Small Wonder: The Amazing Story of the Volkswagen Beetle (Volkswagen)

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Summary: "Small Wonder"
Review: "Small Wonder" Review

The book "Small Wonder" was a very descriptive book about how the Volkswagen car as we know it today came about. It started when Ferdinand Porsche designed the "peoples car." When the car first came into production people didn't want such a different looking car. Some people thought it was ugly. There were a couple of different prototypes for the first VW car. A few were not excepted. The one that finally made it was different then the other ones because it had a window in back and a little different front end.
The cars were tested day after day. The cars were run until they didn't run any more. They kept running the cars until every problem was fixed. There were a lot of problems with the cars. Some were more serious then others. VW came out with 5 different cars first. They were the k, s, ss, ssk, sskl. . They were less powerful then most cars today . although smaller cars today have around the same amount of horse power and the cars are lighter.

I personaly do not like the book because of how detailed it is . If it was less detailed and more of a story then it would be more of what I like to read. If you like books that are really detailed and have a lot of facts then this is a good book for you. Also if you would like to know the history of the Volkswagen then it is also a good book for that.


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Summary: Required reading for every VW fan.
Review: I first read this book when I was 10 years old, and ever since it has amazed me how well written, interesting and researched was the original text. It's a shame that the story ends on the late 1960s, and considering that here in Mexico the little Beetle is still one of the best suited cars for the country, perhaps would be nice to have a second edition telling how it has made it to survive until the 1990s, becoming the "Car of the Century" and being registered on the Guiness Records with over 21 million cars produced on the last 60 years.

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Summary: The best for early Volkswagen history
Review: I had to read this book for my senior project this year. It was my best source for the history section. Too bad the book dosn't go farther than the sixties.

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Summary: Only a car with such character could have this amazing story
Review: I was given a copy of this book back in 1971 when I aquired my first car, a 1959 Bug. This book helped cement a lifelong love of the Volkswagen Beetle. The author did such an outstanding job turning an industrial wonder into a love story. This book should be included in the glovebox of EVERY new VW and is a must for any Volkswagen lover.

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Summary: The amazing story of the VW is still applicable in 2001
Review: In 1969, after I had purchased a new VW, the dealer sent me "Small Wonder" by Walter Nelson. I have just finished reading this book once again, 22 years later, and the book is as applicable in todays society as it was back when it was first published. This book is not only about the Volkswagon car. It contains a good deal of history surrounding pre-war Germany, the rise of Hitler to power, WWII, and reconstruction of the bombed out factory with American assitance following the war. Any person considering a sales career should read and study this book.

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Summary: Extremely insightful on a car that shaped the industry.
Review: Just what I was looking for, and then some. This book starts at the very beggining, with the Beetle's mentor and VW's founder Dr. Porsche. (Did you know he was Czeck?)
It follow's the company's history (which is to say, the car's history) with just the right amount of coverage to its amazing journey from WWII to the car's EOP (end of production) in Puebla, Mexico. The cronology of this book is excellent. Worthdly of a movie script, this book is extremely enganging. As you read its history, names like Ford, Peugeot, Renault amongst others keep poping up narrating each one's influence on the company's history. (Did you know H. Ford II was offered the factory, for free?)
The only thing that I'd wish from this book was to have the author do either a follow up or a revised update. This book finishes with the beetle's last production car, but the company has certantly not. I wish I could get more info from the company's developement from that point forward, including the launch of the new beetle among other superb new VWs...

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Summary: Small Wonder- Great result
Review: On of the world`s most informative and well resourced books on the VW history.Gives an insight to the early vehicle development,political hurdles that had to be overcome as well as the generic industrial resistence that was present.H.Nelson, a gifted author,not only writes about the "first row" people but also about production personnel and production techniques.
Sales and marketing development & especially how the U.S. market was won not only fascinates the VW buff but everyone who ever had anything to do with the automotive industry.

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Summary: Required reading for every VW fan.
Review: When this book was first published in the 1960's the VW revolution was just just hitting it's stride in the US. It's only right that this, the best of the "VW Story" books should be reprinted as the New Beetle puts VW back on the map!