Description
Author: Philip Van Doren Stern, Hardbound, 180 Pages, ISBN:b0017qfgqe, First Published in 1955, Second-Hand Book in excellent unread condition !
On October 1, 1908—the Tin Lizziie's natal day, to be exact—William Howard Taft was winding up a campaign for the presidency he was destined to win. The census figures for the United States totaled 87,189,392 persons, and 200,000 primitive automobiles were operating, in various stages of repair, on the nation's rough roads.
But the new Model T Ford, oblivious to derisive cries of "Get a horse!" was preparing to outshine all equine and mechanical rivals, and start a private revolution in transportation and in social concepts. She was to swarm over the land, and in the 1920's there would be millions of her offspring on the road—from Alaska to Zanzibar.
More than 15,000,000 Model Ts were made between the autumn of 1908 and the day the last of the breed rolled off the assembly line in May, 1927.
Although a survey in 1948 found 48,869 Tin Lizzies still registered, her legions are dwindling sadly now. Suffering heavy losses in the Second World War, the Model T is scarce enough today to fetch a premium price when in good running condition. Every year junkyards break up a few more, while fire, collision, rust, and neglect reduce the fast-thinning ranks.
"Most of us over forty," the author reminisces, "had our first experience in automobiling when we drove a Model T Ford. Its controls may seem complicated to the young person who has been brought up with modern driving aids .. . but compared to most cars of its day, the Model T was sublimely and absurdly simple."
For those readers over forty, this book, with its hundreds of photographs, its sketches, and its tender recollections and anecdotes, offers the perfect excuse and opportunity for indulging in an outrageous nostalgia. And for those of us who cannot legitimately recall the "good old days," it is a gilded glimpse back into the halcyon past.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PHILIP VAN DOREN STERN possesses credentials enabling him successfully to mix axle grease with his romancing.
For he is not only an aficionado of the legends surrounding early automobiles, but he is also a connoisseur of what goes on under their ancient hoods. He is the author of a number of books, including The Life and Writings of Abraham Lincoln, The Man Who Killed Lincoln, The Drums of Morning, The Portable Poe, The Greatest Gift (later made into a motion picture called "It's a Wonderful Life"), as well as that popular book A Pictorial History of the Automobile.
His present book is based on a year's research at the Ford Archives, the Detroit Public Library's Automotive Collection, the Automobile Manufacturer's Association Automotive Library, and the Library of Congress.
