Auto opium

The automobile continues to be the privileged product of the culture of mass consumption, yet there has been little scholarly attention to what concerns consumers most - the appearance of cars. Auto Opium is the first comprehensive history of the profession and aesthetics of American automobile design. The author reveals how the appearance of vehicles became an integral part of the system of mass production and mass consumption forged in the struggles of American society. The book traces the development of automobile design, from the first utilitarian cars around the turn of the century to…