Friday, November 18, 2011

Things Could Have Been Very Different

As I peruse The Gasoline Automobile, published in 1915, it's clear that things could have taken a different direction. The book starts out by discussing the differences and pros and cons of steam propelled cars, electric cars, and gasoline automobiles. And though the book doesn't mention it, Henry Ford was also looking at the value of biofuels at that time. You have to wonder how different the world would be today if we had chosen a different fuel.

Would my mother have gone on this trip to the American Southwest in the early 60s in a steam-powered car? Maybe not. And the car may not have looked as sexy either.

I'm not a car buff, but I love reading through this book, because it explains the workings of the automobile in a way that's understandable to me. It helps that there aren't any electronics. The illustrations are also wonderful. It's interesting to think that the scarcity of second-growth hickory affected the choice of wheel design.





Motor on over to Sepia Saturday to read more about automobiles and the people transported by them.
By the way, if you want this book, you may be able to find original copies through Alibris or eBay. You can also order a reprint. And, if you want to read it on your computer, you can download it from the Internet Archive for free, courtesy of the California Digital Library.

32 comments:

  1. Hi christine: Thanks for your sweet comment over at our Studio's blog!
    I 'm LOVING today's post--your book's a unique find. Wherever do you shop? We'd practically kill for such images, especially with our new Steam themed parties monthly.
    You must tell me your secret!
    :)
    Rose

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  2. The photo might also make you wonder what things would have been like if your mother had become a model instead of a teacher... She has some serious Bonnie Parker swagger in that shot, fortunately a bit more of the Faye Dunaway movie variety than the real Bonnie gun-toting type. The desolate backdrop really enhances the hip style factor.

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  3. Great post! ..and that car got your lovely mother around....and that's all that matters right! Looks like a great road trip too!

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  4. I am not a car person either but the book is fascinating. It is your mother's photo that I really love though, she is just gorgeous, stunning, and the car and the scenery set her off perfectly. Your photo is a real treasure.

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  5. I've just posted a button to this blog using a part of your lovely banner over at the Studio's blog.
    I hope you won't mind.
    If it's a problem for you, it can always be replaced by a button of yur choice or removed altogether.
    Please let me know what you think.
    It's located in our right hand column.
    Hope you have a great weekend!
    And Thank You again for your sweet gifts of imagery and friendship.
    Rose & Co.

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  6. I love the photo of your mother and her car. It could easily be an ad - she very much looks like a model.
    I also love the vintage car book with those fabulous illustrations.
    Nancy Javier
    http://ladiesofthegrove.blogspot.com/

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  7. Come see your new posted imagery!
    :)
    Thank You again!
    Rose

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  8. Your Mum looks very...sultry ;-) Having a fab car like that matched her attitude! Jo

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  9. Rose at Plush Possum Studio has fixed up the image of the three trucks. You can download it from their website: http://plushpossumstudio.blogspot.com/2011/11/antique-truck-graphic-gift-from.html
    Thanks Rose!

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  10. Wow, very interesting. And that picture of your mom is great. Classic!

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  11. It looks like an interesting book. I recently read a mystery "Death at Devil's Bridge" about a race between gas, steam, and electric cars.

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  12. Wonderful photo of your mother and the car. It is interesting to think of the many different ways auto development might have evolved.

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  13. Fantastic snapshot - ageless coolness.

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  14. Your mom's photo looks like a vintage fashion shoot! Very chic.

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  15. I agree with Linda about your mom. She could have been making an ad! The book is great too. Modern manuals just have you look for lights on the dashboard.

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  16. A fascinating old book that my husband would relish of course he is much more into the technical and the like too. A great pose by your Mom there beside the car. Interesting to hear some tidbits from the history, especially about hickory...

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  17. Wonderful picture of your mother, and beautifully posed. Like Pat, I am married to someone who would love to get his hands on that book. He has a similar one from the 1940s on aeronautical engineering.

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  18. Thanks to you, that image is now in the collection over at PPS!
    Hope you're having a great weekend, my friend!
    :)
    Rose

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  19. Gimme, gimme, gimme a copy of that book. Back in the 60s I would have settled for either of the models on show. Both had classic lines - great photo.

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  20. I have a copy of this book! My dad acquired it as a boy back in the 40's and it has always fascinated me too. Cars were once simple enough to figure everything out but now like computers, the hardware is less important than the software.

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  21. I love the pictures in the book but please don't make me try to understand the diagrams!

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  22. Your mom really does look like a model in this shot. It's quite wonderful!

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  23. If only they had gone with steam cars there is a slight chance that I might have understood how they work. With the petrol-driven car it is all a mystery to me, and those rather frightening diagrams just make me feel nervous.

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  24. Hi Christine, this was so neat! Love the picture of your Mom and her car.

    Happy Thanksgiving,

    Kathy M.

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  25. Your mother looks great with her fantastic car. The old book is great fun too.

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  26. excellent photography! I've found lots of nice work on your blog. thanks a lot for sharing with us.

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  27. Look at all that geology! Your Mom looks fabulous too!

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  28. I don't know if the car was sexy,
    but your mother was...
    :)~
    HUGZ

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  29. Ah,The Days Before Cars Were Not Glorified Computers-on-Wheels!

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  30. Sad news! You know those lovely scans you sent us? Well, all was lost during that hacking incident of last week.
    Sorry!
    It was a nerve-wracking experience. Now it would appear as things got shuffled about, your scans went missing. As one entire file was reshuffled by this character into a weird spot, who knows if we'll ever see those pics again?
    Anyway. Thought you should know.
    Glumly yours,
    Rose

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