Book Review: Hot Rod Magazine – All the Covers

Posted by pikesan on Dec 19, 2010 in Art & Photography | 0 comments

HOT ROD Magazine: All the Covers

Ever find yourself searching through a stack of old Hot Rod magazines at a swap meet? When ever I do, I’m pretty amazed at how you’re able to tell the era of the magazine simply by the cover. Usually as I flip through them I catch myself thinking “late 70’s, mid 80’s, ahh here’s an early 60’s”… all from the information presented to me on the cover.

Getting your vehicle featured on the cover of Hot Rod magazine has to be the ultimate reward for a builder.  It’s one thing to be lucky enough to receive a feature in the most influential automotive magazine of all time, but making the cover is simply iconic as you are now locked forever into the history of hot rodding. Imagine if you could some how capture all those amazing covers in one place, all 60+ years worth? Well your lucky day is here with the newly released book: HOT ROD Magazine: All the Covers by Drew Hardin along with the editors of HOT ROD.

I simply love this book and I have shared it with several of the hot rod veterans in my town. Smiles and laughter, along with countless stories, followed as they took a trip down memory lane. Their eyes brightened time and time again as they recalled covers and feature cars that influenced their personal builds. Several of the gentlemen I spoke with were featured in Hot Rod magazine over the years and knew the cover at first glance, though they had not laid eyes upon it in decades. It’s amazing what an impact these covers have upon our memories!

The book itself is an overload of the visual senses, with all the beautiful art work and photography of 6 decades at your fingertips. Each cover is described in detail giving the reader a true feel for the styles and builders direction of the era.

This book is a must have for any hot rod enthusiast, and a reference that will be sought out time and time again.