, Summer 2006. (Describes the history and design of the barriers. As the Table of Contents puts it, "A lot of engineering goes into those bland-looking concrete wedges you see along the sides of America's highways.")

Krim, Arthur, Route 66: Iconography of the American Highway, Center for American Places, Inc., (Distributed by the University of Chicago Press), 2006. (A history of the classic road, its 19th century origins, rise to fame as U.S. Route 66, use in popular culture, and iconic place in our culture.)

McPhee, John, Uncommon Carriers, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006. (A compilation of articles from The New Yorker, McPhee recounts his cross-country travels in a tractor trailer as well as his adventures in other modes of freight shipment, including UPS and coal trains.)

Paumgarten, Nick, "Getting There," The New Yorker, April 24, 2006. (Traces early road mapping history as a frame for a discussion of the use of GPS navigation devices.)

Wallis, Michael, and Williamson, Michael S., The Lincoln Highway: Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate, W. W. Norton, 2007. (Wallis, author of one of the best books on U.S. 66, and Williamson turn to the Lincoln Highway for what the book calls "The Great American Road Trip." Chapters on the trip through each Lincoln Highway State.)