Synopses & Reviews
Our best-selling book on American car culture is now available in this new paperback edition! The American Gas Station is a nostalgic history of the service station and the American car culture it helped create. An exceptional chronicle of the birth of roadside architecture, the development of gasoline pumps, corporate trademarks, and gas station memorabilia.
Synopsis
Once upon a time, gasoline was poured into your Model T by hand. By the 1950s, service stations were manned by teams of attendants that rushed forth at the sound of a bell to wipe your windows and check your oil. In the 1980s, self-service had become the rule at all but a few stations. Now that slice of Americana is available in this new $19.95 paperbound edition of the MBI Publishing Company's bestseller. Nearly 200 photographs showcase period advertisements, original trademarks, memorabilia, and much more. Old-time owners and attendants discuss these changes and how they have affected our lives.
About the Author
Mike Witzel is the award-winning author of more than two dozen books, including the MBI bestsellers Route 66 Remembered, The American Gas Station, The American Diner, and, most recently, Legendary Route 66. He has appeared on Discovery Channel’s World’s Top Ten Fast Food Restaurants and Tailfins and Drive-ins; Food Network¢s Unwrapped: Drive-In Restaurants; and History Channel’s American Eats: History on a Bun.