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The Dumb Things Sold...Just Like That!
Al Hesselbart, historian for the RV Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart, Indiana, and the world's recognized expert on the history of the RV industry, traces the roots of modern recreational vehicles, from the grand old days of auto camping through today's luxurious mobile palaces. The author describes the careers and achievements of nineteen of the pioneers of the recreational vehicle industry, and the impact that they have made on RVing and camping today. Illustrated with dozens of photos of early RVs, this book is a valuable reference that all campers and RVers will enjoy!
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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December 14, 2022
If you've ever been to the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum and Library in Elkhart, Indiana, then you know what a rich history the recreational vehicle industry has had. With a smidge of planning, we spent our first day of full-time RVing (more than 13 years ago) here, and I can tell you that distilling the shelves and shelves of documents in the library into a slim volume of history had to have been an enormous challenge. Hesselbart, a wonderful man we met that day, had a clear passion for the industry and it comes through this book.
The book is divided into three sections: "Industry History," "The Pioneers," and "The Industry Builders." I'm not really sure how Hesselbart distinguished the pioneers and those who built the industry because there was certainly plenty of overlap. Each of these chapters profiled someone significant in the industry, from John K. Hanson, who was key in the evolution of Winnebago, to Theodore Barman, an early innovator of parts and supplies for RVs who then developed a system to distribute them throughout the country. I was please do see Betty Orr included, a rare female in a very gender-oriented industry, particularly in the early years.
The book's organization and focus on profiles rather than a broader history reflects Hesselbart's support (if not underwriting) from the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum and Library. While the profiles were interesting, they were presented in alphabetical order and written in as biographies, which made the history tracked within them harder (at least for me) to fit into the general timeline.
That said, I'm not sure of any better way to have written this book, other than to split the history into its own book and give it the heft the industry really deserves. It's difficult, even today, to find a comprehensive history of this unique industry.
Reading the profiles made me appreciate those who devoted their lives to making my life more safe and comfortable, but I'd read a few biographies about people in the industry and saw how tricky it was for Hesselbart to capture the essence of a life in just a few pages -- especially for individuals who had such interesting, sometimes twisty, paths along the way.
This is the second time I've read this little book (the first time was all those years ago, when I first bought it), and I remember that the first time I skimmed the profiles because none of that mattered to me. I was brand-new on the road, and the stories of those first auto campers made me grateful for our well-appointed fifth wheel, even though we ended up stopping for repairs before we reached the West Coast. Such is RVing -- a complicated entanglement of pieces, parts, repairs, and dreams.
A great book for avid RVers and for those who've dedicated their lives to the industry.
The book is divided into three sections: "Industry History," "The Pioneers," and "The Industry Builders." I'm not really sure how Hesselbart distinguished the pioneers and those who built the industry because there was certainly plenty of overlap. Each of these chapters profiled someone significant in the industry, from John K. Hanson, who was key in the evolution of Winnebago, to Theodore Barman, an early innovator of parts and supplies for RVs who then developed a system to distribute them throughout the country. I was please do see Betty Orr included, a rare female in a very gender-oriented industry, particularly in the early years.
The book's organization and focus on profiles rather than a broader history reflects Hesselbart's support (if not underwriting) from the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum and Library. While the profiles were interesting, they were presented in alphabetical order and written in as biographies, which made the history tracked within them harder (at least for me) to fit into the general timeline.
That said, I'm not sure of any better way to have written this book, other than to split the history into its own book and give it the heft the industry really deserves. It's difficult, even today, to find a comprehensive history of this unique industry.
Reading the profiles made me appreciate those who devoted their lives to making my life more safe and comfortable, but I'd read a few biographies about people in the industry and saw how tricky it was for Hesselbart to capture the essence of a life in just a few pages -- especially for individuals who had such interesting, sometimes twisty, paths along the way.
This is the second time I've read this little book (the first time was all those years ago, when I first bought it), and I remember that the first time I skimmed the profiles because none of that mattered to me. I was brand-new on the road, and the stories of those first auto campers made me grateful for our well-appointed fifth wheel, even though we ended up stopping for repairs before we reached the West Coast. Such is RVing -- a complicated entanglement of pieces, parts, repairs, and dreams.
A great book for avid RVers and for those who've dedicated their lives to the industry.
Displaying 1 of 1 review