Society of
Automotive Historians

Books By Andrew Beckman

Studebaker’s Last Dance: The Avanti
A coffee-table style book examining the motivations, origins, design and production of the Studebaker Avanti.
 

Details:

Number of Pages:       64                    Number of Images: 45 color, 50 B&W
Price:                    $24.95                    ISBN: 978-09839573-2-4                                           Publisher: Studebaker National Museum in conjunction with Sharf Marketing

Link to Website: www.studebakernationalmuseum.org        

Table of Contents:

Chapter One: A Hundred Years on the Road

Chapter Two: Out Ahead In Style

Chapter Three: Five Weeks in Palm Springs

Chapter Four: Builders of Champions

Chapter Five: Americas Most Advanced Automobile

Chapter Six: Paradise Lost

Chapter Seven: The Last Dance

Awards:

1st Place, 2013 NAAMMY (National Association of Automobile Museums)

Reviews of Book:

Avanti Magazine, Summer/Fall 2012

The Studebaker National Museum: Over a Century on Wheels  

Brief Description: 

A coffee-table style book looking at Studebaker history through the collections of the Studebaker National Museum.

Details:

Number of Pages:       160                  Number of Images – Color:  188        Black and white: 190

Price:               $42.50                         ISBN:978-1-934729-02-1                                          

Publisher:                                            MT Publishing

Link to Website: www.mtpublishing.com     

Table of Contents:

Chapter One: Meet the “Studenbeckers”

Chapter Two: Wait for the Wagon

Chapter Three: Transitions

Chapter Four: Evolution

Chapter Five: Recovery

Chapter Six: Duty

Chapter Seven: Limelight

Chapter Eight: Decline

Chapter Nine: Legacy

Chapter Ten: The Collection

Reviews of Book:

Hemmings Classic Car, July 2009

If you want to read a concise, to-the-point book on the history of Studebaker, this is it. Produced in conjunction with the Studebaker National Museum, it’s written by Andrew Beckman, the museum’s archivist, so you know the information within is well researched.

Right from the start, and all the way through page 159, the author retraces the entire Studebaker journey, beginning with the men behind the marque and following through to the decline of this once-great manufacturer. My favorite chapter is Chapter Four, called “Evolution,” which showcases many of Studebaker’s worthy vehicles, including farm wagons, fire trucks, Indy cars and the Rockne, too.

The book’s horizontal format measures 11 x 8.5 inches, features a hardcover with dust jacket, and is printed on high-quality coated stock. Every page is in full color, and loaded with lots of period photographs, Studebaker literature and many interesting archive images showing Studebaker cars, trucks and Jeeps being produced. Several prototype mockups are shown, as are vintage photos showing Studebakers out on the street, in parades and competing on race tracks.

All in all, this is a very entertaining and informative read that is light on text but heavy on all the images that are significant to the company’s history. Very well done.

-Richard Lentinello