I've watched Michael Wallis grow as a writer and I wish he had written this book last instead of first. Now don't get me wrong, it's a rip-roarin' tale of a man with ambition and drive who built a gigantic company and fortune. But it's not the exhaustive, documented last work on Frank Phillips's life.

This is as near to an authorized biography as you can get. Wallis was given full access to all the recorded material on Phillips as well as to a great many people who actually knew the man and worked with him. It's a rollicking story.

Using fiction techniques of characterization Wallis shows us an eccentric, ambitious young man who evolves into a successful philanthropist -- and philanderer. Phillips gave tokens to the children of the community but overindulged and neglected his own son until he turned to alcohol. He was a man who appeared devoted to his family six months out of every year, then spent the rest of his time with his mistress in New York City.

He wasn't such a saint in business, either. He took over smaller companies to build his empire and almost fired a Vice President "Boots" Adams because he thought Adams was too ambitious for personal gain.

Legends about Phillips abound and Wallis has recorded them. There's a story, for example, of Phillips paying the mortgages of community churches and herein lies the weakness of this book. He doesn't say whether this generosity is documented or it's simply a tale told by sycophants, and he sure talked to plenty of them.

Wallis weakens his authority by neglecting to support his facts. He speculates. Without documentation it's impossible for the reader to separate fiction from fact. The writing style is that of fiction and that's all the more reason the reader needs to be able to tell what is real fact and what is speculation.

If what you want is an exciting story of the West and people who made great fortunes in the oil fields, you'll love this book. It's well written and well researched. If you want only fact, however, you'll have to write your own book.

Frank Phillips, "THE OIL MAN" is a little known multi millionaire who started with nothing but ambition, and made life pay off! If you like business biography, this is one of the best you'll ever read. I enjoyed totally. I am now rereading the book for the third time!

This book contains something for everyone. Action, adventure, power struggles, romance, money, geology, the wild west, the roaring twenties, family feuds and best of all...it's all true! Frank Phillips grew up a farm boy in Iowa, started a career as a barber and ended up an oil tycoon. This is an easy read and it is obvious that Wallis' research was very thorough. He almost leads you through a day to day account of Frank Phillips' life. And what a life it must have been. A true gambler, Frank Phillips' started with almost nothing, made a fortune then risked everything he had just to stay in the game. I can highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. Wallis has brought together a complex man's world and gives the reader an insight rarely seen in biographical writing. He makes the stories come to life and links them all together superbly.

The book has a great new introduction with additional stories and recipes. Makes for memorable reading about cafes, diners and other eateries that were once on the road and others that are on 66 today. Recipes work!

I originally bought the first edition of this fantastic book and had to buy the deluxe update as well. This book is truly fantastic. I spent a good part of last summer driving from Los Angeles to Missouri on old route 66 and this book was a welcome friend along the way (how many people plan trips with cookbooks in hand, I have no idea).

From the standpoint of the trip it was great to be able to find some of the same restaurants that my parents ate at 30+ years ago. The book is also full of menus, pictures and stories - and it's the stories that set the book apart. The stories about the restaurants and people along the way made the entire trip seem like visiting old friends.

The recipes are also second to none. I've tried over two dozen of the recipes and none have disapointed me so far. All of them are simple, tasty and relatively simple to make. You can't go wrong by using these recipes.

Finally, I love the changes from Chicago to Los Angeles in terms of the regional recipes offered. I've long been a fan of American regional cooking and this book, while not a "regional cookbook", shows a flair for the subtle changes in restaurant fare as you travel the mother road.

Every Route 66 traveler has memories - this book delighted me with stories of places I have stopped, dishes from the 50s, and great memories from waitresses, owners, customers, and home-town folks who talked about Route 66 eateries that are gone as well as food stops still open today. The recipes are reminiscent of the 50s although some come from the whole 66 era. Every time I drive the road there are changes. The author points this out and some of the people she interviewed are now deceased - but I'm glad their memories were saved - bet they were glad to reminisce. I found the book a delight! Glad Clark is a fellow Oklahoman.

When a person first moves to Oklahoma, one of the things that stands out is that, like the rest of the nation, Oklahomans don't really know where they fit into the overall picture of our country. This fact is clearly described by Michael Wallis in the beginning of this series of essays. He also describes many of the events, people, and customs that make Oklahoma what it is.

From Indian Territory to statehood, barbecue to the "cow thieves and outlaws reunion," from Route 66 to oil, the state has a breadth of history that is both large and small. But always fascinating. As a transplant himself, Wallis has tried to find what Oklahoma is, and has done a good job. This is a wonderfully informative read for both Okies and others who have no idea where Oklahoma is.

Readers who enjoy this taste of history might also enjoy some of Wallis' other books, such as Route 66: The Mother Road and Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd.

This series of stunning essays by one of the nation's foremost authors kept me spellbound from start to finish. I find myself constantly re-reading passages or whole essays. I never tire of this book.

This is a fascinating story of Waite Phillips and his dreams of living a cowboy life out west, his bond with twin brother Wiatt, and his life as an oilman, wildcatter and millionare. Most importantly, it is the story of a man with the wisdom to understand that "A man keeps nothing unless he gives it away". His gifts to the Boy Scouts of America, hospitals, universities, and the city of Tulsa stand as a testiment to his wisdom and love of people. I recommend this book more often than any other. It should be required reading for all.

While my purpose for reading this book was to explore the history of Philmont Scout Ranch of which Waite Phillips was the benefactor, I found this book to also be adventurous and educational. The history of Waite Phillips and his generousity shows him to be a hard businessman with a heart of gold and his priorities in the right place. I can say that the Boy Scouts of America would not be the organization it is today without the life and generousity of Waite Phillips. A must read for anyone who loves Scouting.

And I will admit, my interest in opening the book was being there when Mr.Wallis and "Chope" Phillips did their book signing at Philmont Scout Ranch, BSA's mecca for Scouting. I thought I would be bored by the sections related to Waite and his twin brother Wiatt and their adventures prior to the time Waite became the benefactor of the property we call Philmont. Instead I found myself interested in the details and events of their lives, of Wiatt's death, and the personal insights into the Phillips family. Anyone with any interest in the west, in Scouting, in the history of the development of the oil fields, or in the giving of a man who truly felt "The only things we keep forever are those we give away" would be glad they read this book.

To the thousands who visit Philmont every year, for training, for a wilderness experience, or to serve on staff, this book should give you the information and attitude you need to truly appreciate the experience.

And you'll realize you should be kind to any old "cowboy" you meet in the backcountry -- it could be Chope.

We tried using this book on a recent trip on Route 66. Not only does he use outdated maps, with old street names, but has he even tried following this book himself? Most of the time, when we tried to follow his directions, we got completely off-course. One memorable time, he got us on an old, run-down alignment that literally had only one lane! Luckily, we had only one on-coming car to pass (which was accomplished by both cars driving on their respective shoulders!) I think he just phones in the "updates!" The only reason he gets even one star is because there is some interesting history in this book. However, I wonder if any of his historical facts are correct, since he gives so much misinformation otherwise!

10 years ago, Tom Snyder compiled the first modern guide to driving Route 66. For this third edition, Snyder has thoughtfully separated the driving directions ("Traveler's Guide") from his trove of 66-related anecdotes ("Roadside Companion"), making the book more useful. The guide's most distinctive features are reproductions of period maps from the Automobile Club of Southern California, over which the route of the modern Interstate has been superimposed.

Snyder's book is a fun read and quite helpful for planning a Route 66 drive. But once you're on the road, BY FAR the most useful navigational aid is Bob Moore and Patrick Grauwels' *The Illustrated Guidebook to the Mother Road*, which unlike Snyder's book provides turn-by-turn directions and mileage.

I keep mine in my van. I found a lot of sites using the booklet! Vary useful finding alinements and landmarks of the Mother Road. Great reading for roadies. It's one of the better road guide books I've found for cruising Route 66.

While it does give mouth watering descriptions of dishes served at historic restaraunts, it entices the reader to want to dine at them and not cook. Most of the recipes call for portions that would feed a barracks. While this is certainly understandable for the eateries mentioned in the cookbook, it makes for frustrating conversions into family size portions for the home kitchen.
However, most of the chili recipes can be frozen and are the best you will come across. Not to mention the pies are sinfully good! Ultimately best used as an interesting bit pop-culture history and not as functional cookbook.

This book has some really great recipes from a time past. This book has wonderful dinner fare. Super recipes for cakes, pies, and chili. If you are looking for book that has recipes from the 30s through the 60s, while you yearn for yester year. This is the book to get!

Yes, it has great recipes. But it also has wonderful information on Route 66 itself. I purchased this book at a restaurant giftshop on Route 66 in Gallop, NM. I read it cover to cover, as I would a novel. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys cooking, Route 66, or just reading about either!

A very interesting book, though the author is decidedly pro monarchy and particularly towards the Queen Mother. Wallis comes off as a shrew of the greatest magnitude, while the Queen Mum seems destined for sainthood. Having read a number of books about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, it's interesting to see the story from the other side. Let's just say that both women had their fair share of faults...and leave it at that.

Althought elegantly designed and filled with high-quality photos, this has got to be one of the most egregious books I have run across in years. Bloch, an associate of the Duchess' lawyer, has cobbled together numerous photographs which depict the Windsors at balls, on holiday (from what?) on the Cote d'Azur, in the Bahamas, in Germany, in nightclubs, etc., etc. It is difficult to read this book and not come away with the impression that, great love story though it may have been, the lives of this woman and her husband were an utter waste of everyone's time. How bored (and boring) they must have been! Unless you want to indulge in a little elegant notalgia, don't bother with this high-fashion trash.

It's been said that the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Windsor was the "Romance of the Century," and that their love was "deep and true." If their romance was based on the prattle in their letters, then it was definitely sophomoric and banal. These letters read like two teenagers speaking baby-talk to each other. I realize that these people were insipid and shallow, but it puts their relationship in a whole other light. Stupid and self-serving as well.

If the inane intimacies of these two people were any more trite and juvenile, this would be a children's book. Mr. Bloch worked for the Windsor's French Lawyer, so he had access to their private letters. The "Love Story of the Century" turns out to be a childish relationship between an [] inadequate man and an overbearing obsessive-compulsive woman.