Rejecting the tradition of the limited-edition, handcrafted artist's book, Ruscha produced sixteen photo books between 1963 and 1978 in large editions on high-speed professional presses. Most feature snapshot-like photographs that he made with his 2¼-inch-format Yashica camera and sequenced in straightforward layouts. A simple, descriptive title in capital letters against the monochromatic background of the cover provides the narrative content for each book.
For the first of his photo books, Ruscha photographed gas stations along Route 66 during road trips between Los Angeles and his hometown of Oklahoma City. In addition to images that appeared in Twentysix Gasoline Stations, this selection includes variant prints, a contact sheet, and unpublished images, providing insight into the process by which Ruscha identified his subjects, employed a documentary style to record them, and made subsequent editing decisions.