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TAKING CHARGE

Name: TAKING CHARGE
Author: Michael Brian Schiffer
ISBN: 1-56908-355-8

THE ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILE IN AMERICA

by Michael Brian Schiffer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 20, 1994

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The car of the future turns out to be the car of the past, according to Schiffer (Anthropology/Univ. of Arizona; The Portable Radio in American Life, not reviewed) in this peppy look at the electric car's Edwardian infancy. Schiffer begins with an astonishing statistic: In 1900, 28% of all automobiles produced in America ran on electric power. So why does an effective plug-in car currently seem like a science-fiction dream? Schiffer places this question in historical context, beginning with the 19th-century development of the steam-driven dynamo, which made electricity cheap and plentiful, and of the bicycle, which warmed the public to the idea of personal mechanical transport. In 1897, the first important electric car rolled from Pope's Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Conn., followed by a parade of battery-driven broughams and runabouts from other manufacturers, all of which offered a top speed of about 14 mph and a top distance between recharging of 25 or 30 miles. Henry Ford, meanwhile, was perfecting his cheap, durable gas-driven car, the Model T. Schiffer argues that the battle between gas and electric was, among other things, a skirmish in the war between the sexes, with women opting for the slower, safer electrics. But the truth is that gasoline motors went farther and faster than electric ones; they were also more reliable. Despite the efforts of Thomas Edison, who struggled for years to produce a more efficient battery, by WW I the electric car had become an afterthought. Nevertheless, Schiffer has an upbeat view of the future of electrics. While he admits that a battery that can go 500 miles between recharges would be ``miraculous,'' he foresees stations for rapid battery exchange lining the highways, giving rise to a new generation of nonpolluting drivers. More voltage for pro-electric forces, who can now claim that tradition is on their side. (41 b&w illustrations, not seen)

Pub Date: Sept. 20, 1994

ISBN: 1-56908-355-8

Page Count: 240

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.