Abook celebrating 100 years of Route 66 recently won two prestigous book awards, according to a press release from one of the authors.
“Route 66:The First 100 Years,” by Jim Ross and Shellee Graham won the Gold Medal for Best Coffee Table Book from the Independent Book Publishers Association on May 16. It’s a competition that received nearly 2,000 entries.
That same day, the book also received The Oklahoma Book Award for Design/Illustration/Photography.
The book was released by Reedy Press of St. Louis in May 2025. It’s a biographical journey through Route 66’s birth, life, demise, renaissance and legend. Ross and Graham have spent decades exploring, documenting and writing about the state highway and have published many other books.
Previously, the book was named to the Summer Reading List by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and chosen by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 10 best travel books of 2025.
According to the press release, “Route 66 conjures up images of dreamers, road-trippers, migrants, and nomads. On a deeper level, it is a story of escape, triumph, deliverance, and adventure during the best and worst of times. With over 400 photographs, many of them vintage, ‘Route 66: The First 100 Years’ combines striking imagery with a compelling narrative celebrating the history, culture, and enduring legacy ofAmerica’s most famous highway.”
The Oklahoma Book Awards are hosted every year by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. It features awards in several categories, including Children/Young Adult, Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry. It also features the Lynn McIntosh Award for Excellence, which was awarded to “Making of the Killers of the Flower Moon.” The awards honor books by Oklahoma authors and creators.