The Automobile Age [Paperback]

James J. Flink (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 1990 | ISBN-10: 0262560550 | ISBN-13: 978-0262560559

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.James J. Flink is an affiliate of the Institute of Transportation Studies and Professor of Comparative Culture at the University of California, Irvine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Automobile Age should be required reading for all students of the automobile industry and its transforming impact on the economy, society, and popular culture of the United States. The book is a virtual encyclopedia of automotive history... Its rich details, comparative insights, persuasive interpretations, and wealth of excellent photographs all combine to make this an essential volume for modern American historians." Ronald Edsforth , Journal of American History

About the Author

Jairo Nunes is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the State University of Campinas, Brazil.

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (July 19, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262560550
• ISBN-13: 978-0262560559
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive Source, April 20, 2001

By 

AAron V. Crawford (Pell City, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Automobile Age (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for great price!, February 7, 2012

By 

letsgobirds610 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Automobile Age (Paperback)

I was very glad to recive this book faster then I expected and have the book in great shape! Thanks alot!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unbalanced but remarkably detailed, February 27, 2007

By 

John Doe "J.D." (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Automobile Age (Paperback)

Flink doesn't like cars. Flink believes that the major automobile manufacturers have brought great harm upon American society. IF you can get past that, then I recommend this book to anyone serious about the relationship between American culture and the automobile industry. If you are a car lover or even a dispassionate expert you may have trouble with the technical errors. For instance, Flink argues more than once that the 1964 GTO was proof of GM's uncaring attitude toward the public because they put their "biggest motor" (which the 389 was most certainly not) into the 1963 Tempest. The problem with this argument is that alhtough the body of the 1963 and 1964 Tempest are very similar, the chassis and suspensions are completely different designs. Likewise, he argues that American manufacturers' continued to use of bias-ply tires several years after Mercedes began to use radial tires because they didn't care about the safety of their customers. The fact that professional racing teams continued to use bias-ply tires well beyond those years puts a bit of a damper on that argument. Other, similar arguments suffer similar problems. Although it is true, for example, that American manufacturers were slow to include seat belts as standard equipment in their cars, Flink doesn't mention that Ford attempted to use safety as a major marketing point for their 1956 cars and the public was indifferent at best and suspicious at worst. ("Why does this car need seatbelts? Isn't it as safe as a Chevy?" etc.) This would be a much better book if Flink had no personal opinion about American auto manufacturers and could offer a more balanced and weighted evaluation of the pros and cons.

What this book DOES offer is a remarkably detailed look at the inner workings of the major auto manufacturers in the U.S. thoughout the 20th century, and for that reason alone I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the interaction between American culture and the American automobile industry.