No comments about Porches (American Beauties).

2 comments about My Little Red Wagon: Radio Flyer Memories.

1. This is a sweet book - no other word for it - that is bound to be a conversation-starter. What a great gift book! The illustrations are wonderful, and it is full of warm and wonderful recollections. Too bad it didn't tell about the Pasins' giant red American Flyer wagon - two stories high - that appears at Navy Pier in Chicago each September as a part of the Great American Wagon Pull, a child abuse prevention fun walk on behalf of Parents Care & Share of Illinois.



2. My Little Red Wagon celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the Radio Flyer Company, makers of the little red 'radio flyer' wagon which has attracted and entertained children for decades. Here owners of the wagons share stories and photos of their wagons, providing a lively survey of Radio Flyer experiences and lore.

3 comments about Route 66: 2,297 Miles from Chicago to LA.

1. This pictorial contains hundreds of photographs of old Route 66. The pictures are mostly present-day photographs of old (both surviving and defunct) businesses as well as of the natural landscape in the eight states that the "Mother Road" and "America's Main Street" traversed.
   
   The book follows old U.S. 66 from east to west, from Chicago to Los Angeles. This is more than a coffee-table book. It contains ample text describing the history of the road, the story of some of the people who owned businesses along the highway, how and when the road was supplanted by the Interstate Highway System, and driving tips for those who want to try to follow surviving stretches of the original road today.
   
   There are also separate brief features describing the restaurants, truck stops, cars, motorcycles, semis, gas stations, and motels that were all a part of Route 66 during its mid-century heyday.
   
   Looking at all of the pictures of the wide-open spaces of the sun-splashed Southwest is a great way to "get your kicks" on a cold, gloomy day.



2. I absolutely relived my tour on route 66 in august of this year. The author gives a beautifull description of every enjoyable feature on this road. He shows you great full-color pictures, the beautifull countryside en great architecture and collector's items. Besides that the book shows and tells you the history of one of thé most historic roads in the world.
   The book gave me the feeling that I got when I visited in august this year: The USA are a beautifull country, with outstanding architecture that you should preserve and with very nice and warm people living in it.
   Hope to visit you again soon! And keep the faith in these difficult times.

   Greetings from the Netherlands, Europe!




3. ýRoute 66 came closer than any other highway to becoming the National Road.ý

   ýAnd in the halcyon days of US 66, it became the most magical road in all the world.ý

   I grew up about 1 mile from Route 66 in San Bernardino, California, and loved to hear the name of our town in the famous Bobby Troup song. I was even more thrilled when I found Route 66 in The Grapes of Wrath.

   But the ultimate for me was when the television series, Route 66, ran from 1960-64.

   For anyone with nostalgia or curiosity about Route 66 in its heyday, this pictorial tribute will be very rewarding. I recommend the book for personal pleasure, as a gift to those who loved Route 66, and to show to your children who missed the experience of this great road.

   Many more dimensions of Route 66 are captured here than in any other book I have seen, including:

   the speed traps; gangsters who made their getaways on the road; Burma Shave signs; water bags on car radiators; Phillips 66 gasoline signs; buses; diners; motels; and truck stops. To add to this color, you see photographs of classic automobiles and motorcycles, tourist sights, bridges, gas stations, drive-in theaters, and meet many of the famous people who operated well-known businesses along the route.

   Route 66 started in the east in downtown Chicago, near the headquarters of the Santa Fe Railway (the company where my father worked), and thereýs a nice photograph of the building here. You then mosey through Illinois (including Mitchell, Illinois), Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California through to Santa Monica. Each stateýs section shows you the names of the key towns passed through, the mileage to each one, and visual highlights from many of these areas.

   For my own home area, I was delighted to see a nice section on Cajon Pass, just a few miles northwest of my childhood home, a photograph of the Wigwam Motel in Rialto (about 10 miles away) where I always wanted to stay overnight on my birthday (until I found out how expensive it was to stay in a small concrete teepee), and the first McDonaldýs restaurant on E Street in San Bernardino (about a mile from my home) where I began eating fast food hamburgers and those great french fries in 1948.

   Sadly, the Interstate Highway program was begun in 1956 and began to replace Route 66. Two of the first sections were from San Bernardino to Los Angeles and Barstow (through Cajon Pass). We loved the speed of the new roads, and our lives have been busier and faster ever since. Sometimes when Iým back in Southern California, Iýll take a slow, relaxing drive however down Foothill Boulevard, which was Route 66 in this area. I enjoy those trips enormously!

   Route 66 was decertified as a federal highway in 1985. You will still find signs along parts of its route letting you know you are on ýhistorical Route 66.) The roads glories are fading now, as the many seedy motels and rundown diners will show you in this book.

   But, if you should be near any of these sights, take time to go see them. And say hello to the people described in the book who operate them. I particularly recommend the Genuine Giant in Elwood, Illinois.

   What did you enjoy doing when you were young that is disappearing today? Have you taken time lately to stir up a little reunion with those happy experiences?

   Stop, look, and listen . . . for Americaýs romance with the open road!

4 comments about More Cowboy Movie Posters (The Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters, Vol 6).

1. Excellent book for the western enthusiast. was a little disappointed that posters were not full page but guess I'm being a bit picky.No text apart from the introduction, many memories came flooding back of favourites such as Charles Starrett, Allan Lane, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry etc.
   These books will end up collectors items so strike while the iron is hot.



2. More Cowboy Movie Posters is a fabulous art book and truly invaluable, offering the highest quality images from good and bad westerns. As someone who collects western posters, I have used this book as an important aid to purchasing posters illustrated within. Without such a quality reference I would have needed to peruse a stack of catalogs to find the same amount of images. For the non collector movie buff, the book is equally a delight and tremendous value at the low price.



3. This review can easily apply to any of the books in the Bruce Hershenson edited series of film poster history. Hershenson rightly treats film graphics not just as pop culture artifacts but true works of art. His books are filled with a curator's eye for superior choice and reproduction, each poster in striking color and with a clarity of printing that rivals most any coffee table art book. Somewhere between advertising and illustration, film posters, like book jackets and record covers, inhabit that imaginative and atmospheric zone where one art reflects another. It's not just the history of film or the history of film design, it's a history of twentieth century Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights. How often we would go into the dark theatre armed only with the ideas and ideals of the posters outside, and then return to them afterward, perhaps with nodding affirmation or smirking disillusionment, but still a vision of what could be. This series of books should be subtitiled: THE FINE ART OF ANTICIPATION,for no matter if expectation was filled or emptied by the films behind them, their posters kept on shining.



4. All the great heroes of Hollywood westerns are represented in a book that's a delight to flip through. It's packed with the colorful, dramatic, enticing art that made movie posters even more appealing than the movies, themselves.

4 comments about Made in America: From Levi's to Barbie to Google.

1. C'mon, this has to be a sick joke, really. A beautifully written book encompassing all of the great American products, manufacturing prowess, and ingenuity over the past 120+ years...and yet...page 2 tells it all: PRINTED AND BOUND IN CHINA. Absolutely unacceptable.
   
   But, well, at least all of the products listed *IN* the book are American made, right? WRONG. I'll give Nick Freeth a free pass on Levis 501's (the last US factory closed down in 2003), PEZ dispensers (at least the candies themselves are US made), and Converse "All Stars" (made in the USA until 2001), but the iPod, the Ralph Lauren Oxford shirt, and Nike Air Jordans (among numerous others)..?
   
   iPods have NEVER been American made--they've been Chinese manufactured since day one; Ralph Lauren produces ALL of its shirts in third world countries throughout Asia--even the shirt this book uses for their own photo says clearly on the tag "MADE IN HONG KONG,"; and NO Nike shoes, much less the "Air Jordans", are produced anywhere even near the United States of America, lest you discount the Pacific ocean, etc., etc.
   
   In other words, this book should be re-titled "Invented in America...Made Somewhere Else."



2. Books of lists are an old publishing favorite and the Made in America type probably come out every year or so. I have a 1964 Ace paperback by Hannah Campbell 'Why Did They Name It...?' with the background to dozens of products. Nick Freeth's book is a bit better than most because its covers two hundred items. Right away problems start because this number means it can't just be products otherwise some real obscure things would have be included (and are) so Mack trucks, Las Vegas Strip, Hollywood, Times Square, traffic lights or a Kazoo are included.
   
   Each product (or concept) gets a photo, statistical data (including, amazingly, the makers Stock Exchange symbol) background text and the predictable 'Did you know?' all presented on pages with several colored panels (Did You Know?.. that the book 'Made in America' didn't repeat the same page color schemes in a 304 page book).
   
   The listings are arranged alphabetically so that Shure Microphones rub shoulders with Silly Putty then Skippy Peanut Butter. If you like this kind of fun juxtaposing of products you'll enjoy the book. It's surely the ultimate dip into and be amazed page turner and Did You Know?.. that Greyhound Scenicruiser buses had two engines just in case one broke down!
   
   2008 UPDATE: If this sort of subject interests you'll love Iconic America: A Roller-Coaster Ride through the Eye-Popping Panorama of American Pop Culture full of products and concepts that define the Nation.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
   
   
   
   



3. I bought this book on a whim after leafing through it to see what made the list. It really has a lot of info--I can't resist picking it up to read another half dozen entries. Lots of fun, even though you'll probably think of lots of other stuff he could have included. (Dr Pepper is really the oldest soft drink?)



4. What a great book. This gives you info on everything American. From Coca Cola and Barbie Dolls etc etc. It's really interesting because firstly, you may not have realised that something is actually American made/invented, and then with so many products in here, something is bound to capture your interest. It will tell you all about that product like the date it was invented, where, how etc. This is a really cool gift for someone, or just entertaining reading for yourself. I recommend this to any 'history' buff or just anyone in general.

1 comments about The Antique Hunter's Guide to American Furniture: Tables, Chairs, Sofas, and Beds.

1. I have recived many books on this subject but I found this one to be most helpfull.

No comments about The Antique Treasures of Colonial Williamsburg.

No comments about Bits & Spurs: Motifs, Techniques and Modern Makers.

5 comments about The American Roller Coaster (Motorbooks Classics).

1. very good book about rollercoasters with lots of information and good pictures



2. This is a very good book if you want a look back to the predecessors of today's coasters. The coverage is very thorough and informative. The coasters covered range from early 1900's to many of today. The photos are simply great -- they made the book wonderful (though the text could easily support itself). If you like coasters, this is the book for you.



3. Perfect book on rollercoasters. Great photos, great history. If you were only to buy one book about roller coasters- make it this one!



4. Other reviewers have given a good overview of this book. I will go into some detail on Chapter 3:Nuts and Bolts -- How Coasters Work. Rutherford begins by talking about materials used in the basic structure. His section on the evolution of tracking is excellent. Most readers will be surprised to learn about the side-friction coaster. This is a rare beast, and to my knowledge, this is the only easily available documentation available about it.

   The wood track structure is well explained along with cross sectional diagrams of how the carriages (trains) are attached to the track/structure. Rutherford finishes this part with a discussion on standard bent construction for the structure.

   In the next part of this chapter, the discussion continues with steelie coasters, track fabrication and wheel assemblies. Propulsion, lift chain, anti-rollback devices, other safety devices, brakes, zone blocking, restraints, etc. are wonderful background information for the teacher who wants to take their class to the amusement park for a science field trip.

   The chapter ends with the nature of teh ride and what is involved in creating one of these machines. The difference between an track plan and profile are clearly illustrated.

   Good addition to the library.




5. An excellent and unusual title providing insights into American pastimes and interests, Scott Rutherford's American Roller Coaster covers the ups and downs of roller coaster history, pairing a clear text history with color photos and illustrations of coasters from 1900 to modern times. The history and evolution covers construction as well as roller coaster styles and development.

1 comments about The Typewriter (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. has a lot of information for machines and companies before the 30 s but still neat stuff