Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt

Those of us who love the great old classic cars my be surprised that one of the most action-filled novelists of our times is also another classic car admirer. Clive Cussler (often confused with his character Dirk Pitt) is that dual personality. Tie the bow with some fine photographers (including his Mrs.) and you'll be ready for BUILT FOR ADVENTURE. And, better yet, this is just one of a small series.

First off let me state that my book doesn't appear to have any binding problems. I have been sitting and going through for several days now and not a problem with the binding. So, while I know another reviewer had problems my copy doesn't appear to have any issues.The pictures are really well done, the paper quality is good and there is lots to look at. You don't just get one small picture of each car but you often get multiple pictures showing the exterior, the interior and anything of special interest, such as specialty hub caps. The detail is great and I couldn't be happier with the quality.The description of each car is good yet not overly technical. I enjoy the way each description is written and don't think that I will grow bored over looking through this book in the days, months and years to come.The bonus feature is knowing the background story of the novels that Dirk Pitt appears in while driving one of these cars, or maybe even our good Van Dorn Detective Isaac Bell.I was a bit taken back by the cost, but then realized that this is a coffee table book and would have lots of color pictures that are not cheap to print and reproduce.After receiving my copy, I'm pleased with the quality and with the price. I will enjoy this book for many years to come and think if you are a Clive Cussler fan and enjoy cars that you will also enjoy this book.

The photography in this book is very attractive, though limited to 3 or 4 views of each of Mr. Cussler's classic cars. The text is brief, a capsule history of the car in question and how Mr. Cussler acquired the particular specimen in his collection. So if you are looking for an extensive marque history or a thorough photo essay, this is not it. If you are curious to see the fabulous collection Mr. Cussler has assembled in a very enjoyable and beautiful book, this is it. There is a matching volume covering the post-war cars in the collection - this concentrates on pre-war classics. I have both and find them very enjoyable. I hope to get to Denver some day and see the real cars!

This book was available for purchase when I visited his car museum, but found much better prices thru Amazon. It's a great book, detailing many of the real autos that were on display and 'written' into his adventure novels. It's a beautiful and fascinating trip for lovers of old automobiles.

"Built for Adventure" is one of those "coffee table" books true readers so often eschew as below them. In this case, they would be missing out if they jumped to that conclusion. The redeeming virtue here is Mr. Cussler's clear connection to his subject and his anecdotal tales of purchases and finds along the way. If you are looking for a history or something closer to the Ken Purdy classics of the past, this isn't the book for you. These cars and the marques they represent deserve a far more comprehensive textual treatment than they receive here. Nonetheless, the selections are as eclectic as the man who collected them, and there is something endearing about that, especially for those of us who have followed the adventures of Dirk Pitt for many years. As Cussler's readers will know, many of these cars figure prominently in past novels, and for those of us who are fans, the connection is palpable. In the end, the beautiful photography, eclectic selection, and the connection to the Cussler canon go someways to distinguish this from other works of its ilk and make it worthwhile for the Cussler fan.

Really nothing more than a coffee table book, it can be read in an evening but it takes several days to peruse the photo's to look at the various details. Actually I wish there were a lot more photo's of the various cars but then it would need legs to hold it up. I look forward to the next volume.

Book was perfect. It was so interesting my husband has decided to read the non fiction books about Cussler

For classic car buffs, this is an excellent, although perhaps not essential, addition to the library. There are some real beauties in here, and the photography is excellent. In fact, my main complaint would be that there aren't enough photographs. Some cars only get two pictures. Give us engines, dashboards, steering wheels, chrome!

As an avid reader of all of Clive Cussler's books my wife bought this book for me on our 35 wedding anniversary. It displays many of the classic cars in Clive Cussler's museum and many driven by his Dirk Pitte character. Just brilliant. I only wish I'd had this book before I read the novels so that I could see what Dirk Pitte was driving at the time. She also got me a scale model of the car on the cover. I had given her, many years ago, a model of a green sports car that she would have liked to own, so this was in return. If you cannot visit the museum then do get the book. It rests on my coffee table for visitors to open.

A must for fans of Vintage cars and Clive CusslerThe Vintage cars featured are unique also the histories of the cars are interesting,The Book itself is easy to read which I feel will be a must for a lot of people and the author has no axes to grind which makes a nice change from a lot of modern vintage car books.I am very happy with my book and I feel it is a great find and a must for fans of vintage cars.

Lavishly illustrated and really does justice (if anything can when viewed from our plastic car world) to these beautiful vehicles. Great book

Another addition to my collection of this guy's books.Illustrations are astounding.

Now I have ALL of Cussler's books (except 2 more on pre-order), and it's great to see photos of the cars he uses in his novels. Also to read up about them. A great 'coffee table' book.