Rating high on our wish list is an updated volume of “Roadside America.”

“New Roadside America,” an irreverent but fond look at highway oddities, proved to be a critical influence to us at Route 66 News. The Roadside America site is still going strong, but the dead-tree version hasn’t been updated since 1992.

Brian and Sarah Butko’s lavishly illustrated book, “Roadside Attractions: Cool Cafes, Souvenir Stands, Route 66 Relics and Other Road Trip Fun” (Stackpole, 160 pages, $24.95) will suffice in the meantime. With a nod to “Roadside America” and Jane and Michael Stern’s 1978 book “Amazing America,” the Butkos provide a much-welcome update on America’s eccentric tourist traps — a distressingly high number which have perished, but others that thrive.

The Butkos devote an entire chapter to Route 66. I’m a veteran traveler of the Mother Road, but even relative novices like the Butkos found two gems in Springfield, Mo., that we missed — Andy’s Frozen Custard and the Cielito Lindo restaurant.

And it’s clear that the Butkos “get it” about Route 66:

Two things struck us most from this trip. One is that we imagined Route 66 to always be far from civilization, but in general it isn’t. There are long stretches between towns, and some desert sections are startling in their isolation, but the interstates that bypassed the old road are never far, sometimes only a few feet away. We envisioned the U-Drop Inn at a lonely crossroads, but it is actually at a street corner in Shamrock, a small but nonetheless active town.

The other interesting thing is the sense of community along the corridor. Unlike any other road we’ve traveled, we could tell we were on Route 66 by the camaraderie among proprietors, town boosters, and tourists, no matter the state. It also was fun to keep bumping into folks who were likewise touring the road from east to west. An early morning stop at Ted Drewes’ Frozen Custard found us meeting lots of fellow fans, including Yvonne and Richard from the Netherlands, taking a month to tour the road. Every few hours or days, we’d cross paths and compare notes.

Route 66 attractions aren’t consigned only to that chapter. The Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla., makes an appearance in the Wild Things chapter. Waylan’s Ku-Ku of Miami, Okla., is in the Fun Food section. The half-size Stonehenge in Rolla, Mo., and Cadillac Ranch of Amarillo, Texas, stand amid the Adventures with Art. And, of course, the Wigwam Motels are part of Intriguing Accommodations.

The book also contains sidebars about drive-in theaters, tourist cabins, souvenir shops, diners, dinosaurs, Christmas parks, the Lincoln Highway and mini-golf.

The Butkos’ writing is a bit spare, but this seems partly by design. “Roadside Attractions” is crammed with dozens of “fan favorites” stories, in which authors and roadies wax rhapsodic about their favorite highway haunts. One of my best is architectural historian Mark Hufstetler’s memories of the Pettibone Pagoda in North Dakota. The Butkos’ drier prose serves as a counterpart to the guest writers’ fervent text.

Roadies also will find a treasure trove in the back of the book. The 23-page Getting There section lists addresses and Web sites (if available) of every surviving roadside attraction in the book. It’s this chapter that will spark many a road trip.

Highly recommended.