- Hardcover: 206 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; First Printing edition (Sep 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060191937
- ISBN-13: 978-0060191931
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,895,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
Explains how a midlife crisis prompted the author, an automobile neophyte, to try creating from scratch a Lotus roadster, and how, along the way, he learn not only to appreciate cars for the machines they are, but also how they sha his own life and American culture.
From the Author
You can't judge a book by its cover...or can you?
The biggest trouble with writing books, I've found, is that you can never come up with a handful of words summarizing the 100,000 that follow. ROADSTER and its subtitle does the job, I suppose, but if you're intrigued and/or doubtful, consider the following titles the manuscript had: AUTO IDIOT; OCCAM'S ROADSTER; THE PERFECT VEHICLE; PURELY FOR THE LOVE OF IT; NUTS AND BOLTS; THE WAY OF THE LOTUS; and many more. Sometimes I think I spent as much time coming up with a decent title as I did writing the book itself!
The biggest trouble with writing books, I've found, is that you can never come up with a handful of words summarizing the 100,000 that follow. ROADSTER and its subtitle does the job, I suppose, but if you're intrigued and/or doubtful, consider the following titles the manuscript had: AUTO IDIOT; OCCAM'S ROADSTER; THE PERFECT VEHICLE; PURELY FOR THE LOVE OF IT; NUTS AND BOLTS; THE WAY OF THE LOTUS; and many more. Sometimes I think I spent as much time coming up with a decent title as I did writing the book itself!
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
Surprisingly, one of the best parts had nothing to do with the title, but the author's musings on the car industry and manufacturing in general. It's a fun read, especially for anyone who obsesses on cars, or owns a classic. It convinced me without doubt that there is no way I'd ever build one of these things myself, and some pictures would have been appreciated. But overall I enjoyed it, and it got me thinking...
Format:Hardcover
If you have grease under your fingernails and have never been bothered by introspection, avoid this book like the plague. However, I enjoyed this book immensely. It touched several cords in my own life. The mention of Taylor, Gilbreth and the book "Cheaper by the Dozen", which was one of the first books to have left a lasting impression on me. The TV series "The Prisoner", which I first saw in 1969, which had a tremendous (and, I believe in retrospect, not all that positive) impact on my life. However, it was through "The Prisoner" that I obtained my love for the Seven also. And most tragically, we recently watched some close friends lose their daughter, on her 16th birthday, to a freak car accident. Therefore, this book strikes very close to home. So, yes I recommend it. In sum, it's a good starting point for a larger exploration of the automobile and it's imapct on society.
Format:Hardcover
Its rather unfortunate that such a great little sportscar would be burdend with such pretentious tripe. It is unfortunate that the AMC Pacer is not available as a kit. Mr Goodrich's clunky style would be more appropriately directed at the assembly of such a monstrosity.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
We disagree on a lot of issues, but it is still a good book
Chris T. of Seven & Elans recommended this nook to me. As a future 7 owner I could not pass it by. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 1998
Too much uninspired "Why"
Journalist goes through mid-life crisis, assembles kit car, recounts his uninteresting life and gives us a quick history of industrialism. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 1998
Skip the politics, the car parts are good
While Goodrich's left-wing analysis of the modern industrial age and its' relation to the worker are in a word *wrong*, I enjoyed the minority of the book describing the history... Read more
Published on 14 Oct 1998
I wish we could give MORE than 5 stars!
I strongly disagree with "Van from USA." This is one of the most interesting books I've read in the last five years! Read more
Published on 30 Sep 1998
Captivating. I'd call it "the Zen of the Roadster"
I can't remember the last time a read a book this quickly.
Quite captivating. For anyone planning to build a Roadster or Caterham, this is a must have. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 1998
The Seven's Great; The Philosophy's Not
What a great idea for a book! Goodrich sometimes is a fine and even thrilling writer. His description of his first drive in the sports car he built was so perfect I read it... Read more
Published on 28 Sep 1998
I Wish We Could Give Minus Stars
In the past decade there have been a number of books in which an author sets out to do something, then describes the process for the reader. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 1998
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