Percival Lowell's Big Red Car: The Tale of an Astronomer and a 1911 Stevens-Duryea

Author:   William Lowell Putnam
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
ISBN:  

9780786412341


Pages:   183
Publication Date:   28 October 2002
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

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Percival Lowell's Big Red Car: The Tale of an Astronomer and a 1911 Stevens-Duryea


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Overview

"This is the story of one car--a 1911 Stevens-Duryea Model Y ""Big Six""--and its famous owner Percival Lowell, the American astronomer best known for his studies of Mars and mathematical prediction of the discovery of Pluto. The narrative follows the vehicle, a product of Frank Duryea--of the pioneering Duryea brothers--through its time with Lowell and through subsequent owners to its present status as a moving landmark of history. This automobile made its debut in Flagstaff, which was at that time a frontier logging and cow town of Arizona with unpaved streets in what was not yet even one of the United States. It survived the years from 1911 when delivered to Lowell, through his death in 1916, through occasional use until 1938 when it was ""abandoned,"" then through sixty subsequent years of neglect before being restored to its original form and condition and finally returning to Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill overlooking Flagstaff. Many of the important developments in the early history of the gasoline-powered automobile are traced to establish the context in which this remarkable vehicle was created. The community in which the Duryea brothers labored, in short lived teamwork, and their role in the evolution of the automobile industry are discussed. The text also provides an intimate look at the life of one of America's most important astronomers."

Full Product Details

Author:   William Lowell Putnam
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 0.90cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.268kg
ISBN:  

9780786412341


ISBN 10:   0786412348
Pages:   183
Publication Date:   28 October 2002
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Preface     1 A Horseless Carriage?      2 The Earliest Automobiles      3 The Duryeas, Stevens and Automobile Manufacturing in Springfield      4 The Stevens-Duryea      5 The Great Race     6 The Brave New World of Automobiles      7 The Motoring Lowells      8 Big Red’s First Trip      9 At Home in Flagstaff     10 Highways      11 Big Red’s Contemporaries      12 Beyond Lowell’s Death      13 Big Red Comes Home      Index    

Reviews

“remarkably concise and well-written history...well documented...outstanding book...recommend[ed]”—Antique Automobile; “informational and entertaining...intriguing reading...a very readable book”—Old Cars Weekly.


"""remarkably concise and well-written history...well documented...outstanding book...recommend[ed]""--Antique Automobile; ""informational and entertaining...intriguing reading...a very readable book""--Old Cars Weekly."


remarkably concise and well-written history...well documented...outstanding book...recommend[ed] --<i>Antique Automobile</i>; informational and entertaining...intriguing reading...a very readable book --<i>Old Cars Weekly.</i>


remarkably concise and well-written history...well documented...outstanding book...recommend[ed] --Antique Automobile; informational and entertaining...intriguing reading...a very readable book --Old Cars Weekly.


Author Information

William Lowell Putnam served as vice chairman of the Association of Maximum Service Telecasters, among his multitude of other professional credits. He is the sole trustee of the Lowell Observatory and lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

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