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Rating: 
Summary: Another must-have for CT highway buffs
Review: Consider "Route 15" a follow-on to Larned's 1998 "Traveling the Merritt Parkway." It covers more ground, both geographical and chronological, but offers a similar mix of historical information and vintage photographs for road buffs and car buffs.Larned starts with the Merritt Parkway: a bit of an overlap with the earlier book, but I didn't notice anything duplicated. Also covered is the Wilbur Cross Parkway (which was lightly treated in "Merritt") and Berlin Turnpike. There are some nice photos of the short-lived Connecticut River Boulevard (which I hadn't heard of until reading "Route 15") and a good treatment of the construction of the Charter Oak Bridge. East of the bridge, the Wilbur Cross Highway gets a few pages; perhaps this 1950s road will be highlighted in "The Road to Boston" :-) If you have read "Traveling the Merritt Parkway", here's how "Route 15" compares: Same layout; narrative driven by historical photos; generally ordered from south to north as you read. There's a bit more written information here than in "Merritt". There's a little more roadside culture, especially in the Berlin Turnpike section, and Larned diligently identifies all the classic cars you'll see in the photos. Like "Merritt", "Route 15" is made for skimming or reading straight through. There's no index, but given the geographical organization, its 128 pages are not that much to search through. For Connecticut roadgeeks, this book's a keeper, and we want to see more from this author. But "Route 15" should also hold interest for car buffs, historians, and even commuters wondering what the roads were like decades ago, and how they ended up where they are now.
Rating:
Summary: Another must-have for CT highway buffs
Review: Consider "Route 15" a follow-on to Larned's 1998 "Traveling the Merritt Parkway." It covers more ground, both geographical and chronological, but offers a similar mix of historical information and vintage photographs for road buffs and car buffs. Larned starts with the Merritt Parkway: a bit of an overlap with the earlier book, but I didn't notice anything duplicated. Also covered is the Wilbur Cross Parkway (which was lightly treated in "Merritt") and Berlin Turnpike. There are some nice photos of the short-lived Connecticut River Boulevard (which I hadn't heard of until reading "Route 15") and a good treatment of the construction of the Charter Oak Bridge. East of the bridge, the Wilbur Cross Highway gets a few pages; perhaps this 1950s road will be highlighted in "The Road to Boston" :-) If you have read "Traveling the Merritt Parkway", here's how "Route 15" compares: Same layout; narrative driven by historical photos; generally ordered from south to north as you read. There's a bit more written information here than in "Merritt". There's a little more roadside culture, especially in the Berlin Turnpike section, and Larned diligently identifies all the classic cars you'll see in the photos. Like "Merritt", "Route 15" is made for skimming or reading straight through. There's no index, but given the geographical organization, its 128 pages are not that much to search through. For Connecticut roadgeeks, this book's a keeper, and we want to see more from this author. But "Route 15" should also hold interest for car buffs, historians, and even commuters wondering what the roads were like decades ago, and how they ended up where they are now.
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