http://fadingnostalgia.com

Polaroid Photos from Route 66

What intrigues me and impresses me is that in a world where just about every angle has been worked to pique interest in Mother Road imagery, he has found a long-dormant nostalgic nerve to touch. How could any self-respecting road warrior resist?

Jim Ross, co-author of Route 66 Sightings

Chris has a mutual passion for Polaroid and especially selected the film for his Route 66 road trips. What he has compiled is exciting, inspiring and the beauty in decay with instant film is a match made in heaven!

Graham Johnstone from [Love] Instant

The Road to Publish

For those of you just joining us, we have printed our very first book, Polaroid Photos from Route 66. The 160 page book is a collection of 275 Polaroid photographs taken by one-half Fading Nostalgia, Chris Robleski, professional appreciator of all things Route 66 and Polaroid. Chris began capturing Route 66 with his plastic instant cameras back in 2006, making the journey an annual tradition. With the help of our Jumpstarters, Chris made it to the end of Route 66 this past October to collect nearly fifty additional Polaroid photographs to complete a project that had been in the works for five years. Along with finding a printer/publisher, designing the layout and writing about his personal experiences to accompany the Polaroid images, the final months before publish were high octane to say the least! To read more about the book creation “behind the scenes,” please check out our blog post about the whole process.

We are proud to say that we printed and self-published in the USA. It’s a tough market for self-publishers these days, especially when you feel very strongly about keeping production in America. While costs are often considerably lower over seas, we felt that the book’s subject matter–speaking to the strife of small businesses along the Route–couldn’t be produced anywhere else but the US.

Buy the Book

In addition to our website, we are ecstatic to say that our book is available for purchase in the gift shops at the following Route 66 businesses. If you ever find yourself in the area, please be sure to stop in or stay!

Joliet Area Historical Museum – Joliet, IL
Old City Hall Shoppes – Pontiac, IL
Connie’s Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel – Cuba, MO
Wigwam Motel – San Bernardino, CA
Blue Swallow Motel – Tucumcari, NM

Also sold hundreds of miles away from Route 66, but a city WELL worth the trip!
Aperture Photography & Variety Store – Cleveland, OH

Interested in wholesale pricing for your Route 66 gift shop? Please send us an email and we’ll get back to you asap!

You can easily order a copy of the book below. Chris will sign it, pack it up and mail it himself to arrive within the week. If you don’t want to use Paypal, we have a Square Up account and can accept any credit card over the phone. Please email us and we’ll help you out asap! Are you from outside the United States, and want to buy a copy of the book? Likewise, send us an email and we will figure out shipping for you.

Preview the Book!

Preview for iPad/iPhone available soon

If you’re here because you received a postcard about the book tour, please visit the book tour page. If you’re here because you’ve read the book, we would absolutely love to hear from you! Email us or head over at the book’s Facebook page. We thank everyone so very much for your support!! We truthfully couldn’t have finished this project without our friends, family and Fading Nostalgia supporters everywhere!

What People Are Saying

Ron Warnick from Route 66 News

“It is the unpredictable nature of instant film that adds intrigue. The partially faded black-and-white image of the Central Camera neon sign in Chicago — especially with its “since 1899″ message — looks like something shot during the Great Depression.”

“One pleasant surprise is Robleski’s writing. Among the essays he sprinkles into the book are musings about the Rock Cafe, Lou Mitchell’s, Blue Swallow Motel, Motel Safari, Whiting Bros. stations, Blue Whale, Munger Moss Motel, and the ghost towns of Texola and Glenrio.”
Read Ron’s entire review after the jump…

Graham Polaroid Johnstone from [Love] Instant

“With my love for instant film and the beauty in urbex, I stumbled across this awesome website that combines BOTH!”

“Chris has a mutual passion for Polaroid and especially selected the film for his Route 66 road trips. What he has compiled is exciting, inspiring and the beauty in decay with instant film is a match made in heaven!”
Read Graham’s entire review after the jump…

Christopher Bonanos from PolaroidLand

Author of upcoming book INSTANT: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF POLAROID
“…the Polaroid color palette—saturated color, soft greens, that unique blue dye—is a curiously excellent match for the sun-bleached signage of Route 66.”
Read Christopher’s entire review after the jump…

The Impossible Project Space Blog

Read Patrick Tobin’s Viewfinder Spotlight after the jump…

Matt Baudo from Third Coast Digest

Thousands of Miles and Hundreds of Polaroids
“A deeper understanding Route 66 is what compelled Robleski and his girlfriend, Katie Nelson, to spend weeks locked in their Bay View apartment engrossed in the project. The couple are responsible for every facet of the book’s existence, except printing and binding.”

“Combining his evocative photographs and her digital design prowess, [Chris & Katie] launched a website this past summer called Fading Nostalgia…a grassroots effort for people with a shared interest in the forgotten and isolated to connect and share.”
Read Matt’s entire story after the jump…
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