I decided to have a Coke while I read this interesting book. I was likely influenced by all those bottles of sweet bubbly carried by the trucks featured in this delightful book. The three-page introduction begins with an assessment that is as true today as it was when published in 1996: “Coca-Cola is a singular, successful, and ubiquitous American institution.” The 129 photographs—primarily from the Archives Department of the Coca-Cola Co. as well as the author’s own collection—feature a marvelous array of bottle trucks, promotional vehicles, and route sales cars manufactured by International, White, Ford, Studebaker, Indiana, Dodge, Chevrolet, Mack, Mack Jr., Diamond T, GMC, and even American Austin, starting in 1930. In keeping with the early Iconografix “Photo Archive Series” editions, the book’s focus is on photographs. As a result, author Howard L. Applegate’s very minimal captions typically provide only the truck brand and model and the location for the photograph. While engaging, the book’s black-and-white photographs offer only clues to the truck’s vivid color schemes. Applegate indicates yellow continued as the standard color until about 1957, with a three-color scheme—red, yellow, and white—used until red became the standard in 1969.

Book Review by Robert Gabrick