The Automobile: A Chronology of Its Antecedents, Development, and Impact

by Clay McShane

Overview

Originally published in 1997 and now re-issued with some updated material, this chronology lists the major events in the history of the automobile. The automobile cannot be understood without knowing about its pre-history, including technologies such as railroads, carriages and trolley cars. Material on these is included to the extent that they represented preludes to the modern car culture. The volume also includes material about the technology, design and production of cars and their manufacturers. The ancillary fields of oil production and refining and road building are also covered. Focussed mainly, but not exclusively on the USA this chronology discusses the car and its role in social, geographical and political change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138061699
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/04/2017
Series:	Routledge Library Editions: The Automobile Industry , #6
Pages:	262
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Clay McShane is a noted authority on automobile history. Among his earlier works are Down the Asphalt Path: American Cities and the Automobile

Table of Contents

1. Prelude to 1885 2. From Benz to Ford: 1886-1907 3. The Model T Era: 1908-1926 4. Peace and War: 1927-1945 5. The Age of Muscle and Smog: 1946-1964 6. End of the Honeymoon: 1965-1980 7. Revival: 1981-1994 8. 1995-2016. Appendices.

Editorial Reviews

McShane (history, Northeastern U.) begins with the domestication of animals about 8,000 B.C.E. and the Sumarian invention of the wheel about three millennia later, and ends in 1994, which saw the O.J. Simpson car chase, freeways collapsing in the Los Angeles earthquake, increased traffic in Seattle and nationally, Oldsmobile's introduction of an on-board navigation system, and Volvo's introduction of air bags. Between, he chronicles the engineering, and the social, cultural, and political impact of the car. The chronology is supported with a few photographs, graphs, and a list of US car museums. No bibliography. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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