Land Transport Tomorrow By Gordon Wells
Land Transport Tomorrow (Collectible First Edition)
A Captivating Mid-Century Prophecy of Future Urban Transit, Electric Propulsion, and Automation
A Captivating Mid-Century Prophecy of Future Urban Transit, Electric Propulsion, and Automation
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Land Transport Tomorrow
- Author: Gordon Wells
- Publisher: Clifton Books, London
- Publication Date: 1970
- ISBN-10: 0901255149 / ISBN-13: 9780901255143
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Impression. A landmark piece of 1970s transport futurism.
- Binding: Hardcover with original publisher's heavy cloth boards, housed in the original illustrated dust jacket under a protective archive cellophane wrapper.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 136 pages. Augmented with visionary architectural schematics, conceptual transit loop diagrams, and futuristic mechanical renderings.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The original publisher's heavy cloth boards are clean, firm, and completely uniform across all edges. The spine is entirely straight, robust, tightly bound, and remains structurally undamaged with clear, bright lettering.
- Interior: Superbly preserved and structurally crisp. The internal text pages and dense technical diagrams are remarkably clean, clear, crisp, and fully intact. Completely free from previous owner gift inscriptions, navigation notes, dealer pencil markings, or water warping.
- Protection: This specialized nautical reference work has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far, now beautifully preserved in a professional, removable archival cellophane sleeve.
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The Dust Jacket: Used – Very Good (VG)
- Condition: The original illustrated dust jacket is complete and unclipped. It exhibits some typical, limited signs of vintage storage-related edge wear, light rubbing, and small surface stress lines along the head and tail of the spine. It is free from large chips or deep tears and presents beautifully behind its protective archival cellophane cover.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1970 by Clifton Books, Land Transport Tomorrow is a fascinating, historically significant piece of transport futurism that captures the exact moment mid-century engineering turned its eyes toward the challenges of the 21st century. Author Gordon Wells opens with a brief, expert survey of the evolution of roadways and civilian vehicles before mapping out radical technological shifts in meticulous detail. Writing decades ahead of his time, Wells details the development of the private car alongside massive overhauls in bus networks and regional freight infrastructure. Crucially for modern collectors, the text details pioneering, non-petrol-using transport alternatives—speculating extensively on the emergence of electric cars, fuel-cell propulsion, and revived alternative steam car technologies. For transport historians and collectors of retro-futurism, this first impression stands as an invaluable time capsule charting how the post-war generation planned to engineer a cleaner, more efficient tomorrow.
Published in 1970 by Clifton Books, Land Transport Tomorrow is a fascinating, historically significant piece of transport futurism that captures the exact moment mid-century engineering turned its eyes toward the challenges of the 21st century. Author Gordon Wells opens with a brief, expert survey of the evolution of roadways and civilian vehicles before mapping out radical technological shifts in meticulous detail. Writing decades ahead of his time, Wells details the development of the private car alongside massive overhauls in bus networks and regional freight infrastructure. Crucially for modern collectors, the text details pioneering, non-petrol-using transport alternatives—speculating extensively on the emergence of electric cars, fuel-cell propulsion, and revived alternative steam car technologies. For transport historians and collectors of retro-futurism, this first impression stands as an invaluable time capsule charting how the post-war generation planned to engineer a cleaner, more efficient tomorrow.
Author Profile: Gordon Wells
Gordon Wells was an accomplished British engineer, urban planner, and transport analyst active during the late 1960s and 1970s. Working during an era defined by rapid urban expansion and the dawn of environmental consciousness, Wells specialized in analyzing macro-transit trends, traffic flow automation, and alternative fuel mechanics. Renowned for his balanced methodology that combined historical infrastructure data with daring technological foresight, his monographs for Clifton Books remain highly prized within private libraries for their predictive accuracy and insight into mid-century industrial sociology.
Gordon Wells was an accomplished British engineer, urban planner, and transport analyst active during the late 1960s and 1970s. Working during an era defined by rapid urban expansion and the dawn of environmental consciousness, Wells specialized in analyzing macro-transit trends, traffic flow automation, and alternative fuel mechanics. Renowned for his balanced methodology that combined historical infrastructure data with daring technological foresight, his monographs for Clifton Books remain highly prized within private libraries for their predictive accuracy and insight into mid-century industrial sociology.
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