Trust and Power; Consumers, the Modern Corporation, and the Making of the United States Automobile Market

Trust and Power; Consumers, the Modern Corporation, and the Making of the United States Automobile Market. By Sally H, Clarke. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. xviii, 296 pp. $50.00, ISBN 978-0-521-86878-5.)

Sally H. Clarke has written an intriguing study of the American automobile market. She identifies three stages-a period of formation (1890-1916), a period of mass production to 1940, and a mature phase after World War II. She also highlights three main actors: automobile corporations, consumers, and state regulators. From this double tripartite structure, Clarke offers an original take on the auto industry's development.

Clarkes first section explores the early automobile market, asking who bore the costs of innovation for these new and dangerous products. Entrepreneurs tried to persuade consumers that autos were reliable, while dealer franchises provided legal protection for vehicle makers from...