Automobiles Books

The was a CHristmas gift to my husband who absolutely LOVES this book. Regular delievery was quick and the book was packaged well! Thank you!

In my opinion, this is by far the best book out about the history of the Porsche 917 race car; (I have not read the newly released one by Gordon Wingrove yet; I heard that is good too because he was behind the scenes, in the pits etc working on these cars.) Mr. Morgan's book however takes you through the history of the 917, from the early beginnings of testing on up to the 917/30 version and it's banning from Can-Am racing. The photos are awesome and great source for reference for a model builder, such as myself. You will not be disappointed- trust me!! I will be ordering Gordon's book here shortly and I'll try and leave a review of that one as well!

I purchased this at the same time as Porsche Prototype Era: 1964-1973 in Photographs and this was the superior book. It was a consise, complete and fascinating look into the 917 family from it's roots through the 917k and finally the Can Am effort. There were also many personal stories and anecdotes and it wasn't a dry technical dissertation.

If you have any serious interest in this family of cars, I'd highly recommend it. Porsche Prototype Era is more dedicated to the photos with a sort of "skim" of the history but this is the book you'll remember.

I was twelve in 1971 and lived in Liege. My dad got us tickets to the 1000km of Spa. Sitting along the grid across from pit row. To this day I can close my eyes and see two powder blue Gulf 917's entering the final straight from Virage de la Source. As I remember it Oliver let up just before the finish and Derek almost got pasted him. (I think he may have let up a little too) the hairs on the back of neck still stand up...WOW.

The magic of the 971's touched my life. This is a wonderful book. Pick it up and let the magic rub off on you.

Thank you Peter Morgan, and you too Dad.

I build scale model cars and this book is a great reference tool. It covers all of Porsche's racing cars of the '60s leading toward the development of the 917 and recounts all the roadblocks and pitfalls along the way. People who are not saavy about the real world of large-stakes motorsport can be surprised to learn about how much rule-bending goes on. "Unfair advantages" are aggressiviely sought through research and experimentation. An interesting aspect of the 917 is much refinement and modification was needed to turn this complicated and dangerous car into a successful racer.

unbelievable shots of big time problems on the drag strips. quarter mile chaos is truely the perfect name for this book. Reyes worked all over the country and got all the great shots of kaboomers from coast to coast.Loved it!

I enjoyed this book very much. I collect a lot of drag racing books and I belive this is one of the best. The photos are very good, and it is enjoyable to read. I belive the late 1960's to the middle 1970.s are some of the greatest times in drag racing history. The funny cars looked great , like the muscle car of the days. cuda, mustang, challangers, gto, camaro.javelin .corvette plus many others. Bob McClurg did a fine job.

I'd love to see more color shots, but there's some great rare black and white pics that still make the book worth a look.

I actually have not gotten this book yet, but I don't even have to see it to know that it's an amazing collection of images from the most exciting days of the sports' history.

I grew up loving both drag racing and photography, and in fact, I shot for Leslie Lovett of NHRA occasionally in Englishtown and Indy back in the late '70's. Steve Reyes was my hero back then for his unbelieveable ability to be in the right place at the right time and his artistic skills to capture the visceral qualities of the sport...the massive power, the pure display of American virility as seen in beautifully designed and adorned race cars (much more important in drag racing than in NASCAR or even CART), even the seductive smell of burning nitro are somehow imbued in Reyes' images, especially his night images from OCIR. To me, many of his images seemed to transcend the simple recording of the SoCal racing scene...they were created with a deep appreciation and love for the titanic, mythical qualities that defined the sport. I don't want to gild the lily here, but I think some of his images are works of art of museum quality.

I'm so glad to see his work resurfacing in this book, and it's on the top of my wish list for my upcoming birthday.

I ordered Quarter Mile Chaos as a birthday gift for my boyfriend. We attended a drag race last year and it was awesome so I couldnt wait to get the book. When it arrived, I read it cover to cover and was really impressed with the pictures. I didnt realize the pictures were from years ago and I was worried my boyfriend might not relate to them but I was so wrong. He knew so much about almost every picture in the book. It was a pleasure watching him look through the book. Thank you.

As the owner of an antique customized 1940 Studebaker, I wanted to get fresh ideas for a paint finish. I saw this book offered for a ridiculous low price and didn't expect much. However, everyone who comes over by passes all my design books and picks up Roadside America! Even my daughters spent an hour looking at the nostalgia. If you like American cars and American highways, you'll love the color pictures. I'm buying another copy to cut up and use for framed art in one of our design offices.

Joy!
Jeanette Fisher
Flip That House with FAUX: How to Have Fun Fixing and Flipping Houses and Make More Money

When it comes to the love of automobiles, my hub is somewhat of a road warrior. So, when he purchased this book, I must admit I feigned polite interest. After thumbing through pages of classy, glossy dream vehicles--- I was hooked. This was no ordinary book on cars. This was eye candy with all pedals to the metal.

Photographer Lewis relates that ad agencies would urge her to shoot cars in studio setups. But she always preferred to go on location to wait until the dawn sky "radiated a glow that rolls like warm caramel across a car's sheet metal."

That glow rolls through the pages of this sumptuous photographic history of the American motor car. The book starts with the Model T (costing $850 in 1908) and Henry Ford's vow to "build a car for the great multitude." It picks up speed in the '20s with the birth of the U.S. highway and cruises to our current national love affair with SUVs, "two-ton behemoths that swill fuel like hogs at the trough."

The automobiles themselves will be treat enough for car nuts. For the rest of us there is Lewis's affection for Americana. She shoots a '35 Ford pickup, black with red-rimmed wheels, against the bleakness of Two Guns, Ariz.; a ruby red '59 Cadillac Eldorado convertible in the glitter gulch of Fremont Street in Vegas; and a muscle-car legend, the '64 Pontiac GTO, beneath a towering doughnut sign in L.A.

A great gift for car loving guys & gals on Valentine's Day or any day. Warning: The rumble of the road will be calling you!

Lewis captures the epic wonder, strange beauty, and raucous vitality of the American road. Her eye is attracted to the things we often notice, but seldom observe. The text is excellent, offering actual experiences of those who journeyed along these fabled highways in the past. The color photography is mouth-watering and extremely vivid (the neon practically jumps from the page), but the black and white photos are especially haunting. They explore some of the same terrain immortalized by photographers such as Robert Frank and Dorothea Lange. All in all, a splendid book.

...Arranged in chronological order, the seven chapters take us from 1895 through 1999. The pictorial focus is on American iron, largely from the '50s and '60s. Lewis' narration accompanies in a casual tone with dry humor and interesting historical anecdotes, allowing the reader to mentally complete the cross-country journey with ease. I found myself reliving the multiple coast to coast excursions I took in the 1970s and felt the seeds of yet another trip being planted.

...Roadside America is a long-term book. Lucinda Lewis has lovingly recorded historic cars in historic settings with such visual detail that it is impossible to take them all in at one viewing. You will come back time and again. This book evokes all the romance and sense of adventure that early automotive culture has come to mean. Whether you are a fan of beautiful old cars, traveling Americana, automotive culture, or dramatic professional photography of all of the above, Roadside America, The Automobile and the American Dream is for you.

this may be one of my favorite automobile/landscape books of all time. its just beautiful. the pictures of vintage cars and famous vintage sites is worth any price. dont think about it, buy it while you still can.

I've used just about every guidebook for Rt. 66 and this may be the best. Excellent photography, detailed text, recommendations for casual drives as well as rough, 4wd only trails. And best of all, half the book is laid out for traveling east, and half of the book laid out for traveling west.

It's a few years old now, but still entirely useful! Highly recommended!

"Route 66 Across Arizona" is a must guide for those traveling across northern Arizona - especially users of I-40, which largely parallels the old Route 66.

As a regular traveler in that area who has already undertaken a fair amount of research and exploration on Route 66, I can personally attest for its general accuracy (not 100% though - time changes most everything) and usefulness. The most substantive update I would offer is to definitely stop at Two Guns - it is no longer fenced, readily accessible, full of history, and quite interesting. The second suggestion is that Route 66 Padre Canyon Bridge (circa 1914) is much more easily accessed by parking off I-40 at the West side of the I-40 bridge, and walking North - don't take too long, though, or the Highway Patrol will tow your vehicle. (Similarly, the Painted Desert Trading Post is more easily visited by parking off I-40 just East of Dead River, and hiking North for about one-half mile.)

Again, great material for both the novice Route 66 traveler, or one who has "been there before."

Best of the best ! If you plan on traveling Route 66 in Arizona...this is a no brainer. Great photos, easy to follow directions...both East to West and West to East, color coded. From folks that live in and know AZ....not just passing thru.

I was fortunate enough to buy this book just before my family's summer drive on 66. I'm definitely glad I did! This book made my family's drive along Route 66 in Arizona into a real adventure road trip.
I have read most of the national and state guides for the Mother Road, but this is definitely one of the very best. The Mangums have included all the alignments of the old Road, have them color coded and dated, and even include journeys for 4WD vehicles and bicycles on Route 66. I never would have found some of these alignments with the standard maps and guides.
One particular favorite was the old 1930s alignment between the Monte Carlo exit on I-40 (149) and the Welch exit (151) farther east. It was potholed and torn up, but I really felt like I was experiencing the real Route 66.
The book's recommendations for hotels, cafes, and attractions were extremely helpful. Also, unlike most Route 66 guides, this book describes the trip going in both directions!

The Mangums have another hit. This is exactly the sort of book Route 66 travellers have been waiting for. "Route 66 Across Arizona" is a very user friendly guide book that gives accurate, detailed directions to the existing sections of Route 66 across Arizona. I have tried several of their tours, and found them to be exactly as described. There are good maps, some history and local color, and perhaps best, recommended stops along the way. "Route 66 Across Arizona" beautifully updates Jack Rittenhouse's 1946 "Guide Book to Highway 66" and provides a practical foundation for many other books about Route 66.

As long as you aren't trying to buy an obscure make or model car, this will be a very helpful tool in picking out your new (to you) car. It was very helpful for me in deciding to shop for Honda Accords.

As a spoiler, I will go ahead and tell you the gist of the reviews - something we all already knew - your best bet is to buy a Honda or a Toyota (or any of its variants). Happy hunting!

Once again they created and easy to use book. I've consulted this book since 1973 when ever I was about to buy a new or used car.

This guide tells you everything you need to know about the used/pre-owned buying process, though you might be surprised at the results of many popular cars. It has a side by side comparison of the certified-pre-owned programs, warning signs when looking at a car, etc.

Overall an excellent guide for purchasing used cars. My only complaint are the hard-to-visually-scan graphics they use for rating reliability history and crash test results. A reference should be easier to scan without having to constantly refer back to a legend that is buried somewhere in the front of the book.

Consumer Reports provides a vital function in today's uber-materialist culture. They report objectively about the many products we purchase. In so doing they cut through all of the hype, distortion, and outright lies of the marketers, ad-men, and other assorted hucksters who bombard us constantly.

This guide is a powerful tool for helping both the new and experienced car buyer with the difficult task of sorting out the lemons from the cream puffs. It provides detailed information on each car and then summarizes the best used car buys and the worst used car buys -- for those with limited attention spans like me.

I could not recommend this guide more highly. It is an essential part of the decision making process of used car buyers.

Upon reading this new book from Tom Larson,it has finally shown that there is room for a pocket guide amongst all the other "big" heavy Matchbox collector books. This book can be carried easily anywhere you want. Study up on your Matchbox hobby as you go about your travelling. Carry it to Toy Shows, diecast conventions, and even to the local antique auctions. It is small,light, full of brightly colored, well shot photos of all your favorite Matchbox cars and trucks. There is even some rare vehicles,sets, and other accessories shown. With accurate Price quotations for "Mint In Box" models,you are surely to enjoy this work for years to come.
For the price, you can't beat it!
Definitely worth every penny.
Finally, a beautifully compiled Matchbox toy car collectors guide.
It will be a hit, Just watch.
Thanks Tom :)
just another fine book in the Warman's series.
Kudos to Krause Publications for jumping on this one.:)

sincerely
Burney Reid
"Diecast Enthusiast"
Coquitlam, B.C.
Canada

This book is very welcome as it will increase many people's enjoyment of collecting Matchbox models. Due to its easy availability and reasonable price it may even attract some more people to this wonderful hobby.

With its compact size it is ideally suited for carrying around to toy shows and flea markets, where it can be used as an aid in identifying models one might come across.

While experienced collectors may be slightly disappointed at the lack of detail and some embarrassing and sometimes misleading mistakes (which have no doubt been caused by the tight deadline pressure under which the book was written), this book is perfect as an introduction for beginners.

The quality of the many pictures is first class, and the introductory pages in the front section of the book, including a well-written summary of Matchbox history and useful collecting tips, are a must read for anyone interested in the subject.

Congratulations to Tom Larson on this fine achievement!

This is one fine little book. The pictures are superb and the text is short and concise. This book would work well for the seasoned collector as well as a collector that is new to Matchbox.

It's hard to believe that so much information is packed into such a little book. It's the big little book for Matchbook collectors. The photo quality in this book is second to none. Although the prices of these gems are always in flux, it is great to have an updated price guide. The history, collecting tips and listing of online resources contained in the book are treasures in and of themselves.

Most Matchbox guide books are encyclopedic in size. This is the first one I've found that is easy to take with you to toy shows, garage sales, and flea markets. The photos in the book are outstanding. The helpful collecting tips are well-written and are sound advice for collectors. All in all, I'm very pleased to recommend this book. Mine already has considerable wear, and I'll probably be needing another one by Christmas (hint to family)!

A great book that covers not only the earliest races at "The Glen", but that also conveys the trials and travails that early sports car racing enthusiasts endured in America. I expected a history of street racing in Watkins Glen to be in the book, but I didn't expect such an encompassing history of racing to be included.

Philippe's coverage of "The Great Controversy" is very enlightening in view of the current rifts in American Road Racing. I had no idea the battle of the isolationists vs. the internationalists had its roots so far back in time. Highly recommended for an entertaining read.

the author has done a great job of defining the times and of digging through the details of the renaissance of road racing in america. if you weren't there, you feel as though you had been once you finish.

Mr. Defechereux has captured the essence of the times. He has recreated and placed in context the rebirth of road racing in the United States. The names, the cars and the events are all carefully documented and the reader easily falls into the sense and mood of the era. It is fascinating.

A great book that covers not only the earliest races at "The Glen", but that also conveys the trials and travails that early sports car racing enthusiasts endured in America. I expected a history of street racing in Watkins Glen to be in the book, but I didn't expect such an encompassing history of racing to be included.

Philippe's coverage of "The Great Controversy" is very enlightening in view of the current rifts in American Road Racing. I had no idea the battle of the isolationists vs. the internationalists had its roots so far back in time. Highly recommended for an entertaining read.

No matter how one spells Philippe's last name most readers will remember his exciting book about the racer James Dean. And now in this book Philippe has uncovered little known facts about Watkins Glen, just as he did with James Dean. This book takes you back to the streets of Watkins Glen with Cunninghams, Ferraris and MG specials. If you collect motorsports history books as I do, your collection won't be complete without this one.

What a wonderful guide. We travel extensively, always with the Interstate Exit Authority as our companion on road trips. However, our current edition is 1998. We anxiously await the 1999/2000 edition to be available. Anyone have a clue when that might be?

I travel from Michigan to Florida with my family every summer. This year we bought a copy of the Exit Authority and let me tell you what -- it is GREAT! We used it every time we wanted to stop somewhere. We even let the kids get in on the act and they loved it too. I recommend it!

We use the interstate often to travel and what a delight it is to know what is available at any interstate in the country. The organization is easy to use. I loved it.

Everyone should have this book. They will know what is at the exit and if the rig they have will fit at the gas station, shopping etc. Rest areas and dumps are a must and the Exit Authority has done a fabulous job of them. They have saved us many times over. Now I need a authority on the other highways that are not interstate. Where can I find that? This Exit Authority is a must for everyone whether they have an RV or just touring in an automobile. Great work.

You'll never wonder what's ahead at the next exit with this handy guide to businesses located at interstate exits. Whether you're looking for a restaurant, gas station, hotel or shopping mall - you can find it in here - LISTED BY BUSINESS NAME! I use this every time I travel just to plan where I stop for dinner or to see what's nearby.

I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO WRIGHT FOR THE BOOK.

Probably the best book written about Ayrton so far.It gives us an objective view of Ayrton's life and it is mostly written by Ayrton himself,that is using his own words ,which is very important in understanding his life and actions.

Wonderful. That's the only word I can find to describe this book. Senna's true fans do have to read this book. Read it. It's the best book written about Senna.

Karim was very close to Senna; hence she is able to capture and present Sennas personality, his motivitations, his attitude to life like no other writer. You get a chance to feel what Senna felt ..

The book is written by a close friend of Ayrton and gives a great view at the racing driver Ayrton Senna, but it tells about another side which isn`t known by most people as well. I loved this book because it doesn`t write a lot about his death but about his life, his religion and his thoughts. Iread many books on Ayrton Senna, but this is the best one and everybody who is really interested in him has to read it!!!

But this book is really fun, especially for the car obsessed. Four different colors of bears race around a crazy race track, going "over" and "under", "around" and "behind" and playing dirty tricks on each other in rhyme. Not a cloying book like many others in the series. A favorite for ages 3 to 4.

My 23 month old is really into cars. He wants to read this book over and over and over. It is really cute and teaches 5 colors and five car "sounds", along with up, down, around, and through. I think it's hilarious when the "big mean green car" plays a dirty trick and my son says "OH NO!". It also teaches the lesson of persitence and patience. Very fun book!

This is such a cute book, both for toddlers but also for new readers. It rhymes thoughout the book and basically, is the story of the tortoise and the hare but with racecars. It's really, really cute, rhymes well, and makes learning to read quite the fun time. Highly recommend!

Our 23-month-old toddler really loves this book. If you have a child who loves cars, get this book! It's really charming, humorous and fun for the parent, too.

My nephew has this book almost memorized, he enjoys the story so much. The race cars are illustrated in bright colors making learning fun. The excitement builds throughout the book, and the story teaches a message about persistence. I would recommend this book for any public or private library.