Get your literary kicks on Route 66

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Travellers along historic Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles have no problem finding their fix of fake American Indian jewelry and vintage Elvis posters. But along this path motorists also will discover something once declared dead: the used bookstore.

There’s the Chicago bookstore with a cat and a mechanical elevator, and the Albuquerque shop where lawyers and the homeless search together for Jack Kerouac’s novels. There’s also the iconic California store that once delivered books to Japanese-Americans interned at nearby camps.

All are located on Route 66, or a block away, often attracting regulars from around the corner and visitors from around the world seeking Greek classics or a collection of Ernest Hemingway short stories. Owners say their stores are still thriving in the era of e-readers, tablets and online libraries.

Some, like Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, Calif., have been around for more than 100 years.

Others, like the 5th Street Books in Kingman, Ariz., just opened recently.

“For whatever reason, there are still some people who want an old- fashioned book in their hands,” Laura Eisner, owner of The Book Case in Albuquerque, a shop that opened when John F. Kennedy was running for president. “And they get that urge when they are just passing through.”

No one knows just how many used bookstore are located along Route 66. The online bookstore, AbeBooks.com, recently listed 66 used bookstores near Route 66 and still faced angry comments for leaving off others.

“I think people love the smell of old books,” Eisner said. “If I could bottle it, I’d sell it, too. On Route 66.”