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Rating: 
Summary: Good Book Needs Editor
Review: History interests me and I'm restoring my 1931 Model A station wagon, so when I discovered Winnewisser's book I was excited to get it. I rarely buy books, and normally wait for the County Library system to purchase those that I might like to read. Thinking that a book like this might not have a wide audience, so the Library might not acquire it, I decided to fork out the money for it, and I'm glad I did. This is a good book and I enjoyed it quite a bit, reading it in three or four sittings. I lent it to my father, who grew up when Model As were on the street and drove the wagon for thirty-five years or so before giving it to me, and he liked the book, too. That said, this book could have been better. First, Winnewisser needs an editor. The language is fine and the book is quite understandable, but it contains obvious errors. The caption under the engine photograph on page 9 is typical: it misidentifies the cutout that sits on top of the generator as a generator. On page 220 another caption misidentifies an 1930 station wagon as a 1929 model. Ford made substantial changes in the the Model A body lines between 1929 and 1930, as a reader can see by looking at the 1929 station wagon shown on page 77. When I looked at that photograph, I thought the car must have been made for use in England, as it has right-hand steering. Closer examination - the women are shaking left hands and the man's pocket square is on the wrong side of his suit coat - indicates the photograph is reversed. In discussing sales to its dealers, Winnewisser writes on page 197 that Ford adopted a twenty-two percent discount effective February 6, 1931, and then adds parenthetically that this discount was in effect at the River Rouge plant "as early as November 10, 1931." Is he saying the Rouge instituted a dealer discount 9 months after Ford adopted it, or did he use the wrong year? Good editing could clear up this confusion and the errors I cite above, and would make the book even more enjoyable. Winnewisser did a lot of research for this book and brings out new subject matter (for me, at least). For example, I was surprised to learn that Ford not only employed African-Americans on the assembly line (as opposed to relegating these men to more menial work), but that blacks supervised white workers in some cases. There are some things that are not in Winnewisser's book. I would have been interested to see visual side-by-side comparisons of the different models and differences between standard and deluxe models. I would have appreciated more information on the making of parts and the painting and assembly of automobiles, since the assembly line was Ford's great innovation, albeit twenty-five years prior the period depicted in this book. I would have liked to have seen a little more information on Ford's AA commercial trucks. Some of this information is available elsewhere, but I would have expected to see it in a book subtitled "the ultimate history of one of America's great automobiles." These criticisms aside, I'm glad Winnewisser took the time to research and write this book, and to include a bibliography so that I can look for more details when I have a mind to do that. I'm recommending the book to the folks in my Model A Ford Club of America chapter, and to other friends who I think might enjoy a history of another America in another time. I recommend it to anyone who reads this review.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book Needs Editor
Review: History interests me and I'm restoring my 1931 Model A station wagon, so when I discovered Winnewisser's book I was excited to get it. I rarely buy books, and normally wait for the County Library system to purchase those that I might like to read. Thinking that a book like this might not have a wide audience, so the Library might not acquire it, I decided to fork out the money for it, and I'm glad I did. This is a good book and I enjoyed it quite a bit, reading it in three or four sittings. I lent it to my father, who grew up when Model As were on the street and drove the wagon for thirty-five years or so before giving it to me, and he liked the book, too. That said, this book could have been better. First, Winnewisser needs an editor. The language is fine and the book is quite understandable, but it contains obvious errors. The caption under the engine photograph on page 9 is typical: it misidentifies the cutout that sits on top of the generator as a generator. On page 220 another caption misidentifies an 1930 station wagon as a 1929 model. Ford made substantial changes in the the Model A body lines between 1929 and 1930, as a reader can see by looking at the 1929 station wagon shown on page 77. When I looked at that photograph, I thought the car must have been made for use in England, as it has right-hand steering. Closer examination - the women are shaking left hands and the man's pocket square is on the wrong side of his suit coat - indicates the photograph is reversed. In discussing sales to its dealers, Winnewisser writes on page 197 that Ford adopted a twenty-two percent discount effective February 6, 1931, and then adds parenthetically that this discount was in effect at the River Rouge plant "as early as November 10, 1931." Is he saying the Rouge instituted a dealer discount 9 months after Ford adopted it, or did he use the wrong year? Good editing could clear up this confusion and the errors I cite above, and would make the book even more enjoyable. Winnewisser did a lot of research for this book and brings out new subject matter (for me, at least). For example, I was surprised to learn that Ford not only employed African-Americans on the assembly line (as opposed to relegating these men to more menial work), but that blacks supervised white workers in some cases. There are some things that are not in Winnewisser's book. I would have been interested to see visual side-by-side comparisons of the different models and differences between standard and deluxe models. I would have appreciated more information on the making of parts and the painting and assembly of automobiles, since the assembly line was Ford's great innovation, albeit twenty-five years prior the period depicted in this book. I would have liked to have seen a little more information on Ford's AA commercial trucks. Some of this information is available elsewhere, but I would have expected to see it in a book subtitled "the ultimate history of one of America's great automobiles." These criticisms aside, I'm glad Winnewisser took the time to research and write this book, and to include a bibliography so that I can look for more details when I have a mind to do that. I'm recommending the book to the folks in my Model A Ford Club of America chapter, and to other friends who I think might enjoy a history of another America in another time. I recommend it to anyone who reads this review.
Rating: 
Summary: Why Slam Edsel Ford?
Review: The author, self-styled Model A expert, includes unnecessary remarks criticizing Edsel Ford. Without Edsel Ford, its very unlikey the Model A would have existed in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent!
Review: This book does an excellent job of covering the history of the Model A! A great read because it goes beyond the historical and touches on the actual social feel of the car and the times. Filled with fun facts and antecdotes! I would recommed it to any history or antique car buff!
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