American Volunteer Fire Trucks

Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Reference Guide
Review: I am a serious toy fire engine collecter (over 100 and counting).
This book is an invaluable guide in dating the fire engines and support vehicles that come my way. This book contains the pictures and descriptions of fire engines used by volunteer fire departments over a 150 year span (1850-2000). One note of concern, it virtually ignores the American Lafrance company which made the cadillac of fire engines during virtually the same span of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Great pictures, a little too regional
Review: This book was loaded with B/W pictures of Fire Apparatus from the early part of the century, right thru the publication of the book. Many of the pictures were from Manufacturers own archives, which gives a unique idea of what the equipment looked like pre-service. A great many of the pictures were from WI, and Western US states, with not enough from the Northeastern US.

Color pictures of some of the more noteworthy trucks would have been nice, to set off distinct eras in equipment manufacture.

Rating:
Summary: Great pictures, a little too regional
Review: This book was loaded with B/W pictures of Fire Apparatus from the early part of the century, right thru the publication of the book. Many of the pictures were from Manufacturers own archives, which gives a unique idea of what the equipment looked like pre-service. A great many of the pictures were from WI, and Western US states, with not enough from the Northeastern US.

Color pictures of some of the more noteworthy trucks would have been nice, to set off distinct eras in equipment manufacture.