Frederic Alan Sharf

Richard Arbib

Now in a hardcover edition, this book of enchanting vintage drawings showcases the beauty and ingenuity of American automobile design in the landmark period from the 1940s to the 1960s. The work ranges from rough, revealing preliminary sketches to carefully drafted, full-color illustrations, which were the presentation drawings auto makers used to showcase concepts, present new design ideals and act as selling tools. Many of these images have never before been published, and each offers a rare glimpse into the thinking of premier Detroit automakers. Includes an informative text on auto styling, the demands and expectations of the major manufacturers, and the ways in which airplanes, rockets, emerging technologies, and popular media influenced postwar car design. Just in time for Father's Day.

Drawings from the Great Age of American Automobiles : Selected from the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection

Future Retro

Right after Mark's next-door neighbor is murdered, he gets a new neighbor--the beautiful but mysterious Sylvia, who has just arrived from London. Mark is drawn into a mutually obsessive relationship with Sylvia. She is secretive regarding her past and Mark's friends caution him that she can't be trusted. But Mark won't listen to his friends or to the priest who later claims that Sylvia is a deadly threat. Mark is enchanted by Sylvia's beauty and charm, even though dating her has its challenges. Whether it's performing gymnastics on the ledge of the Golden Gate Bridge, creating an embarrassing scene at the wedding of Mark's best friend, or shocking Mark with her unusual sexual proclivities, Sylvia never misses an opportunity to make a bad first impression. When Mark first meets Sylvia, he tells her, "You're the girl of my dreams!" Sylvia smiles and responds with a warning--"Be careful what you wish for."

The Vampire Girl Next Door

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

From preliminary sketches to carefully drafted renderings, these drawings showcase the beauty and ingenuity of automobile design in the heyday of American manufacture. Whether used to float innovations, showcase new developments, or promote the latest models, they are, first and foremost, examples of graphic art. Future Retro looks at cars from a landmark period in American automobile design, the 1940s through the 1960s, providing a rare glimpse into the thinking of premier Detroit car builders. The text discusses such matters as the role of the designer in auto styling, the influence of emerging technologies on postwar car design, and the ways in which these drawings depict a particularly resonant segment of the American dream. Over 50 color illustrations, many never before published, introduce us to cars that are both futuristic and retro, sometimes decidedly wacky (several were too outlandish to build), and always very, very, cool. Future retro offers a lesson in car creation and history to practitioners and students of graphic and industrial design - as well as to anyone who has ever felt the allure of the great American automobile.

Richard Arbib

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