We journalists generally find it difficult to admit that we don't know everything. But checking the content of a 567-page scientific work for accuracy is far beyond the general and insular knowledge of the common car writer. Therefore, the search for errors in this book review is not necessary. However, it can be assumed that a work on which three authors have worked for over 30 years has a certain degree of trustworthiness with regard to the accuracy of the facts.
The first edition was published in 1992 under the title "High-performance engines - Karl Maybach and his work". In the corrected and supplemented fourth edition published in January 2023, the title was changed to "Technology pioneer Karl Maybach - drive systems, cars, companies" to avoid suggesting a false focus on Maybach's automobiles. The additions mainly concern topics that could not be considered at the time of the first publication, such as the revival of the Maybach car brand as a luxury offshoot of Mercedes-Benz.
The book is structured according to the usual form of scientific non-fiction books with five main sections, divided into 37 chapters and a varying number of sub-chapters, as well as an appendix with an index of literature, abbreviations, illustrations, keywords and persons. Reading pleasure may therefore be limited when spontaneously leafing through the book on a Sunday afternoon. However, anyone wishing to study Karl Maybach's work - or rather his life's work - will find a new standard work here.
In addition to the luxury automobiles that bear his name, Maybach engines were also used in trucks, ships, trains, airships, tanks and drilling rigs. The detailed description of the origins of the various fields of activity and the development of the individual engines is accompanied by around 700 historical photographs and technical drawings as well as a few (handwritten) documents and the first freehand sketches. Anyone who dares to read the book without any technical knowledge or understanding will be at a loss after the section on Maybach's life at the latest.
For this reason, "Technikpionier Karl Maybach - Antriebssysteme, Autos, Unternehmen" is only recommended for historians and those readers and enthusiasts who pursue their hobby with a similar meticulousness as the three authors. All average classic car fans and casual browsers will probably be overwhelmed by the complexity of the work. In view of the time and effort invested and the depth of content, the price of 89.99 euros or 99.95 francs seems almost reasonable - that's less than three euros per year of work.
Bibliographical details
- Title: "Technology pioneer Karl Maybach - drive systems, cars, companies"
- Editors: Erik Eckermann, Wilhelm Treue, Stefan Zima
- Language: German
- Publisher: Springer
- Edition: 4th edition, January 2023
- Scope: 567 pages, 700 illustrations
- Format: 210 x 279 mm, hardcover
- Price: EUR 89.99 / CHF 99.50
- ISBN: 978-3-658-37064-0
- Buy/order: Online at amazon.de, online at Springer Fachmedien or at the relevant bookstore.
