Focusing on Jeeps that never made it beyond the drawing board or the concept vehicle stage, Peter C. Sessler offers a varied survey that begins with the Jeep concepts developed for the Army by American Bantam, Willys-Overland, and Ford. The narrative continues through 2000 with coverage of the Jeep Varsity. One of the Iconografix Photo Archive series, this book features a brief two-page introduction. The generally limited captions range from nine words to a few that exceed 70 words, often leaving the reader thirsting for more factual details. In particular, while the book’s coverage is chronological, many illustrations lack dates. However, as the series intended, the 122 black-and-white illustrations provide a visual feast. The book features designers’ artwork ranging from tow loops, taillights, steering wheels, seats, and instrument panels to entire vehicles, clay models, engineering working drawings, and photographs of prototypes. While artist renderings are signed, captions lack information about them. Fortunately, industrial designer Brooks Stevens does merit the expanded coverage. Photographs and examples of Stevens’ artwork document his efforts to produce new designs for the Jeepster, Forward Control trucks, station wagons, and a variety of unique concepts.

Book Review by Robert Gabrick