More than thirty years ago, Finn Murphy dropped out of college to become a long-haul trucker. Since then he's covered more than a million miles packing, loading, and hauling people's belongings all over America. Known by his trucker handle as U-Turn, he spends his days (and many of his nights) in a 53-foot eighteen-wheeler he calls Cassidy.
In The Long Haul, Murphy offers a trucker's-eye view of America on the move. Going far beyond the myth of the American road trip, he whisks readers down the I-95 Powerlane, across the Florida Everglades, in and out of the truck stops of the Midwest, and through the steep grades of the Rocky Mountains. As he crisscrosses the country, Murphy recounts with wit, candor, and charm the America he has seen change over the decades, from the hollowing-out of small towns to changing tastes in culture and home furnishings.
Through it all, Murphy tells poignant, funny, and often haunting stories of the people he encounters on the job: a feisty hoarder in New Hampshire; a Virginia homeowner raging when Murphy's truck accidentally runs down a stand of trees; an ex-banker in Colorado who treats Finn and his crew with undisguised contempt; a widow who needs Murphy to bring her archeologist husband's remains and relics to a Navajo burial ceremony in New Mexico. These experiences inspire Finn's memorable reflections on work, class, and the bonds we form with the things we own and the places we live.
Brimming with personality and filled with great characters, The Long Haul is a resonant portrait of the enduring appeal of manual labor in the dark underbelly of the American Dream.
A new kind of car - the 100 mpg plug-in hybrid - is changing American society, uniting traditional opponents on the left and the right. Why? Plug-in hybrids will save drivers money, reduce pollution, and improve national security by radically cutting oil consumption. This book takes a look at these cars.
Steve McQueen, a Mustang, and San Francisco; the ten-minute pursuit in Bullitt has remained the definitive movie car chase for nearly fifty years. Iconic moments from cinematic history do not get much better than this.
Stars & Cars is a celebration of the most unforgettable automotive moments in film, TV, and popular culture. Lavishly illustrated, it brings together the iconic cars that made an impact on our collective psyche, and the stars who drove, raced, collected, re-painted, crashed, or simply loved them to an obsessional degree.
From James Dean and his ill-fated Porsche Spyder, to the greatest Aston Martin moments in the Bond movies. Heroic Minis in The Italian Job, to the eye-popping paint jobs on the psychedelic limos commissioned by The Beatles--all of the greatest collaborations between stars and cars are featured in the pages of this book.
Le Roi Tex Smith. This book is a guide, intended solely to give you ideas for your own basic hot rod design, including a few interesting building scenarios. Recently rediscovered by rodders intent on regaining the roots of the hobby, these cars are known as retro-rods, rat rods, nostalgia rods . . . The description that has come to the fore within the ranks of experienced rodders today is to call these cars Scrappers. As in cars that are made up of scrap parts from various vehicles. Contains photographs featuring hot rods from the annual Bonneville Salt Flats Speedweek event.
"A touching and very funny account. . . . Thoroughly engaging."--New York Times
Hilarious and heartfelt, Truck: A Love Story is the tale of a man struggling to grow his own garden, fix his old pickup, and resurrect a love life permanently impaired by Neil Diamond. In the process, he sets his hair on fire, is attacked by wild turkeys, and proposes marriage to a woman in New Orleans. The result is a surprisingly tender testament to love.
"Part Bill Bryson, part Anne Lamott, with a skim of Larry the Cable Guy and Walt Whitman creeping around the edges."--Lincoln Journal Star
"Perry takes each moment, peeling it, seasoning it with rich language, and then serving it to us piping hot and fresh."--Chicago Tribune
- 111 Porsche stories that will give you a greater insight into the lengendary car manufactory- A must for anyone with even just a passing interest in Porsche What came first - the Porsche or the Beetle? Which Porsche racing car set every world record in the very year it was first presented in racing at Monza? And who is "Sascha"? Immerse yourself in the unique and visionary world of Porsche: in tales of secret prototypes, fascinating photos from the Porsche archives, magic words such as "Carrera" and inside stories that have never yet been told in this way.
- A celebration of Volkwagen's iconic "Bulli" - the camper vanWhether hippie vehicle, work machine, camper van, family car or sought-after collector's item: for fans of the Volkswagen Transporter or "Bulli" there really is nothing better.On occasion of the world premiere of the brand new model, Volkswagen Transporter T6, and the 65th birthday of the Type 2, this book portrays the VW Bulli and its devotees. Apart from celebrities like Jacky Ickx or Johann Lafer Bulli Love presents Bulli fans from all over the world: an Indian Transporter enthusiast at the colourful Holi festival, a New York youngster, who earned his camper van by mowing lawns or the Tokyo trio with their T3 models.Bulli Love combines wonderful reports from all over world with excellent photos of Bulli models and their owners. Pure passion, exceptionally staged, this is a magnum opus for one of the very few, unique automobiles of the world. A popular figure par excellence.
Engineer and historian Cummins' third book is about his father Clessie (1888-1968), a pioneer of the American diesel truck. He combines company records and other documents with Clessie's memoirs and his own memory both of his childhood and of working with and for his dad as an adult. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
