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The Great Book of Harley Davidson | 
 enlarge | Authors: Albert Saladini, Pascal Szymezak
Publisher: White Star Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $3.30
You Save: $26.69 (89%)
New (3) Used (12) Collectible (2) from $3.30
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 340111
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 526
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 7.9
Dimensions (in): 14.1 x 10.4 x 1.8
ISBN: 885400393X
Dewey Decimal Number: 629
EAN: 9788854003934
ASIN: 885400393X
Publication Date: November 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Acceptable condition. May contain marks, writing, scuffs, and edge wear. Orders processed and shipped within 24 hours. Choose EXPEDITED for fast delivery.
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Product Description
A massive compendium covering all aspects of the Harley-Davidson phenomenon. Thousands of full-color, glossy photos grace the 528 pages of this ten pound, oversized volume. This great book tells the story of the Milwaukee company through a catalog of the bikes that have brought Harley-Davidson success, right up to the most recent models, and also investigates the work of HD customizers who turn a mechanical wonder into a moving sculpture. At first a convenient means of transport, the motorcycle became a cult object. In fat, a legend has grown up around Harley-Davison motorcycles. They have become a trophy, a monument on two wheels whose myth has transcended one hundred years of American history, attracting generations of motorcycling enthusiasts throughout the world. This volume brings together the best of these two books about Harley-Davidson, with wonderful photographs and inside anecdotes on a trip that traces one of the 20th century's most vibrant myths. The first part tells the story of the Milwaukee company through a catalog of the bikes that have brought Harley-Davidson success, right up to the most recent models, and describes and illustrates the production process and the highly original, innovative technological solutions the company has engineered. The second part investigates the work of HD customizers like Arlen Ness, Cyril Huze, and their colleagues, who turn a mechanical wonder into a moving sculpture.
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| Customer Reviews:
 great book bad condition November 18, 2008
Valerie Johnson (ohio)
i ordered this book under the impression i was getting a new book since it said new...when i recieved this book, part of the cover was ripped and the book was seperating from its center...i was very very disapointed. But the book itself is impressive, i would just be more careful who i bought it from.
 One of the best "coffee table" books on H-D: Something for everybody February 25, 2008
Clamdigger (Pahoa, Hawai'i USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a huge and heavy book, well printed in Indonesia on what seem to be top-notch materials. Except for a bit of excessive contrast in some of the old black & white illustrations, you really couldn't ask for higher production values. The work is a repackaging of two earlier works, "Harley Davidson, a Way of Life, a Hundred Year Old Myth" (2002) and "Harley Davidson, Evolution of the Myth" (1999), which in turn seem to be related to a number of similar titles published by the same authors in English, Spanish and French over the past ten years. But none of that detracts from the current title, at least for those who, like this reviewer, don't already own the earlier works. If this is an English translation, it is a fluent one.
The first third of the book goes over the history of the company and its products - even bicycles! - in good detail, with extensive photos of personalities, machines and even period literature. The photos are generally very good or better, and they alternate between close-ups, detail shots and typical advertising brochure-type product overviews to maintain your interest. There are many, many other Harley books that cover this same ground with equally good photography, but I am not aware of any which actually do a better job.
The accompanying narrative seems to be equally comprehensive and balanced, although I've not yet read it all carefully enough to say how accurate it all is with any certainty. It certainly seems to be well done, though, and I found the parts I read interesting as well as keyed in well with the nearby photos.
The remainder of the book, however, really makes the whole project for this reviewer: The authors have not only a love of beautiful restorations and classic, factory-stock Harleys, but also a passion for the infinite variety of "customs" that Harley owners and professional builders have churned out in great numbers over the past half-century or more. The illustrations chosen run a fantastic gamut from the bizarre to the beautiful... well illustrating the creativity and individualism which have come to be identified with this quintessentially American marque.
Does this review sound like something written by the stereotypical "outlaw biker" or Harley fanatic? Well, no, actually... I've ridden "most vroom for the buck" Japanese bikes and ueber-practical BMWs for most of my life! But unless you have no soul at all it's impossible not to appreciate the Harley as both a riding "experience" - pretty unique until quite recently, when the Japanese finally got their American-style V-Twin clones "right" - and as an art form and starting point for individual expression - for which H-D is still unmatched. This book, by two French admirers, very admirably conveys the feeling so many have for Harley-Davidsons of all sorts... and will encourage a lot of new purchases!
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