Legendary Mack trucks were a favored subject for the earliest Photo Archive Series books starting in the 1990s. As you are likely aware, the purpose of the series was to provide a rich visual survey of a particular truck. As in the case with Mack, that meant books on specific models. Edited by the renowned Thomas E. Warth, one of the founders of both Motorbooks and Iconografix, this publication offers 128 black-and-white photographs about the Mack Model AB from the archives of the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania. According to the introduction, Mack produced nearly 52,000 Model AB trucks between 1914 and 1936. (The Mack museum’s current website puts the total at more than 55,000.) One large, landscape-format photograph fills each page—with six exceptions—with captions based on the information found on the photographs. This follows the format for the earliest Photo Archive books. The chronologically arranged collection covers the Model AB story starting in 1914 with an aerial view of the Allentown factory followed by a marvelous array of images through 1935 including AB prototypes; closeup views of chain, worm, and dual reduction chassis; engines; chain drive components; cabs; various bodies; trucks posed for company photographers; and numerous at-work scenes. This is a bargain-priced treasure for Mack enthusiasts.

Book Review by Robert Gabrick