| Silver Palaces Contributor(s): Keister, Douglas (Photographer) |
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ISBN: 158685352X ISBN-13: 9781586853525 Publisher: Gibbs Smith OUR PRICE: $23.79 Product Type: Paperback Published: August 2004 * Not available - Not in print at this time *Annotation: $24.95 U.S. Travel back in time and experience America's silver masters of the road with vintage trailer expert Douglas Keister as he explains the simple, historical beginning of the streamlined trailer, its evolution, and the state of vintage trailer collection and restoration today. The genesis of the streamlined aluminum trailer lies with William Hawley Bowlus, inventor of the Bowlus Road Chief trailer in 1934. From there, it was a matter of sell-outs, buy-outs, folding in, and adapting features from one company to another. But while Bowlus may have invented the streamlined aluminum trailer, it was Wally Byam's Airstream that has become almost generic for a streamline trailer, just as Scotch for adhesive tape, Kleenex for facial tissues, and Windex for window cleaner. If Airstream is the queen of travel trailers, then the Silver Streak is a sister, Spartan and Boles Aero were its cousins, and the Hunt and Thompson housecars were the mansions of the road. Photographs of all these and more-plus the vintage automobiles that pull them around the country today-will delight and entertain you. Find out how the many challenges in making mobile spaces for living were addressed, how World War II affected trailer production and evolution, and how the RV and travel associations that sprang up around the country influenced the growth of this incredibly American obsession! Includes a foreword on "Streamlining" by Arrol Gellner, syndicated columnist of Architext. Douglas Keister has photographed twenty-two critically acclaimed books. He also writes and illustrates magazine articles and contributes photographs and essays to dozens of magazines, newspapers, books, calendars, posters and greetingcards worldwide. His most recent books include Classic Cottages, coauthored with Brian Coleman, and Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography. Others of his books include Ready to Roll, Red Tile Style, the Bungalow, and Victorian Glory. He lives in Chico, California, with his wife, Sandy Schweitzer. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Transportation | Automotive - Antique & Classic - Technology & Engineering | Acoustics & Sound - Social Science | Popular Culture |
| Dewey: 629.226 |
| LCCN: 2004005054 |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 8.9" W x 10" (1.75 lbs) 159 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Vintage and modern-day photographs and advertisements add depth to Silver Palaces: America's Streamlined Trailers, a must-have book for this fall. It is historically significant for those who suffer from wanderlust, some fulfilled by owning and traveling with a "silver palace," or perhaps owning an older model that's been rebuilt and refurbished. With a simple, historical beginning, the streamlined trailer got its start. There were challenges in making mobile spaces for living-could anyone make a self-contained streamlined trailer complete with full hookups? After World War II, housecars and motorhomes were seen everywhere-a result of aluminum becoming available for trailers. Once these silver palaces were on the road, RVs and travel associations became popular . . . and well, the end of the highway was never in sight. Doug Keister has photographed fourteen award-winning, critically acclaimed books. His credits with Gibbs Smith, Publisher, include Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography and Classic Cottages: Simple, Romantic Homes as well as Fernando's Gift (El Regalo de Fernando), a Sierra Club Book for Children. Doug lives in Chico, California. |
Contributor Bio(s): Keister, Douglas: - Chico, California-based photographer Douglas Keister has photographed twenty-two award-winning, critically acclaimed books. His seventeen books on architecture include four books on Victorian homes (Daughter's of Painted Ladies, Painted Ladies Revisited, America's Painted Ladies and Victorian Glory); three books on bungalow homes (The Bungalow, Inside the Bungalow and Outside the Bungalow), a book on 1920s whimsical homes (Storybook Style) a book about cemetery art and architecture (Going Out in Style), a book on Spanish architecture, (Red Tile Style), six books on bungalow details and Classic Cottages, that will be published by Gibbs Smith Publisher in the Spring of 2004. Keister photographed and wrote an award winning children's book (Fernando's Gift), has two monographs of his personal work (Black Rock and Driftwood Whimsy), a book on classic travel trailers, (Ready to Roll) and a book on cemetery symbolism, Stories in Stone: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Cemetery Symbolism, that will be published by Gibbs Smith Publisher in the Spring of 2004. His wealth of books on architecture has earned him the title, America's most noted photographer of historic architecture. |