1 comments about 75 Years of Pontiac: The Official History.

1. 
   
   Thanks, Pontiac, for having your 75th anniversary the same year that my brother bought one! This was a fun gift that he displays in his living room along with his driving trophies.

4 comments about Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1976-1999 (Standard Catalog of American Cars).

1. Bought this for my husband and it will keep him busy for hours reading it. He loves any book that has Cars or Truck in it.



2. THIS CATALOG IS INVALUABLE TO US, BUYING CARS FOR EXPORT. WE CAN CHECK ENGINE SIZES, OPTIONS, VIN NUMBERS ETC. BEING OUTSIDE THE U.S. ITS A COMPLETE WINDOW ON ALL CARS THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE ADVERTISED FOR SALE FROM 1976 ONWARD. I WOULD NOT BE WITHOUT IT.



3. The Standard Catalog of American Cars really sets the
   standard to an automotive history book. The information is
   overwhelming, and you will find yourself glued to the book
   any chance you get.It's also a great book for anyone looking
   for a used domestic automobile. It lets you find the right
   car, and gives you options that you can look for while
   shopping for your car. This is not a book for page flippers.
   But it will fill your head with a wealth of information.
   Best book ever!!!!!



4. This book is not for everyone. Flammang and Kowalke have given us not merely a reference book, but a sort of "living history" of the American automobile industry's most challenging era. It's great fun to track the changes in American cars from the North American Vinyl-Backed Road Pigs of the mid-70s through the confusing transitional years of the 80s, on into the rebirth of the American auto industry in the 90s. Reading this book not only shows you how the way cars are built has changed; you also get a sense of how the way cars are sold has changed.

   The reason this book is not for everyone is that this is essentially an encyclopedia. There's a section for every American automaker, and within those sections, a section for every model year. Thus you can learn what makes, say, a 1978 Chevy Impala different from the 1979 models. Or you can read about the travails of the Ford Motor Company in the late 70s and see how they dug themselves out of a rut with their products. Flammang and Kowalke have done a good job researching this book and finding telling little factoids to help illustrate where each company was at in a given year.

   This book is also a boon to collectors, as it gives fairly complete production numbers. You can learn about ultra-rare body styles, option packages, and the like.

   I've only got one quibble: the authors exclude any discussion of "captive imports" (cars produced by foreign manufacturers but sold with American names, like the Dodge Colt and Ford Fiesta). I can understand their rationale, but there are future collectibles among these cars, and it's been a *long* time since the Standard Guide to Imported Cars has been updated. On the whole, though, this is a good book for any hard-core auto enthusiast, and one of the best rainy-day reads I've got.

5 comments about Harley-Davidson Panheads, 1948-1965/M418.

1. I needed a service manual for a restoration project. The book helped with finding out how certain components were supposed to be installed. Also adjustments and service procedures such as replacing fork oil, adjusting brake shoes, etc... There were a few things I needed that weren't included, but overall very helpful in my project. It would have been more helpful if I were rebuilding the transmission and/or engine instead of simply painting the frame and reassembling the bike. It did give information about inspecting components and determining damage or need for adjustments. I thought this book was a good value for me.



2. Solid manual , most detailed and precise one available, very good
   for all kind of day to day maintenance as well as for complete rebuild.
   Easy to use needs some basic technical understanding but you don't
   need to be a professional.



3. Excellent!! A must have book for anyone owning a panhead.



4. If you own an original, or if you're building a 1948-1965 Tedd Cycle (V-Twin) Replica, you'll need every piece of written material you can get your hands on. This service manual covers areas that our manual does not (i.e., Linkert carburetors, transmissions, forks, brakes, "mousetraps" and 1965 Electra-Glides), and more in depth maintenance procedures than the OEM 1959-69 Service Manual.



5. This is a Clymer maintenace book for Harley Panheads. It is a very good book on care and feeding of panheads, but the Amazon description makes it look like the history of pans. One good good thing is that there is a section of the book which describes the proper paint and features for particular year pans. Useful for restores.

5 comments about The Art of Lionel Trains.

1. I saw this book on the shelf and opened it ever so gently and reverently. Those beautiful pictures of Lionel Trains reproduced from the old catalogs graced the pages. I went back in time for a few moments and tried to recall those days so long ago. I relived for a very fleeting moment that era and in a blink of the eye it was gone. But I savored the moment and put it away somewhere special to take out again perhaps on a rainy day as I gaze out my window in a bit of melancholy and think how long ago it was when I held my first Lionel Train. Flipping through the pages of this book is a moving experience if you grew up with Lionel Trains as I did. Collecting Lionel Trains and the catalogs was truly a family affair and one I will always cherish. This is an important book for me. I don't have to take out my Lionel catalogs with their yellowing and brittle pages or pull out streamlined passenger cars or boxcars from my closet in orange boxes now crumbling at the edges. I can sit down and open this book and gaze into the past and just remember. Just remembering is good enough these days. Just remembering when.



2. A "must have" for Lionel Train enthusiasts. I'm not sure who enjoys it the most, my 60 year old husband or our three year old grandson! Ours is getting so dog-eared from hours of enjoyment that we might need to think about a repalacement!



3. Officially licensed by Lionel itself, The Art Of Lionel Trains: Toy Trains And American Dreams by Roger Carp is more than just a simple showcase of promotional art that the Lionel company used to advertise their classic model locomotives; its informed and informative text follows the journey and evolution of the internationally famous model railroading company and its various products that inspired hobbies and dreams in households across America. Illustrated throughout in full color and a highly recommended addition to any personal or community library Railroading History collection, The Art Of Lionel Trains is as much a trip down memory lane for model train buffs as it is a peek to an era when advertising art was lively yet simple.



4. The book is a beauty (as a graphic arts product) but as the review title reads I am a little bit disapointed. Don't get me wrong. I like Roger Carp and his writting. In fact, he is almost the only reason I am suscriber to TCC magazine. However the book, in my humble opinion, falls short in the two aspects one could possible focus on: the Lionel art and the information about it. The illustations though as nice as we expect from Lionel history are pretty much common for Lionel enthusiasts and very well known from long ago. One could think that being this a book about Lionel art something special would appear.
   
   The text did not contribute much to the common knowledge of Lionel aficionados. Commom places such as the bond between fathers and sons and the search for security during rough times, fill most of the space in the book. Not even short biographies of artists as important as Robert Sherman appear in the text. Carp's great sense of humor is also pretty much absent.

   In short, I think the other superb books by Roger Carp left me expecting more than real life provides. Everyone has the right to some "failure". In the case of Roger Carp I think this book fills the bill for that.




5. "Saying 'Lionel' to anyone over the age of 40 brings forth nods of recognition and stories of smoking, whistling trains chugging around Christmas trees."

   "The Art of Lionel Trains" is a showcase of familiar images, famous pictures and the artwork from catalog covers, newspaper advertising and other marketing pieces. Some of the pictures are sentimental and show the dreams of children.

   When my mother bought my husband his first Lionel Train, I think he spent most of one afternoon putting the track together and then would amuse our cats by running the train at least once a day, complete with smoke billowing about in our mostly empty room. I kept wondering what was burning. My memories of Lionel Trains now include cats jumping across tracks to avoid the impending doom. They were actually quite fascinated for weeks.

   This book highlights classic Lionel trains, helps to revive memories of toy trains from the past and analyzes art and its relationship to dreams and values.

   The Chapters Include:

   Dreams of Ambition 1900-1923
   Dreams of Consumption 1920-1933
   Dreams of Authority 1931-1947
   Dreams of Security 1946-1964
   Dreams of Nostalgia 1963-1993
   Dreams of Tomorrow 1990-2003

   This book is a history of Lionel Trains from 1900-2003 and is the perfect gift for Lionel Train fans everywhere. Each chapter contains detailed information on all things train through an analysis of advertising.

   What I noticed, is a sense of family unity throughout the pictures. It also seems that a Lionel Train looks best with a Christmas tree. Artists actually started promoting this idea back in the1920s. The text in the advertising is readable in most cases. You have to love the pictures of the poor kids watching while "grandpa and dad" took over the train tracks.

   Roger Carp has been a member of the editorial staff of Classic Toy Trains magazine since 1988. You might want to look for additional selections by Roger Carp:

   The World's Greatest Toy Train Maker: Insiders Remember Lionel

   Classic Lionel Display Layouts You Can Build

   ~TheRebeccaReview.com

No comments about Old-Time Transportation CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

2 comments about Early American Locomotives (Trains).

1. I purchased this book over 20 years ago. This is a fantastic book of Steam Engine engravings. You won't find a better collection (at least I haven't.)



2. This book is a collection of engravings from the 19th Century, each with minimal history. It is an absolute gem , a cache of information about locomotives from before the era of manufacturers photographs. Engravings were used as illustration in sales literature and publicity material, and so a wide variety of locomotive types are depicted covering more or less 1800-1900. The accuracy of the engravings is superb-in some cases it is possible to scale from an engraving to determine pipe sizes, nut bolt diameter etc. For the price this book cannot be beaten.

4 comments about The Great Dirigibles.

1. Good book high in personal details, but lacking in technical insight, basicly describes, a series of airship disasters from individuals personal point of view. Good general reading but not if you want to understand the reasons behind the headlines.



2. Most books on airships are written by specialists, experts, or those who had a part in the development of the great dirigibles. John Toland is a interesting exception, an extreamly accomplished author who turned his attention to the subject. This book is a re-titled (and only very slightly re-edited) version of his book 'Ships in the Sky' from the fifties. Due to the original publication date, he was able to interview many of the principle figures in the stories, most of which took place in the twenties and early thirties. Most everyone is familiar with the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, but this book will introduce them to many other facinating accounts. He covers the R101 disaster, which was the British avaiation equivalent to the Titanic. Also included is a excellent account of the Italian 'Italia' drama at the North Pole (get Wilber Cross's 'Disaster at the Pole' if who want a book entirely dedicated to that event). Also covered is the United States Shennendoah, Akron and Macon crashes. Perhaps the highlight is a minute by minute (more like second by second) account of the Hindenburg crash.



3. This is the first book I have ever come across that painstakingly details the demise of airships. Toland has recreated conversations and personal details from countless sources and testimony. Each accident and triumph is covered in detail. I loved this book. It is a must-read for any airship enthusiast.



4. Toland is one of America's great narrative historians. His book The Great Dirigibles, Their Triumphs and Disasters (formerly titled ships in the sky, The story of the Great Dirigibles)is sure to please even the most knowledgeable airship reader. Toland investigates the origins of airships and includes many of the pre-Zeppelin era narratives. The book is full of first hand accounts and includes an excellent index and an acknowledgement section (which will be of interest to serious readers). The strength of the book lies in the fact that it is not another re-telling of the Hindenburg disaster. The Norge, the Italia, the Shenandoah and other airships get equal treatment. There are also over two dozen pictures with captions. This is an easy to read book that will thrill the novice and please the serious studentsof airship history.

2 comments about Buffalo Bill's Wild West: An American Legend.

1. Great book for anyone who loves the old west, scores of high quality photographs of the best, I repeat the BEST of the old west artifacts, from Colts, to CDV, and cabinet cards, saddles, hats, clothing, etc. Many photos never seen before..accompanied by a strong text, highest recommendations!



2. I was looking for a gift for a true western history buff. Many of the books out there sugarcoat the story of the West. This one is the best book I have seen on an amazing man. The details of the adventures along with the non-colorized photos are just excellent. For anyone interested in this section of American history, this book should be on your bookshelf. It's also a very good coffee table book. Highly recommended.

1 comments about Vintage Case Tractors.

1. I purchased this book as a gift for my boyfriend. I don't know much about it but he was pleased with it.

No comments about Miller's: Collecting Diecast Vehicles (Miller's Collector's Guides).