Cadillac at 100: Legacy of Leadership 1902 - 2006, Volumes 1 & 2

Some great pictures (a lot in color) in a double volume book in a well made cover for both. The written descriptions that give specifics concerning pictures and brand seem thorough. Very happy with it. Great value.

First, this heavy (8.5 pounds!) book set, two volumes) arrived in a very sturdy box with a protective clear plastic wrapping around the books. On the spine of the books' wrapping is a small bunched up piece of plastic that allows you to peal off the wrapping without using a razor knife or scissors. Brilliant!! It's not just a picture book, but a beautifully written story about Cadillac that brought back great memories from my childhood. My father was a "Cadillac Man", buying a new Sedan de Ville every two years from 1962 to 1984...except for a 1975 Coupe de Ville and a 1981 Eldorado. I will certainly purchase future products from TommyBee.

I have been a die-hard Cadillac fan for decades and have owned more Cadillacs than any other make. I own the entire run of Automobile Quarterly, the book's publisher, and consider it to be a cornerstone of my automotive history library. I bought the first edition of this book prior to its publication in early 1973, and have acquired all of the subsequent FIVE editions. That first edition was so well and accurately done that it only required periodic updates to remain current and the recognized authoritative history of the company and its products. For a variety of reasons, I've put off acquiring this latest and lavish Sixth Edition until now, and upon initial inspection, I'm glad I did. I'm disappointed. Very disappointed. It isn't worth the MSRP of $99.95. I purchased my copy at a substantial discount here at Amazon.com, but all that has done is make me very glad I didn't pay any more.This latest two-volume edition is a complete revision, which makes all its shortcomings all the more frustrating. It has wisely split the Cadillac story into two parts, logically separated at the World War II timeframe. The format has been changed, with the physical dimensions growing to the point where an opened volume is in the "coffee table" category; which means you won't want to try holding it in your lap, not if you don't want to run the serious risk of damaging the now overly large pages as you turn them. It would be wise to have that coffee table, or some other suitable horizontal surface available to properly support it. While the larger format allows for larger photographs, this doesn't necessarily mean that it is an improvement. Many unique historical photos of merely marginally acceptable quality are carried over from the earlier editions, but their now larger size only emphasizes their shortcomings and ultimately makes them less interesting if not somewhat disturbing to observe.The paper quality, printing (for the most part), and binding are first class jobs; as is to be expected from AQ. An attractive, sturdy slipcase that matches the individual volume's dust jackets is included, which is a very good idea. It not only provides protection, it allows the set to stand on its own, as the slipcased volumes are stable enough to act as their own bookend, and can probably support several other volumes on the shelf as well. This somewhat makes up for the book(s) now being unnecessarily large.Unfortunately, editing errors abound. Photo captions are frequently incorrect, usually in regard to year and model of specific cars. This happens so often that the overall accuracy of the captions, and therefore the book itself, must be questioned. Too many captions are agonizingly incomplete, listing only year and make (not always correctly), leaving us in the dark as to model, coachbuilder, and any other interesting details. Some photos, even full page ones, are uncaptioned. Despite the accuracy of earlier editions, I wouldn't try to settle any arguments over authenticity with this one as the sole reference.Color photos are integrated throughout the text, which is a nice break from earlier editions, which confined color to separate sections. The color printing, traditionally an AQ hallmark; however, is frequently disappointing. Colors are often washed out, muted, and dull, and even in the photos where the colors are bright and life-like, details in shadow areas frequently disappear. In one instance, the same color photo is used twice, only nine pages apart, yet the quality of the prints is so divergent as to give the initial impression that they are two different photographs. This divergence in quality is not at all consistent, as there are enough photos included that live up to AQ's traditional standards of excellence to establish that the possibility of an errant print run has to be dismissed. Someone had to decide that the off-balance colors photos were "good enough", but for the price involved, they are not. This seriously tarnishes AQ's reputation.I bought this edition to bring the Cadillac portion of my automotive library more or less up to date. At this point, I don't know that I have. I don't feel I can give this Sixth Edition any more than 3 out of 5 stars, which translates to "It's okay", but ONLY at a substantial discount. It simply isn't in the $100 ballpark. For that kind of money, it should be dead-on accurate in virtually all respects, especially in view of the accuracy of earlier editions, and the photo quality should knock your socks off. Many other publishers have shown it can be done. Buyer beware.

If you are a Cadillac buff like me and purchase every model and book on the subject as well as own the real cars, then you really need this set of books before they disappear and get even more expensive. I have collected every edition of Mr. Hendry's Cadillac books. This set is his crowning achievement to add to your collection. The illustrations are larger and the set of books are such high quality. My set was suppose to be ''used'', but it came tightly sealed and was a new unopened set. I was thrilled over this!

A must have book for every Cadillac aficionado. Maurice Hendry's book gives one insight into the design process of these wonderful cars. History is more than a time line, it's the interesting people that created it. This book has the anecdotal information about the personality of the back room people that invested themselves in the creation of this great marque. The large format gives easy to see photos and technical drawings.A pleasure to view and read.

It has more about the Lelands than I remember, more color photos, more technical information, and another 40 odd years, of course.However, the interesting but B&W sections about classic 30s Cadillac/Lasalle styling and custom bodies are missing. My old edition is missing and falling apart, but now I have to find it

Outstanding hard bound book expertly written with great pictures and illustration. A treasure for the collector and an outstanding purchase.