The Automobile Age

by James J. Flink

Book Overview

In this sweeping cultural history, James Flink provides a fascinating account of the creation of the world's first automobile culture. He offers both a critical survey of the development of automotive technology and the automotive industry and an analysis of the social effects of "automobility" on workers and consumers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262560550
• ISBN13: 9780262560559
• Release Date: July 1990
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 470 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

An explaination of American Primacy - Its the car!

I'll be brief. The book is an academic tome. It's subject matter trancends the scholarly to be a thought provoking page turner! I would recommend this to the technically minded or voracious readers for although Mr Flink avoids the academic foot note syndrome, its target audience is still those who want to put it in their footnotes and bibliograghies. No, really, I did enjoy it; it's just not a book I'd recommend to anybody I know as I am not acquainted with any literary inclined techologists.

Have a car? Then Flink's Book is a Need to Read!

"The Automobile Age" is the most complete, authoritative book about the cultural and historical aspects of the automobile on a world-wide scale. It is no wonder why the book has reached its fifth printing since 1988. It's a marvelous, fascinating and richly detailed book about the most important and influential machine in our lives and its impact in the last 120 years.There are 20 chapters plus an epilogue, "The Future of the Automobile" in this indexed work, full of illustrations that take a logical flow of direction. It begins with "The Automotive Idea," giving the reader a knowledgeable base with which to understand that the automobile was not the creation of just one person, but of many brilliant minds over the past few centuries. It is almost hard to imagine the extent that the automobile has undergone to arrive in its present state, a hybrid of early chariots, bicycles and, believe it or not, simple tools. Despite what the car hater may think, Flink points out that, regardless of the minority opinion the development of the automobile was a requirement. It had to happen. Basically the development of the car was a collective effort with no other ultimate expression. From Chapter 3, "The Emerging Industry" and Chapter 4, "Fordism", on through "Hard Times" in Chapter 11--citing the impact of the Great Depression on the automotive industry--and on to Chapter 17, "Japan as Number One," the book is difficult to set aside as it educate about how foreign markets began to take over in the 1960's and 1970's what was thought to be a singularly American creation."The Automobile Age" is nothing short of a magnificent accomplishment. I can't even think of what the author omitted from his work without getting ridiculously far off base. Everything he discusses is relevant to an automobile-based culture, and it even has such facts as production numbers, costs of early cars, annual family incomes and how they managed to buy a car, and so on. I would absolutely recommend it for any class involving transportation or engineering, as these and other important subjects are inescapable in a modern world. It is a must-read for any automotive mechanic or driving school instructor, and is highly recommended for the average driver (or any driver, for that matter). There is far too much information to be absorbed in a single reading, and is best read in sections. It has a logical, chronological flow from chapter to chapter, neither leaving the reader behind nor getting too far ahead. There are few books written as well as "The Automobile Age," and is one reason to believe that the future of nonfiction as literature is assured. Top recommendation for all readers 14 and over. If you have not read it or don't own it, Buy it today. This book is an education in itself, and the price is far less than even a single college credit. Few things like Flink's book come at such a bargain.

A Definitive Source

I am not an automobile enthusiast. In fact, until I read this book I was somewhat of an unenthusiast, but I loved this book. It is scholarly and authoritative without being cumbersome or boring. I have taken oral histories of older people who told me how much the automobile changed their lives, but this book gave me a tremendous understanding as to how and why the automobile not only changed our lives, but helped to define our role in the world. Flink does not leave out anything of importance, covering the themes of culture, the world wars, the international competition, and all the important individuals. He de-mythed some of the misconceptions I had (about Henry Ford's various roles, for example), and truly explains how the automobile industry got to where it is today. The only drawback at all about this book is that it was written to include information up until 1985, so is not entirely up to the current day. Nevertheless, the reader can use this book as the Bible of car history. A very enlightening volume.