Brand/Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press History of Technology series trade paperback edition of The American Railroad Passenger Car by John H. White, Jr., issued in Baltimore and London as a two-volume set.
Title and subject: comprehensive technical and historical study of the development of the railroad passenger car in the United States, tracing design, construction, engineering, and service from the nineteenth century through the streamlined era, aimed at readers interested in railroads, passenger trains, transportation history, and industrial technology.
Format and design: matching gray-blue card covers for Parts 1 and 2 with a color reproduction of a nineteenth-century passenger car scene on the front, black-and-white interior printing on off-white stock in a clear serif typeface, and numerous diagrams, photographs, and plans illustrating car exteriors, interiors, trucks, braking systems, and mechanical details.
Structure and contents: Part 1 opens with background on early passenger operations and car types and includes chapters on first-class and sleeping cars, parlor, dining, and private cars, illustrated with historical engravings, stereographs, and contemporary photographs; Part 2 continues the narrative into the twentieth century, covering steel construction, motor trains, baggage and combination cars, and specialized service equipment, supported by full-page plans and detailed technical drawings.
Publication details and features: Johns Hopkins Paperbacks edition based on the original 1978 hardcover, reissued in 1985 in two softcover volumes as part of the History of Technology series and printed in the United States of America, with bibliographical references, index, and chapter notes for further research in railroad and transportation studies.
ISBN: 0-8018-2743-4 (paperback set); 0-8018-2722-1 (Part 1); 0-8018-2747-7 (Part 2). Features: heavily illustrated nonfiction reference on U.S. railroad passenger cars, combining narrative history with photographs, diagrams, and dimensional drawings across both volumes.
Condition: Card covers on both volumes show light surface rubbing with a few small gloss scratches and mild edge and corner wear. Spines are straight with clear titling and lightly rubbed ends. Textblock edges are evenly age toned with a few tiny specks visible. Interior pages are lightly tanned but clean, legible, and free of writing or highlighting, and the bindings remain tight. Listing includes Parts 1 and 2 trade paperbacks only; no slipcase or supplemental materials are present.