Bug Tales : The 99 Most Hilarious, Outrageous and Touching Tributes Ever Compiled About the Car that Became a Cultural Icon [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Gabriella Jacobs (Author), Paul Klebahn (Author), Randy Rider (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1999

Bug Tales is a collection of the 99 most hilarious, outrageous and touching tributed ever compiled about the car that became an icon. Whether you owned a VW (Bug , Bus or Karmann Ghia), knew someone who did, or simply recognize them on the road, you'll identify with the experiences portrayed in Bug Tales. Bug Tales concentrates on the human side of the VW expereince. It demonstrates how these cars putted their ways into the hearts and memories of millions. What they lacked in heat they made up for in warmth. Slowly, steadily, they became more than just a car to many people, they became a companion. Often they even beacme a family member, the kind you can swear at and still love. Famous and not-so-famous people from around the world have shared stories in Bug Tales of such things as falling in love, road trips, first car expereinces, undergoing some hilarious circumstance, or having an unforgettable breakdown. Many of the more outrageous stories are illustrated by Randy Rider.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" What the heck do I know about VWs? I drive a Honda! But after reading this book, I now know it's never a dull moment with a Bug. So sit down, buckle up and see what I'm talking about." -- Chip Chinery, actor/comedian

"My fouth and, alas final VW, a road-weary but intrepid old red '86 microbus I called the McClanavan, was memorialized by none other than R. Crumb himself on the jacket of my 1985 autobiography "Famous People I Have Known". Every story in "Bug Tales" calls to mind a hatful of my own stories about the McClanavan and its three predecessors. This book is more fun than a barrel o' Bugs!" -- Ed McClanahan, author of 'The Natural Man", "Famous People I Have Known," "A Congress of Wonders", and "My Vita, If You Will; The Uncollected Ed McClanahan"

" What the heck do I know about VWs? I drive a Honda! But after reading this book, I now know it's never a dull moment with a Bug. So sit down, buckle up and see what I'm talking about." -- Chip Chinery, actor/comedian

"My fouth and, alas final VW, a road-weary but intrepid old red '86 microbus I called the McClanavan, was memorialized by none other than R. Crumb himself on the jacket of my 1985 autobiography "Famous People I Have Known". Every story in "Bug Tales" calls to mind a hatful of my own stories about the McClanavan and its three predecessors. This book is more fun than a barrel o' Bugs!" --Ed McClanahan, author of 'The Natural Man", "Famous People I Have Known," "A Congress of Wonders", and "My Vita, If You Will; The Uncollected Ed McClanahan"

About the Author

Paul Klebahn

Paul Klebahn's facination with all things automotive - but particularly Volkswagens - is, quite literally, a lifelong one. The co-author of Bug Tales was taken home from the hospital in one by his parents in 1964 and his father adapted the back seat area of a Bug into a makeshift playpen so Paul could travel with him more comfortably. Many of his earliest childhood memories revolve around traveling in his parent's Bug. Over the years Paul restored many VWs and Porsches, as his facination with air-cooled engines grew. Meanwhile, he earned degrees in business administration and psychology, and worked as sales and marketing manager for several Cincinnati - area companies. In the late 1980's he tested his entrepreneurial skills on the side with a successful boat rental business on the Ohio River. Yet it was his passion for cars that prevailed. Through his business and social contacts, he'd heard many people's anecdotes - not to mention the depth of affection that the storytellers exhibited - and he embarked on Bug Tales. He has contributed articles to numerous Volkswagen and Porsche publications such as King Pin, Bent Pylon and Common Gear and has been interviewed by national print and broadcast journalists about Beetles old and new.

Gabriella Jacobs

Gabriella Jacobs has been a professional writer and editor for over 20 years. Her career began as a high school correspondent for her hometown daily newspaper, and continued as she was hired for an on-going internship. She worked there as a reporter covering a wide range of hard news and feature stories while earning a degree in mass communication, tuition money for that degree and the downpayment on a robin's-egg-blue VW. Later she held a variety of editorial positions at both one of the smallest and one of the largest daily newspapers in Indiana, worked as an editor/proofreader for a legal publishing company in Ohio, was copy editor of a weekly business journal and then edit! or of a biweekly one. Her freelance writing has appeared in! numerous newspapers and magazines. She is currently the editor of a national engineering organization's technical journal and communications specialist for the organization's many projects. Her VW was retired in the early 1980s, when a mechanic declared that she had "driven the life out of it".

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oval Window Press (March 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966947401
• ISBN-13: 978-0966947403
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bug Tales Review, October 12, 2000

By 

Wayne (Mississauga, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bug Tales : The 99 Most Hilarious, Outrageous and Touching Tributes Ever Compiled About the Car that Became a Cultural Icon (Paperback)

I learned 3 things after reading "Bug tales"; most people "name" their beloved Vw, everybody has a Vw story of some sort to tell and always take a throttle cable with you where ever you go! This has got to be one of the most interesting collections of Vw stories ever compiled. You never know what is going to happen next. I laughed, I cried and was always surprised at the things that can happen in, around and on top of a Beetle! What makes this book so nice is the author is a Vw fanatic like the rest of us and contributes a couple of pretty wild stories of his own. Like the time the throttle cable broke on his friends bug. Paul ended up sitting on the back bumper working the throttle while his buddy yelled "shift!" when he changed gears. Believe it or not they made it to the repair shop that way!

You'll love this book even if you don't own a Vw! "Four air cooled cylinders up" to the authors Paul Klebahn and Gabriella Jacob! END

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody I know is emotionally attached to a VW somewhere, April 11, 1999

By 

Sheryl Zampino "travelling family" (Tallahassee, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bug Tales : The 99 Most Hilarious, Outrageous and Touching Tributes Ever Compiled About the Car that Became a Cultural Icon (Paperback)

I received my copy of this book in the mail the other day. One of my VW stories was accepted in the book. As I shared the book with family, friends and coworkers more stories came flooding in. I never knew so many of the people I know had somewhere somehow or someplace made a bug or VW bus a part of their young adulthood. "Bug Tales" is a great book because it keeps on going even after it is read. Hey this little book is much like the beetle itself.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Bugtales" brings back the 60's in all of us over 50!, April 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bug Tales : The 99 Most Hilarious, Outrageous and Touching Tributes Ever Compiled About the Car that Became a Cultural Icon (Paperback)

I loved reading through Bugtales. Every story brought out man's personal relationship with their beloved VW. For many of us 60's kids this was the only car we could afford. I found it facinating how the bug has become a treasured item. The stories all evoke images of VW owners from all walks of life and all parts of the country. The VW stories stand the test of time. Any VW owner can relate to the sometimes touching and many times hilarious rembrances in this book. Would be a great present to anyone who either owned a bug, knew someone who did or just wished they had been bitten by BUG FEVER.