This is a wonderful book for we nostalgia nuts! The many photographs and descriptions of pre-fast food America will remind you of simpler times, or make you sad that you missed them.

Thanks Mike. I new B 4 hand that the book would B great. I no your work. 2 of the diner pictures R in my home town. In Middletown Connecticut. USA. The color in the book is so nice. By. Marty.

"The American Diner" is a delightful book that maintains the high standards Michael Witzel has always set for himself. Very beautiful, informative and entertaining. Chock-full of outstanding images from photographers like Pedar Ness, Ronald Saari and Howard Ande.

There are many excellent sidebar stories, including one on Jerry Berta's DINERLAND in Rockford, Michigan. This man saved Rosie's Diner, built a miniature golf course and restored another 1947 diner into an art gallery. (I've gotta meet this guy.)

Another delightful effort from Michael Karl Witzel. "The American Diner" entices me to Hit The Road and experience these wonderful greasy-spoons firsthand, especially those original East Coast joints!

If remember the days when you used to hang out at the drive-in and spend most of your free time at the wheel of your convertible (and some nights in the back seat), Cruisin' is definitely the book for you. This book has it all--it's a real flashback to a time that had no equal, an era of cars and freedom that will never be again. The Bash images and Witzel photos are way cool and really send you back in time. Whether it's hot rods, muscle cars, and the many places and pastimes we indulged ourselves with, this book is the definitive scrapbook of America's car culture heyday! If you love cars and enjoy the trip more than the place you are goin' to, you 'gotta get this book!

FOR ALL HOT ROD AND CRUSIN ENTHUSIASTS, THIS BOOK IS A MUST. GREAT MEMORIES!!!!

Do you know when and where the first oil well was found? Did you know that in the early 1900's any shopkeeper with a curb and an idea could have his own commercial gas pump? Do you know what a lubester is? If these answers interest you, as well as the history of the rise of the gas station as we know it, check out The American Gas Station. Michael Witzel takes readers on a hundred fifty year tour of the gas and oil business, from the first gush in Titusville, PA, to the breakup of Standard Oil Company to the advent of self-service stations. Lots of interesting information and great photos - a treat for any automotive enthusiast. - Leila Dunbar, writer, Mobilia.com

I recieved this wonderful book as a Christmas gift. What an enjoyable read! Full of enjoyable tidbits that every Cokeaholic would love to know. From the history of Soda Fountain beginnings to the pop culture icon Coca-Cola has become. The Sparkling Story of Coca-Cola covers it all. A visual feast of historic photographs and illustrations accompany the well written text.

Certainly informative but I would recommend John Margolies' shorter but sweeter "Home Away from Home" instead of this book if you want the one "must-read" on motels. The two books contain much of the same information and are similarly organized, but the layout of Witzel's book is lousy, with the (admittedly great) photos not flowing well with the text, which is flat and not especially engaging. There is, however, a 2 page glossy spread on the history of "magic fingers", the kind of info just NOT in your average history text.

I have the Margolies motel book and personally, I think Witzel has the lock when it comes to research and writing. Sure, this is some in-depth stuff and can be dry at times (these are motels, after all), but the dedicated road enthusiast/pop culture historian really wants to know all of this information. A collection of photographs with just a little bit of text does little to document history. Witzel's book not only has a great collection of images, but the editorial depth needed to tell the story. If I were to recommend one book on motels, Witzel's The American Motel would be the one. A seminal work on one of our most cherished American/roadside icons.

I love Michael Karl Witzel's books (his Route 66 book inspired me to drive the whole route). This may be his best one yet. It has great photos and interesting text and brings back wonderful memories of childhood vacations, when getting to spend the night in a motel was half the fun. But one of the other great aspects of this book is its ability to appeal to a variety of readers, not just fans of the motel. If you enjoy pop culture, roadtrips, roadside Americana, or traveling, this book is for you. I highly recommend it!

Unlike many coffee table books on pop culture phenomena, The American Drive-in Restaurant supplements its generous use of photos with material from regional archives and 1950s restaurant trade industry journals, resulting in a pop history with a strong seasoning of well-researched facts. Interviews with former carhops also provide an interesting slice of life effect.

Witzel's copywriting background intrudes most in the brief portraits of major drive-in chains, which read like corporate marketing pieces. The serious researcher needs to handle this book with care: not only are there numerous typesetting errors (including mislabeled dates and places), but some corporate biography facts don't match those presented by the same corporations' official Web sites (though it wouldn't be surprising if the corporations were the ones who had it wrong).

All in all, a good read packed with interesting material.

I have several of his diner and drive-in books. If you are a fan of diners, drive-in eateries and burgers and shakes; you will not be dissapointed. There are many, many beautiful color pictures.

When I bought this book I was looking for help planning a Route 66 trip. While it hasn't really served that purpose, it has provided pages of nice pictures and some degree of inspiration to get on the road. Maybe I'll like the book even more once I've completed the trip and want to take an occassional look back.

I got this book before going on a trip down 66, along with a few others. I loved it. I had a lot of the people I met along the way sign the book and once in a while, got some of the owners of restaurants, gas stations, roadside attractions, and diners featured in the book to sign it. What a wonderful scrapbook to have of one of the last great American road trips!

This book isn't a travel guide or a map-style publication, but a really cool scrapbook of the Mother Road. Witzel's sidebars on interesting segments of road culture are fascinating. The photography is great, too. Unlike a lot of the other 66 books, this one is divided up into chapters on gas stations, motels, restaurants, and other roadside attractions. The final chapter, "Mother Road Memories," recounts the true tales of people who actually took the trip down 66 and really takes you back to the way it used to be when traveling across country. Of all the roadside books I have in my library, I would highly recommend this treasure. It's one of Witzel's best ......

A fine book on the American Gas Station. But pales in comparison to "Pump & Circumstance" by Margolies. Witzel's book contains no less than 61 photos of present-day abandoned gas stations, or rusting forlorn gas pumps. A few of these photos would be appropriate in this type of book. But 61! It really makes the book depressing to read. Gas station fans want to see colorful period photos of the stations in their prime.

This incredible book takes you back to the very start of the gas station's birth. There are a lot of great pictures which make you feel that you are just inches away from the pump and the service attendants. The book contents beautiful descriptions of what a gas station was like now and then, mostly then of course. Allow yourself to be sentimental, but make sure you have a handkerchief available, you might need it!