But with Schiffer I've found there can also a be another frustrating side. Titles such as those on WWI and Vietnam War uniforms & equipment that are less an exhaustive guide to the collecting field than exhaustive guide to the collection of the author and his buddies. Couple this with a propensity for allowing authors to use flabby re-enactors (or worse themselves..or even worse their kids--yeah you Tiger Stripe Guy) and I start getting a whiff, not so much of vanity-press, but of almost narcissist-press.
One author even goes so far as thanking the folks at his local Target photofinishing department for their work on the slapdash, poorly lit, inconsistent pics in his book. When you pay 60 clams for this sort of product it bugs you. A lot.
That said David Winick's book is thankfully the former. At one level it is an exquisite portfolio of his work on 5 different trailers. But on another level it is the closest thing yet to an actual How-To manual for restoring a vintage Airstream. He's loaded it with descriptive text and lots of insightful "process" photos. I find myself reading it over and over, each time unearthing a different nugget that will help on my Cruisette journey. Winick also shares his sources, the places he finds the wonderful fabrics, fixtures, lighting, and linoleums that have become his hallmarks. You come away almost feeling like you've dropped by his shop for a day and gotten way more than the nickel tour.
Each of the five chapters is devoted to a different trailer. We see the genesis of his trailer genius in his first project a 1968 Caravel. We get the backstory of his commission from Airstream to design their 75th Anniversary trailer. We also get the low-down on the '50 Flying Cloud, a 1948 Wee Wind, and a '57 "18 Footer". I've seen the impeccable Flying Cloud in person and the luscious, moody, atmospheric photos in this book more than do it justice.
My favorite chapter was also the most frustrating. It follows the refurbishment of a 1948 Wee Wind, the immediate ancestor of our Cruisette. The end result of the project is a completely custom interior, though one that is very sympathetic to the period in which the trailer was built. The pics are gorgeous and the choice of fabrics materials and surfaces stunning. The chapter even has a fascinating and very informative digression on strengthening an early style tube-frame while maintaining the original external appearance. There's also lots of talk about a custom galley, range and refrigerator and what is very likely a quite dreamy, custom-louvered, exterior fridge access panel. But I can't be sure. None of us readers can really be sure that those parts are as luscious as I certainly know they are because there's not a damn picture of any of it. Zip. None. Honestly. Really.
So in spite of leaving out THE part of THE trailer that I most wanted to see in 144 pages of the freshest, top-drawer trailer porn you'll find anywhere, This book is essential. Bravo to David Winick, and kudos to Schiffer. And no, Target was not involved.
