The books in this section are usually hardcover and in decent condition, though we'll sometimes offer hard-to-find books in lesser condition at a reduced price. Though we often put images of the book with their original dust jackets, the copies here won't always (or even often) have them. If that is important to you, please call ahead or say so in the order comments!
The history of the automobile is as complex as the machinery itself. Many men, working independently in different countries, developed remarkably similar ideas at about the same time. But it is generally acknowledged today that the first successful gasoline automobile built in America was that of two brothers from Illinois, Charles and Frank Duryea.
Charles, the dreamer, and the practical Frank were associated with a bicycle factory in Massachusetts when they began work on their car in 1891. The car made its first real trip in January of 1894 –a distance of six miles, at a top speed of eight miles an hour.
The first American automobile race followed soon afterward, and general interest in the horseless carriage grew rapidly. It was to be men like Henry Ford and their popular-priced, mass-produced machines that would eventually make the automobile available to everyone; but real credit for the age of the automobile lies with dreamers and tinkerers like the Duryea brothers.
Did you find this review helpful?