Pump and Circumstance Glory Days of the Gas Station Paperback - 1996

From the publisher

Pump and Circumstance is a rich and lively celebration of that icon of American roadside culture: the gas station. John Margolies traces the entertaining and significant tradition of gas station design, history, and lore - from horse-drawn pumps at the turn of the century to the convenience stores and self-serve pumpers of today. Particular attention is given to the golden age from 1920 to 1940, when humble curbside stations evolved into palaces of petroleum. Then, the whole experience became much more than just filling the tank: attendants in spiffy uniforms bustled about among gleaming pumps, eye-catching signs, and strings of pennants flapping in the wind. Those days are gone now, but John Margolies brings this era back to life by combining rare archival photographs, postcards, advertisements, and other service station artifacts and collectibles with his own trademark color photographs. He delves into such diverse and unusual topics as the hoopla of the sparkling and sometimes not-so-sparkling rest room; the evolution of road maps; and the development of gas pumps from jerrybuilt hot water tanks to the sleek, computerized vending machines of today. Pump and Circumstance is the definitive book of its kind - a nostalgic and lighthearted remembrance of the gas stations of our youth.