Monday, December 1, 2008

Caterpillar Chronicle: History of the Greatest Earthmovers

Caterpillar Chronicle: History of the Greatest Earthmovers

With unprecedented access to Caterpillar archives, Eric Orlemann delivers the hard-working history of Caterpillar, from the earliest Best- and Holt-built steam traction engines up through today's massive earthmovers. Witness the post-war construction boom and see how these giant earthmoving machines grew and evolved to meet demand. CAT's incredible machines power through the pages of time to reveal the full and fascinating Caterpillar Chronicle.

Once again, Eric Orlemann has come up with the goods. "Caterpillar Chronicle" is a superbly illustrated volume full of wonderful photographs of all kinds of Caterpillar Machinery. A fan of Caterpillar for years, I found it a joy to turn each page in anticipation, to be rewarded with another stunning photograph.

From the "Best Steamer" to the massive Caterpillar 797 dump truck, "Caterpillar Chronicle" contains something for everyone who ever loved Caterpillar machinery. I found the photographs of the prototypes and pre-production machines especially interesting. To trace the history of the famous Cat D10 tractor through its development is one of the highlights of the book. I am sure that one could write a whole book devoted to the prototypes, one offs and the concepts that never made it to production.

The text is well written and tells the story of the history of these machines well, with lots of detail. The large format of the book is great, as well as its quality. Well bound and protected by its hard cover, it will be the centre of my collection for many years, and last as long as these wonderful machines.

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