Automobiles Books

being a relatively new fan of nascar, and having family members that work closely with it gave me the incentive to read this book. after the untimely death of nascar great dale earnhardt, i found it difficult to watch the weekly races.they seemed to be missing an important member of nascar and my reason for tuning in every weekend. after reading this book,i have changed my mind.nascar is truly the junior johnsons,the kale yarboroughs, and the ricard pettys. they made nascar what it is today. they paved the road for the newcomers. i still miss dale,but now i find i really do have another reason to tune in. i enjoy watching. i no longer have a favorite driver. i just cheer on the front runner. the book was a good read. i reccomend it highly.

To all outward appearances Jr Johnson was a country bumpkin, yet this book shows beneath that "good ole boy" veneer was a sophisticated mind and drive on which crowds cheered and engineers with PhDs came for advice, the latter not covered by Tom Wolfe's book. A quality presentation.

Tom Higgins of the Charlotte Observer and ESPN and Steve Waid of WC Illus. can tell a story like no one else can. Mix Tom, Steve and Junior together and you get lots of NASCAR history AND sore ribs.

being a relatively new fan of nascar, and having family members that work closely with it gave me the incentive to read this book. after the untimely death of nascar great dale earnhardt, i found it difficult to watch the weekly races.they seemed to be missing an important member of nascar and my reason for tuning in every weekend. after reading this book,i have changed my mind.nascar is truly the junior johnsons,the kale yarboroughs, and the ricard pettys. they made nascar what it is today. they paved the road for the newcomers. i still miss dale,but now i find i really do have another reason to tune in. i enjoy watching. i no longer have a favorite driver. i just cheer on the front runner. the book was a good read. i reccomend it highly.

I have followed the work of Ed Roth and the late "Von Dutch" since 1953. The word Pioneer doesn't even begin with the work these men have done over the last 45 years. Dutch started the trend of "Free Form" pinstriping, along with painted "figures" and some very unique "Flame Painting" back in the 1950s. Roth started building some very unique vehicles, way ahead of their time. He called himsef a "speed striper" which was a rapid form of pinstriping i,e, "no following around with fine details" yet the work was quite good. This book shows the best examples of both Roth and Dutch, and contains photos that we all thought were lost years ago. "Von Dutch" (a.k.a. Kenneth Howard) was a very underrated man, who was filled with talent and skills that would revel most of today's artists. It was a tragic loss when he died a very lonely man. Roth did a Video of Dutch in the late 1970s, which really showed the "methods to his madness."

I personally have given a tribute to both these men by building a copy of the sign painters box (made in 1919) given to Dutch by his father. Roth has pinstriped a few of these for his charity auctions. This book is a treasure to the art of pinstriping and the "Kustom Kulture" movement.

Although the greatness of Rob't. Williams has been admitted by a few so-called "legitimate" art critics, it's high time to admit the genius of people like Von Dutch, Ed Roth, Gene Winfield et al. Kustom Kulture is artistic democracy in action, "The People's Art." This is an attractive book, with much information and great art. If you are even the least bit interested in this subject, this book's for you. I give it an A+.

If you ever wanted to learn about the masters of hot rod art, this is a good place to start. While not the difinitive history of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth,Von Dutch or Robert Williams, this book delves into the rude awakenings of this all American art form. A damn good read.(I just looked at the pictures!!!!)

While being a big fan of "Big Daddy Roth", I still appreciate his hot-rod artwork. Shortly after finishing the book, I gave it to "Big Daddy Dean Paulsen", the man who taught Ed Roth everything he knows. Paulsen was pleased to know his understudy is still alive and well.

The second, all-color updated edition of Peter Winnewisser's THE LEGENDARY MODEL A FORD: THE ULTIMATE HISTORY OF ONE OF AMERICA'S GREAT AUTOMOBILES provides fans of Henry Ford with a close inspection of the history of his 1920s masterpiece the Model A. Period literature, color photos, dealer material, and anecdotes blend in a lively story which picks up where his first edition left off, providing some of the best photos of the last surviving Model As on the road, complimented by stories of the people who built and drove them. Nearly two hundred color photos blend with source material and references culled from the auto industry to make for an extraordinary keepsake.

History interests me and I'm restoring my 1931 Model A station wagon, so when I discovered Winnewisser's book I was excited to get it. I rarely buy books, and normally wait for the County Library system to purchase those that I might like to read. Thinking that a book like this might not have a wide audience, so the Library might not acquire it, I decided to fork out the money for it, and I'm glad I did. This is a good book and I enjoyed it quite a bit, reading it in three or four sittings. I lent it to my father, who grew up when Model As were on the street and drove the wagon for thirty-five years or so before giving it to me, and he liked the book, too.

That said, this book could have been better. First, Winnewisser needs an editor. The language is fine and the book is quite understandable, but it contains obvious errors. The caption under the engine photograph on page 9 is typical: it misidentifies the cutout that sits on top of the generator as a generator. On page 220 another caption misidentifies an 1930 station wagon as a 1929 model. Ford made substantial changes in the the Model A body lines between 1929 and 1930, as a reader can see by looking at the 1929 station wagon shown on page 77. When I looked at that photograph, I thought the car must have been made for use in England, as it has right-hand steering. Closer examination - the women are shaking left hands and the man's pocket square is on the wrong side of his suit coat - indicates the photograph is reversed. In discussing sales to its dealers, Winnewisser writes on page 197 that Ford adopted a twenty-two percent discount effective February 6, 1931, and then adds parenthetically that this discount was in effect at the River Rouge plant "as early as November 10, 1931." Is he saying the Rouge instituted a dealer discount 9 months after Ford adopted it, or did he use the wrong year? Good editing could clear up this confusion and the errors I cite above, and would make the book even more enjoyable.

Winnewisser did a lot of research for this book and brings out new subject matter (for me, at least). For example, I was surprised to learn that Ford not only employed African-Americans on the assembly line (as opposed to relegating these men to more menial work), but that blacks supervised white workers in some cases. There are some things that are not in Winnewisser's book. I would have been interested to see visual side-by-side comparisons of the different models and differences between standard and deluxe models. I would have appreciated more information on the making of parts and the painting and assembly of automobiles, since the assembly line was Ford's great innovation, albeit twenty-five years prior the period depicted in this book. I would have liked to have seen a little more information on Ford's AA commercial trucks. Some of this information is available elsewhere, but I would have expected to see it in a book subtitled "the ultimate history of one of America's great automobiles."

These criticisms aside, I'm glad Winnewisser took the time to research and write this book, and to include a bibliography so that I can look for more details when I have a mind to do that. I'm recommending the book to the folks in my Model A Ford Club of America chapter, and to other friends who I think might enjoy a history of another America in another time. I recommend it to anyone who reads this review.

This book does an excellent job of covering the history of the Model A! A great read because it goes beyond the historical and touches on the actual social feel of the car and the times. Filled with fun facts and antecdotes! I would recommed it to any history or antique car buff!

Pictures (B/W) and history of the production of the Model A Ford for all 4 years. Like "The Ford Model A, As Henry Built It", but the entire book (272 pages) is dedicated to the history of the Model A production. Haven't seen any other book which covers this stuff in this detail. Great pictures and images of original Ford documents.

This little book is perfect for the glove compartment of a SMART forTwo, which I currently have on order. The book traces the SMART car line from its beginnings to the current day (DEC 2007/JAN2008) and so is a good source for those interested in the car. I bought two copies, one for the car and one for my desk, and I will likely buy a scale-model of the car for my desk also.....I'm HOOKED

Naming a car "smart" is a bold move invoking the question "What's so smart about it?"

My reply is "What's so chevy about your car?" The brand name smart started as a short form of "Swatch Mercedes Art." The inherent word meaning was a bonus.

Like the brand, the book title is all lower-case letters. the little book of smart is compact, at 5 1/2" square with 128 pages and over 100 photos. The book is packed with pictures provided by smart and smart car enthusiast Paul Guinness. Most of the copy is picture description, making this a quick, light read. Were it not for the small size, I would describe this as a coffee table book. I carry mine in my smart and show it to people when they ask about the car. It fits nicely in the dashboard storage tray.

Jackson's book covers the model history of this unusual vehicle. While the smart was only introduced to the United States in 2008, the brand has been available around the world since 1998 and in Canada since 2004. The brand now offers only the fortwo coupe and cabrio, previously known as the city coupe. Other models have come and gone, including the roadster, roadster coupe, forfour and the crossblade.

The author touches on the smart clubs, focusing on the UK club [...] but misses the largest smart club in North America [...]. Jackson also discusses fun smarts like the forfun2 monster truck as well as prototypes such as the crosstown and formore. He touches on safety, focusing on the Tridion safety cell and active systems such as stability control. As well, he celebrates the fact that like the old VW beetle, the smart is a pallet for artists and enthusiasts who want to create a statement.

For Americans not familiar with smart, the book is a fun introduction. The book is available direct from Veloce, but North American buyers will probably prefer Amazon or some other US-based online book store.

This book is a good read, for one who already knows about the cleverly designed smart cars or wants to learn some of the interesting story of the line's first decade. Loads of clear, interesting images and well written text, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

the little book of smart
by Paul Jackson

Upon a first glance, it would be easy to assume that the little book of smart by Paul Jackson is just a photo album, since the dimensions of the book is a square measuring 5.5 inches and a rather large picture of a smart fortwo cabriolet spans most of the glossy front cover. All thoughts of this just being another picture album are immediately forgotten the moment the reader cracks this glossy cardboard cover to reveal the 128 pages of very detailed and accurate data that accompanies the superb colored pictures that adorn virtually every page. The fact that the pages of the book are also a glossy paper similar to the finest new car brochures found at car dealerships just makes this book's photographs look all that much more impressive. Because the publishing company chose to incorporate a folded over cardboard flaps on both the front and back cover of the book, the book seems much more substantial than most paperbacks when being handled and held. This additional thickness and stiffness almost gives the reader the sense of looking at a thin covered hardback book, which serves to enhance the feeling of `quality' that this small book exudes.

The book's diminutive size is a very apt match for the tiniest car being sold in America. Paul Jackson's narrative is concise, informed, and best of all, extremely accurate. One of the pet peeves of most smart fortwo owners is that so many reporters and writers try to do a fair job of representing the vehicle and its decade long history but often attribute so many incorrect facts to their story that owners feel they "just don't get it". Mr. Jackson definitely "gets it" when it comes to writing about this little car and having the most correct and up to date information.

Each time I look at my little book of smart and re-read its pages, I come away impressed by a different facet of knowledge that it contains. Not only does the book pay tribute to the vehicles that have been produced in the past but also includes those that have recently been discontinued. Even those discontinued models are represented by the same level of excellent photos as the newest and latest models showing them from different angles and the different configurations in which they were available.

There are times I think the book's best feature has to be the magnificent and relatively large pictures that grace almost every single page. Then at other times, I am astounded by the details and how many things are included that only the real followers of smart's history may even be aware of, such as spy photos that preceded the latest 2008 models, or the tiny toys in the shape of smart cars that are available. Mr. Jackson also includes detailed pictures of the different engines that have been installed in smarts over the years. In short, there seems to be something for everyone who's interested in the smart car family or history.

I have purposely placed this book in several different locations in and around my home just to see how many people will pick it up and peruse it. It has been on my coffee table in the living room, the side door pocket inside my smart passion cabrio and even placed near the toilet in the bathroom as `library' material. One thing is for certain, people are drawn to this little book just like they are drawn to take a closer look at the little car. Anybody that's seeking to purchase a book about the smart car that is up to date, comprehensive, and a pure joy to behold should purchase this one. It's a giant of a book even though it's tiny.

This is the best travel book about the London that I found. It has all necessary information that I was looking for without the tones of text and pictures. It gives you so good ideas about what you can or should see in one day that I decided just to follow the book. :)

Took 3 guides to London for our 2005 trip. This guide has the best pictures of the 3. Most of the information is very good. The walking tours are the best! It even tells you when to stop and eat.hmmmmm

The guide doesn't really cover all aspects if you are new to the culture and city. No real tips on staying out of trouble and the detailed city map is combersome. That aside, the book is well put together with wire spirals, the cover is a hard paper for good construction.

Before traveling to London, we purchased many travel books, but AAA's London guide was the only one we took with us. The book is filled with beautiful color photos, great descriptions, planned itineraries, and a fantastic detailed map. We are planning on traveling to Rome this summer and AAA's Rome guide is the only travel book we will be purchasing before we go.

My wife and I used this travel guide extensively while in London. It served as our bible, tour guide, and street map. It is laid out in a very clearly and the sprial binder makes it very easy to flip to any page. It is filled with clear, color pictures and maps. The guide is broken down into various regions throughout London, with each section highlighting Must See Attractions, and then At Your Leisure sites that are also in the area. It also has a very nice reference on how to see a region in one day. An Underground map is on the inside back cover, and a regional map of London on the front inside cover. Other nice features are sections called 'Finding Your Feet' - which provides great information for when you first arrive in London (either by plane, train, boat, etc..) and a 'Practicalities' seciton that talks about currency, clothes sizes,etc.

What really made this book stand out compared to other London travel guides was it included detailed street maps of these regions. Those proved invaluable for us once we started walking around the area. The book is compact, and fit inside my coat pocket comfortably.

Overall, I liked this book. The story of JR's early racing days and his travels with Jim McElreath as they followed the IMCA circuit was good reading. In addition, the details of his 1966 Eldora crash and recovery as well as his experience driving the Smokey Yunick NASCAR Chevy in 1963 was very interesting. I would have liked more technical detail on what happened to his race cars to cause poor finishes at Indy in 1973, 1982, etc.

If you are a fan of Johnny Rutherford and racing in general, this is the book for you. The book gives insight from inside the racing world. It is a highly detailed account of Johnny's personal life and his racing career. I found his personal struggle to become a big time driver very interesting, as he started at a relatively late age for his era. It was also interesting for me to read his explanation of the many changes in racing and what was expected of a driver from his first race until his retirement. The candid comments and numerous photographs, make the reader fell like he has had a personal converstaion with J.R. himself. I believe almost anyone will enjoy this book.

If you are a fan of Johnny Rutherford and racing in general, this is the book for you. The book gives insight from inside the racing world. It is a highly detailed account of Johnny's personal life and his racing career. I found his personal struggle to become a big time driver very interesting, as he started at a relatively late age for his era. It was also interesting for me to read his explanation of the many changes in racing and what was expected of a driver from his first race until his retirement. The candid comments and numerous photographs, make the reader fell like he has had a personal converstaion with J.R. himself. I believe almost anyone will enjoy this book.

If you are a fan of Johnny Rutherford and racing in general, this is the book for you. The book gives insight from inside the racing world. It is a highly detailed account of Johnny's personal life and his racing career. I found his personal struggle to become a big time driver very interesting, as he started at a relatively late age for his era. It was also interesting to me to read his explanation of the many changes in racing and what was expected of a driver from his first race until his retirement. The candid comments and numerous photographs, make you fell like you've had a personal converstaion with J.R. himself. I believe almost anyone will enjoy this book.

The book I received was in new condition. It was sent to me quickly. I am very happy with this transaction

My son has spent hours with this book. He loves the intricate drawings and sees something new everytime he re-visits it. A "must have!"

Book is great. It has 13 mazes to complete both forward and backward. All are streets on which you drive paper cars. Each maze is different - city, neighborhood, zoo, golf course, rural, mountains, etc. Not only do you complete the maze, but you are also challenged to find objects in the maze that begin with a certain letter, and you are asked to find certain hidden letters on each page, plus more challenges. My 5 year old son loves to trace through the maze and find the objects (especially the different cars and trucks). He spends hours with it and hasn't tired of it yet. The mazes are very detailed and illustrated beautifully.

We have another one of her books, Blimps, which we enjoy. So my son picked this one out at the library. We had a lot of fun with it. We sat for almost half an hour looking at the pictures. My son had fun showing me things he found on his own. We went every maze and traced it with out fingers. Then we had to look for the letters and pictures that he liked. This was very helpful, since he's just learning his letters.

Great book!

This is another great piece of work by Christopher Hilton. Now, don't think I'm a Hilton fan. I'm simply familiar with Hilton's work. I purchased this title for the simple reason that Hakkinen is my all time hero. I recommend this title to any Formula One or Hakkinen fan. Do note that it only goes up to the 1997 season, but that is what you want to know about anyway, right? Learn about Mika's "casual" living style and sometimes a little too "carefree" life as an up and coming driver. There will be laughs along the way without doubt!

Enjoy!

Christopher Hilton's biography of Finnish racing driver Mika Hakkinen was written before Hakkinen won the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship at the wheel of his West McLaren Mercedes last year.

Hilton opens his story with the final fateful moments leading up to Hakkinen's serious accident during qualifying for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, and days later, Hakkinen's regaining consciousness in the intensive care ward of an Adelaide hospital.

He then takes us back to the beginning, retracing Hakkinen's childhood and early racing career in Finland through to his inevitable move to Britain, his progress through the junior racing formulae and the break into the big-time with the now-defunct Lotus F1 team.

The story ends towards the end of 1997 ‡ just, it can be argued, when it was getting REALLY interesting!

Hilton's style is idiosyncratic, but readers who are happy to put up with his asides and personal touches will be rewarded with an empathetic, well-researched and ultimately authoritative work on the latest F1 World Champion.

But despite Hilton's claims that Hakkinen remains one of the most accessible F1 racers of his time, this book lacks a certain something.

Hakkinen certainly comes across as unaffected, accessible and supremely talented ‡ racing a car at breathtaking speed is, after all, only ìdoing what comes naturallyí, as Hilton's book is subtitled.

But unlike biographies/autobiographies of previous world champions ‡ Alan Jones' collaboration with Keith Botsford, ìDriving Ambitioní, or Botsford's collaboration with Keke Rosberg, ìKekeí spring to mind immediately ‡ one leaves Hilton's book with a little sense of knowing the man.

Even one of Hilton's own previous efforts, Ayrton Senna ‡ The Hard Edge of Genius, gave a far greater insight into its subject. Perhaps that was an indication of Senna himself; he was known to be a man given to deeper thoughts than many of his contemporaries and rivals.

Work may be underway even now on a book by Hakkinen's own hand. But for his fans, and they are legion, for the time being at least this book is about the best there is.

Hilton has done a fair job, and shown impressive prescience in selecting Hakkinen as a candidate for a biography. It needs to be updated, to take account of the 1998 championship-winning season.

Hilton's book will sell well and satisfy the inevitable post-championship demand for information on the man of the moment. But it's not the definitive essay on Hakkinen that his fans, and fans of motorsport generally, are waiting for.

Now that Mika has one the World Drivers Championship (twice), this makes an interesting read.

Although seemingly distant, and lacking interest in his chosen sport, this book highlights the talents that Mika clearly has in order to achieve his dream.

With help from his boss, Ron Dennis, Hilton highlights how Dennis and Hakkinen spent many long hours coupled together, penetrating each other's heads and, ultimately, getting the best out of each other. The book's title expresses this in concise terms.

While illustration is sparse, it spares us the pointless "page filling" of many lesser books, and gets to the point.

A great read for any fan of Mika, and McLaren.

This book contain all of Mika's! From his karting days to F-1, FANTASTIC~~ Quick buy, before he is going to be the World Champion!

In summary: Very complete book, easy descriptions, great color pictures, helps non-reader types to understand and appreciate what learning and reading can afford.

I am not much for reading, but this book is my favorite. It was the first book I had to buy for college and we covered every part of the car for my ASEP-GM associate degree program back in 1998. It really helped me to gain an understanding of the workings of cars. After working at the dealership for a couple years as a master ASE technician I decided to get a mechanical engineering degree because I wanted to keep learning more about cars and the theory behind them and to eventually learn how to make a better car. I found my self lending out this book to others in my classes so that they could read the easy explanations. Now I work for a major automotive manufacture as a test engineer and I am in an automotive graduate program and for the semester project, active suspension systems I checked into this book to see what Schwaller had to say and was surprised again to find a section on this topic that I never knew was in there. He explained it very clearly and in layman's terms.

My auto tech class used to teach with this book. The pictures are very simple and easy to understand and same goes with the texts. It teaches you almost everything you need to know about cars including suspension, steering, engine, tires, AC, ignitions, tons more. It also shows how carburetors work.

It does lack a few newer technologies on our cars theses days though like drive by wire and improvements on ignition systems.

This book also lacks colorful pictures (as in like a photograph) and may seem a little boring if you aren't into cars. It does have colored pages, just not too detailed in color.

Sum things up, it taught me al ot but very very slightly out of date. It contains all the fundamentals though

I have a young son who is 13 and he shows an interest in auto repair. I was in the market for a comprehensive book that would give him a good understanding of automotive principals and theory. Well I certainly found it in this book.

This is a wonderfully detailed Automotive book! In fact it is our school Auto Tech text book. It has illustrations, explanations, and awesome details. I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in Automotive Technology!

Weaving the history of the Black Mtns with the author's personal diary made this book exceptional. I particularly enjoyed the theory on how mountain balds were formed and how native americans survived and made most of the land. I recommend this book to anyone who hikes or camps and appreciates the mountains.

What an excellent book! Timothy Silver has given us a two fold view of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains of North Carolina. A combination of the natural history of the area, and man's exploration/exploitation of these lofty peaks. I think what I enjoyed most about the book, were the short "interludes" where the writer inserts his many experiences of car camping, hiking/backpacking, trout fishing, or just marveling at nature while sitting at some well known spot, or some "hidey-hole" known only to people who frequent the area. These personal thoughts heightened my reading pleasure, because like the writer, I have spent a great deal of time in the Blacks and know of what he speaks.

The battle between the Mountain's namesake, the Rev. Elisha Mitchell and his former student, future Confederate general Thomas Clingman about who measured the mountain first, is fleshed out completely, and is probably the definitive account of this famous row.

The end chapters deal with mankind's interventions on the mountain, and the consequences of these acts. This is followed up with concise information about the acid rain/woolly adelgid issues affecting the Fir and Red Spruce trees on the mountain tops, along with some discussion about the growth cycles about the above mentioned trees, which in my opinion, clears up some of the misinformation out there. For years, the problem was blamed on woolly adelgids, then on acid rain. I personally feel like these two scourges work together hand in hand to decimate the once proud Fraser Firs.

This is truly a groundbreaking book. I'd like to see more works that follow this vein. Nicely illustrated.

Timothy Silver has given us an excellent history of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains.
The work is titled as an environmental history, and it is supported by a wealth of factual information, but the whole presentation is a wonderful flowing story of these peaks in western North Carolina, and their history as they were shaped by nature and by man.
Of special interest is the account of the feud between Elisha Mitchell and Thomas Clingman. The story encompasses misunderstandings, fragile egos, and desperate politics. When Mitchell fell to his death in 1857, the public mind established Mitchell as a hero and martyr who died to establish these peaks as the state's best known landmark. His body was later moved to the higest peak, which is forever known as Mount Mitchell.
We are also able to see the history of man's interaction with nature. In the case of the Blacks, it is often with tragic results, and even when the intentions are good, the outcome is often marginal.
Dr. Silver leaves us with a compelling book that provides much information and asks many questions that we should consider not only for this mountain range, but for our environment as well.
I highly recommend this book. The author has done us a great favor.

What a terrific book Timothy Silver has crafted! Anyone interested in mountains, hiking, fishing, environmental issues, natural history, or the local history of North Carolina's mountains will enjoy this wonderful account. Professor Silver, a historian in western North Carolina, has written a book in which Mount Mitchell stars at the center of his narrative--and both general readers and professional historians can find meaning and pleasure in his tale.

Like many environmental historians, Silver sees in the reciprocal interaction between nature and culture a larger story of a region. And he brings us this compelling story from a variety of intriguing angles. He offers his own assessments, ones generated on his extensive hiking and fishing trips in the Black Mountains of western North Carolina. He provides insight into the steamy 19th century historical controversy between rivals each seeking to determine which was the highest peak in the region--and to see who could do it first and most authoritatively. (And as a New Englander, I found the tale inviting even if our White Mountains fall short in elevation to North Carolina's peaks!) Professor Silver also examines logging practices and regional boosterism, the antecedent of eco-tourism.

The book has something that will be compelling for a wide audience of readers interested in the natural world and local history--and the style is accessible and enjoyable. Whether you've hiked a lot, love North Carolina, want to investigate stormy political and personal feuds, or wish to know more about regional environmental history, "Mount Mitchell" is a fine read. I commend it to you!