The vehicle that helped win the war
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IF you have a couple of tokens and have a hankering for jeeps, then you've got it made for the next best thing, Brother! The Jeep (Frederick Warne, £12.95) is a real coffee table effort packed with really good photos, including colour (some paintings, too) about this vehicle, and its remarkable history. For to quote General Eisenhower: "The Jeep, the Dakota and the landing craft were the three tools that won the war."
The authors, Jean-Gabriel Jeudy and Marc Tararine — it's translated from French — first give a striking example of a precursor of the jeep in France as early as 1906. Another ancestor, they reckon, were the Austin 7s, which were built under licence in Germany and used by the Reichswehr for reconnaisance.
While the authors say no single country can take credit for the paternity of the jeep, it is now a registered trade mark and the property of American Motors.
The jeep's progeny, they say, includes the Land-Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser and the Mercedes G-Series; but AM's own Cherokee Chief is a jeep! You learn something every week. Frederick Warne, 40 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3HE.