Re: The Greatest Packards of Them All

Posted by humanpotatohybrid On 2022/7/16 9:04:31

I ordered a set a short time ago and they came in recently. I got COVID (started having symptoms) on Tuesday so I've had a good amount of reading time. Fortunately I am recovering quickly. I'm roughly 1/5 way thru the set and it's been an interesting read as Ross, BH, and others mentioned below. I concur with their comments on it so I won't repeat what they said, just some thoughts I have.

First, some clarifications:
- As of when I write this, the price is $140 if you give him your credit card info or $135 if you mail a check.
- The two volumes are almost the same length. So there's a LOT of info on the proposed 57's. (Vol I 252pp.; Vol II 264 pp.)
- The books are a mix of rare period documents and photographs, excerpts from Packard magazines (like the Cormorant), and original interviews.

Just a couple things of note:
I was slightly surprised to find that the binding is neither hardcover nor softcover but they are actually Wire-O bound. I believe this is because Dwight had these done at a local print shop. Nothing wrong with the quality as a whole, but I find the squeakiness a bit annoying at times when turning pages and a small number of pages have some paper dust left over from the hole-punch process. Also, when I started at the front of Vol I there were a fair amount of errata on the first few pages. However, there is next to none in the rest of Vol I, or in Vol II as I've seen so far. I don't write this to discourage any buyers of this sui generis work as both of these are minor. Just some things to possibly change before a second printing, if there would be one in the future.

Overall it's very detailed and easily digestible, and the great number of large, clear pictures are invaluable complement to the material. If it sounds interesting to you, you might as well pick up a copy... I doubt you'll regret it.

P.S. I'm probably beating a dead horse here, but to me the title was obviously an allusion to Packard's marketing taglines for MY56. Not only the example Leeedy posted below but also on the front page of the salesman's fact book.