Atlantic automobilism : the emergence and persistence of the car, 1895-1940 / Gijs Mom.

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CHOICE Review

Atlantic Automobilism is a huge work in mobility studies and transportation history. It is unique in that Mom (Eindhoven Univ. of Technology, Netherlands), author of The Electric Vehicle (CH, Oct'04, 42-0965), has a background in both literary history and automotive engineering, can conduct research in several languages, and is comfortable with cultural comparisons usually lacking in automobile history. This is a very academic book, perhaps best suited to readers more familiar with Foucault than Ford. Indeed, there are five index entries for Henry Ford and nine for Marcel Proust! The transatlantic study takes a very philosophical view of the early years of the automobile and offers multilayered erudite explanations of much standard history that readers may not have considered. Opening the large volume to any page finds the reader confronting references and theories that both challenge and educate. The 76-page bibliography could stand alone as a major accomplishment. One caveat--this book is for someone more familiar with postmodernism literary theory than with the workings of a Solex carburetor. Readers who enjoyed books by James Flink should be cautious of Mom's work. The unfortunate cover art has what looks like a wild Kim Jong-il behind the wheel of a speeding cabriolet--kind of creepy. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners. --Charles J. Myers, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia