Thus Spake David E.: The Collected Wit and Wisdom of the Most Influential Automotive Journalist of Our Time (Car and Driver & Automobile Magazine) [Hardcover]

David E. Davis (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 379 pages
• Publisher: Momentum Books Ltd, Troy, Michigan (August 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187909455X
• ISBN-13: 978-1879094550
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Davis!, November 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Thus Spake David E.: The Collected Wit and Wisdom of the Most Influential Automotive Journalist of Our Time (Car and Driver & Automobile Magazine) (Hardcover)

Sorely overlooked because of his genre, David E. Davis, Jr. is one of the best writers of our generation. If cars didn't exist he'd probably not have as much fun writing, but his work would be considered genius. A great compendium for car guys and Davis fans as well as people who love old guys with an irreverent pen. This is it folks! He's a giant in the auto world and here is his diary...read it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas was Especially Nice this Year, December 29, 1999

By 

James Brooks (N. Wilkesboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thus Spake David E.: The Collected Wit and Wisdom of the Most Influential Automotive Journalist of Our Time (Car and Driver & Automobile Magazine) (Hardcover)

One of the things I opened Christmas morning is one of the best gifts I could have gotten in a long time. Thus Spake David E reminded me of why i thought so highly of Davis as an automotive writer and why, when he steps down from writing altogether, the world will be a darker place.

Imagine him sitting down with you and relating each adventure in his automotive life personally and you get an idea of why so many car-oriented people like him as much as they do. That he brings a certain amount of ego along with him will put some off, but he has, after all, been able to do things most of us only dream about doing. After I finished it, I went back and read some of his columns from back issues of Automobile Magazine and enjoyed them even more than the first time around.

If you're familiar with Davis' work and don't have Thus Spake yet, buy it; you won't be disappointed. He speaks with the same authority issue after issue and year after year and does it with a way that sparkles. He, in fact, does not call himself an automotive journalist, but rather an automotive storyteller - along with an actyor playing himself.

Those who like cars but don't know him are highly recommended to buy the book as well. You'll make a new friend.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars David E. Speaks About Life and Cars, April 28, 2000

By 

Rob Baumgartner (Boulder, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thus Spake David E.: The Collected Wit and Wisdom of the Most Influential Automotive Journalist of Our Time (Car and Driver & Automobile Magazine) (Hardcover)

After I read this book, I wanted to go back to school and get a degree in Jornalism, so I could try to pursue a career driving and writing about the world's finest Automobiles. David E. Davis does such a fine job at this, and he backs it up with poignant and contemplative musings on so many other topics (food, travel, beautiful women, even the deaths of friends and associates), that I would definitely recommend it to any "car guy", and I think that almost anyone would enjoy it. Unlike some other reviewers, I think that it works well as a compilation, partly because it provides an evolving historical perspective on the Automotive industry, and partly because David's unorthodox writing style and sense of humor take some getting used to, and are better enjoyed in this format. Whether of not you agree with Mr. Davis' opinions, you will likely enjoy his egotistical but still somehow self-conscious musings on various topics, particularly if you are the kind of person who appreciates automobiles beyond their capacity to convey us conveniently from point A to point B.