Automobiles of the Chrome Age: 1946-1960

The postwar era marked the emergence of all things American, and in the 1950s, cars led the way. The brilliant colors-pinks, blues, yellows, and reds-soaring tailfins, and grinning, wide-mouthed grilles of the 1953 Buick Skylark, 1957 Ford Skyliner, 1953 Firebird III, and 1959 Cadillac tore up the country's pristine superhighways and dotted the parking lots of new suburban shopping malls. These and many other striking models, which expressed the national optimism and pride of 1950s America, are featured in this elegant volume of images by renowned automobile photographer Michael Furman.

The book contains more than 150 stunning photographs of these motoring icons, many never before published. An informative text and an illustrated index of technical information describe the unique qualities of these spectacular cars, each more imposing in design, size, and power than the preceding models. Furman's technical virtuosity and exacting eye for detail make this unparalleled collection of photographs an eye-popping delight, an invitation for car lovers of all kinds to rediscover an era when the American automobile was king. AUTHOR BIO: Michael Furman is a nationally recognized specialist in automobile photography. For more than 25 years he has photographed important launches of such vehicles as the Nissan Altima and Quest, the Mercedes CLK, and the BMW-7 series. He is also the author of Abrams' Motor Cars of the Classic Era.

Michael Furman is perhaps the most in-demand photographer of automobiles today, and after one peek inside this large, fetishized monument to the great flowering of the auto industry after WW II, it's easy to see why. Huge fins, bright gleaming chrome, and colorfully glowing paint speak of incredible optimism and consumption of natural resources. A swell companion piece to his Motorcars of the Classic Era, Furman is capable of focusing on details that really make a particular car stand out while never losing sight of the importance of the overall design. There are things you totally expect to see here, like the fin from a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville or the deco/ Futurist "angel in flight" hood ornament for the 1947 Nash Ambassador Suburban as well as full side views of the 1951 Buick LeSabre and 1959 Firebird III (which still look like they came from the future for rides to the moon in total comfort). But even the biggest car aficionado will see these immaculately-restored museum quality rides in a different light through the clearly obsessed lens of Furman, whether it be the fin and light detail of the 1956 De Soto Adventurer or the oil cap on a 1959 Fiat Abarth Record Monza Bialbero Zagato! It's hard to think of a better gift for a fan of cars from this era, aside from one of the cars. --Mike McGonigal