Corvette [Hardcover]

Jerry Burton (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Universe; 1 edition (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883631210
• ISBN-13: 978-0883631218
• Product Dimensions: 14.7 x 11.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #851,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! The Ultimate Coffee Table Corvette Book, December 4, 2006

By 

Hib Halverson (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Corvette (Hardcover)

Clearly, the Chevrolet Corvette is a very popular subject for "coffee table" books on automobiles. In the first five pages of a keyword search using "Corvette" on this web site, there were more than a dozen listed.

What makes Jerry Burton's new book, <u>Corvette, America's Sports Car--Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow</u> a standout from others of this crowded market are: text which matches the quality of its pictures and a selection of gorgeous photographs and drawings from the General Motors archives and other sources, some of which have never before been published in a book.

With this title, Burton brings significant journalistic credentials and Corvette expertise to the table. He's the founding Editor of prestigious "Corvette Quarterly" magazine and was just reappointed to a second term as Editor of "CQ" after spending several years in other capacities at the magazine's publisher, Campbell-Ewald Publishing. In addition, he's the award-winning biographer of the car's first Chief Engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov. Mr. Burton was on the founding Board of Directors of the National Corvette Museum and has been involved with the Corvette community for over 25 years.

If you're ever read Jerry Burton's work in "Corvette Quarterly" or read what's known in the Corvette hobby as simply "The Zora book" (<u>Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Legend Behind Corvette, Bentley Publishers, 2002</u>) then you're familiar with Burton's smooth, rich prose. He has knack for focusing on the emotion and the mystique of the Chevrolet Corvette which is near unmatched in automotive journalism. Another reason I liked reading this book is: while the technical aspects of the car receive some coverage, thankfully Burton does not get bogged-down in a lot of nuts-and-bolts issues which can be the kiss-of-death in a book like this.

Of course it's the eye candy aspect which makes or breaks a coffee table book. While such titles can be successful only average writing quality, they are failures when the pictures are anything less than excellent and <u>Corvette, America's Sports Car</u> has no shortage of exquisite images. In fact, you'd better have this book actually on a coffee table because those reading it will leaf-through the first few pages, then want put their coffee cups down and begin to view the book's imagery intently.

The book's publisher, Hugh Lauter Levin, Associates, has a successful track-record of producing high-end, large format, hardcover books like this and the match of Jerry Burton's writing, his insightful selection of photographs and drawings and the publisher's execution of the coffee table book style makes for an outstanding Corvette reading experience. I marveled at the book's use of an actual C6 Corvette emblem on the cover. I also couldn't help but marvel at Levin Associates' timing of <u>Corvette, America's Sports Car--Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow</u> (published Fall 2006) because it makes a wonderful Christmas gift for any Chevrolet or Corvette enthusiast.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Vette-Heads, March 1, 2007

By 

RK Chevrolet "RK Chevrolet" (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corvette (Hardcover)

In Corvette: America's Sports Car-Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Jerry Burton shares the comprehensive story of Chevrolet's longest running model and one of America's all time favorite sports cars. First produced in 1953, this car - as Burton so aptly describes - became a pop culture symbol for freedom, excitement and fun.

I applaud the detailed information listed in the book, especially the interviews with the original Corvette designers who fought hard to produce this car. For the "vette-heads," there is plenty of technical information about the nuts and bolts of the Corvette. For other readers, Burton tells the compelling story of the Corvette as a powerful vehicle with a history woven into that of our country.

I also appreciated the chance to see such a wide variety of quality Chevrolet Corvette photos, most in full color.

Finally, I enjoyed the creative ways in which Burton labeled the eras of the Chevrolet Corvette: the curvaceous years; the sting ray years; the shark era; the triumph of technology; the bold new architecture; and supercar status.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Updated Version and full of typos..., March 28, 2010

By 

R. J Westafer (Aventura, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Corvette (Hardcover)

Indeed this is a magnificent book with some beautiful and unique photography. However, it is frustrating to wade through page after page of typos and errors. ABS on Corvettes since 1966? (page 187) 1976 Corvette on pages 160-161? (looks like a '73 to me) 1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette on page 134? Looks like an '81 two-tone to me. Etc,etc...I come from a newspaper family, and we call them Proofreaders. But then what can you expect from an "officially licensed from GM" book about an American icon, printed in China? If this is the "updated" edition, why didn't Universe Publishing correct these errors?