Billed as a photo history, this digest-size book, published in 2003, begins the Ford station wagon story in 1929 with the Depot Hacks, built to carry passengers and their luggage to and from the railroad station. Their wooden bodies served as a structural component, evolving into a strictly decorative function celebrated by the Beach Boys. The book’s 14 chapters, breaking down significant periods in the company’s history, continue through 1991 and the demise of the LTD Crown Victoria—Ford’s last “full-size” station wagon. In between, McLaughlin offers an informative timeline of the Ford Motor Co. (and not just the story of its many station wagons), including production totals. For example, station wagons became a standard feature of suburban life in the 1950s. As their popularity waned, he credits the Ford Taurus wagon, introduced in 1986, as sparking their revival. The book’s 130 black-and-white photographs include Ford Motor Co. publicity photographs, station wagons on display at shows, advertisements, and select pages from sales literature. While comprehensive in their coverage, given the book’s format, none of the photographs is large, even those that cover a full page. Most are thumbnail-sized. Footnote: Ford ended passenger car-based station wagon production in 2019. 

Book Review by Robert Gabrick