Brightwork: Classic American Car Ornamentation (Paperback)

by Ken Steacy (Author) "Henry Ford didn't invent the automobile, but by creating the assembly line he made what had been affordable only by the rich available to common..." (more)
Key Phrases: horn buttons, hood ornaments

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This look at automobiles of the past is filled with facts and color photographs of American car hood ornamentation, horn buttons, and emblems. Heavier on pictures than text, the book still achieves a balance as fine as the buffed chrome on the author's assorted artifacts. Steacy begins with an introduction about his initial and combined interest in brightworks, followed by a very readable, fact-filled history lesson about car design and insight into the how-to of collecting ornamentation. Factoids and period illustrations are integrated with the photographic spreads, making each page fun to browse. Car buffs, collectors, hobbyists, and those who have photography and graphic-design aspirations will be pleased with this visually fetching book.-Karen Sokol, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
In the golden age of the American automobile-from the early 1930s to the late 1950s-cars were festooned with elegant chrome and colorful enamel decorations that manufacturers called "brightwork." If you ever forgot what kind of car you were driving, numerous emblems, horn buttons, script, and hood ornaments were there to remind you. Brightwork shows off these shiny treasures as small sculptures that capture the essence of grace in motion. Witness the evolution of the Pontiac symbol from a realistic Indian head to an almost pure abstraction embodying speed. There was no missing such futuristic-sounding features as "Dynaflow" and "Merc-O-Matic" when they were boldly touted in side badges and fancy scripts. Filled with hundreds of dazzling photographs of these rare and beautiful artworks, Brightwork is a book for all those who appreciate the undeniable style and craftsmanship of the little details that make a classic.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811826635
• ISBN-13: 978-0811826631
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #780,589 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brightwork sparkles, December 8, 2002

By	"robmcm4" (Coquitlam, BC) - See all my reviews

Liked the book so much, I bought it as a gift for a "car guy" at work. He loved it too, sparking internet auction purchases... Great title, the author's enthusiasm for these great collectibles is readily apparent.

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable reference book, June 10, 2009

By	Michael P. Manning "gz06cam" (Philadelphia, Pa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book contains outstanding photos and some history. Beautiful theme presentation. There are some year designations of ornaments that may be incorrect but easily verified by other sources. However this does not deter from the overall beauty of the book. It needs to be in your collection.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brightwork Classics, January 22, 2002

By	Robin Benson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Oh, wow!. Just incredible! Page after page of dazzling chrome car ornaments and Ken Steacy has 'em all. His collection has the best an exuberant Detroit could offer through the mid thirties to the late fifties.

Page 27 shows the famous pin-up artist George Petty working on a 1949 Nash ornament, possibly the only one in the world that had the artist's name stamped on it, page 41 has a 1935 Hupmobile hood rocket ship straight out of a Buck Rogers comic and pages 64-65 with four futuristic rocket designs for a fifties Oldsmobile.

Not only hood ornaments but horn buttons, emblems and my favourite section 'Scripts' with its Ultramatic, Futuramic, Dynaflow and Super DeLuxe, in bright chrome cursive-bold-italic typography.

All of the images just jump of the page thanks to the lovely photos taken by Rob d'Estrube and the layouts by Ken Steacy. I doubt there is a better book of Detroit's brightwork.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.