The earliest Iconografix Photo Archive books are noted for their marvelous array of photographs compiled from collections housed in public and private museums, libraries, corporate holdings, and individual collectors. However, the brief captions provided only the information included with the photographs. That approach evolved as authors provided increasingly detailed research-based expansive captions. Classic American Steamrollers is a prime example of this change. As a testament to their research efforts, the authors devote a full page to acknowledging the individuals and institutions that provided photographs and information. Organized alphabetically by company name, the paperback, landscape-format book uses 179 vintage black-and-white photographs and illustrations for a comprehensive look at “all the makes of American rollers powered by stream” and thus is “the first complete picture of steamroller manufacturing in North America.” The marvelous variety of images, ranging from less than 2x2 inches to full page, include company logos, posed factory photos, steamrollers at work, engine and mechanical feature close-ups, patent drawings, dealer parts departments and exteriors, and interior factory views. Coverage of each manufacturer includes informative captions for the images and photographs, as well as a brief company history. 

Book Review by Robert Gabrick