The trading, selling, and buying of personal transport has
changed little over the past one hundred years. Whether horse
trading in the early twentieth century or car buying today,
haggling over prices has been the common practice of buyers and
sellers alike. "Horse Trading in the Age of Cars" offers a
fascinating study of the process of buying an automobile in a
historical and gendered context.
Steven M. Gelber convincingly demonstrates that the combative
and frequently dishonest culture of the showroom floor is a
historical artifact whose origins lie in the history of horse
trading. Bartering and bargaining were the norm in this
predominantly male transaction, with both buyers and sellers
staking their reputations and pride on their ability to negotiate
the better deal. Gelber comments on this point-of-sale behavior and
what it reveals about American men.
Gelber's highly readable and lively prose makes clear how this
unique economic ritual survived into the industrial twentieth
century, in the process adding a colorful and interesting chapter
to the history of the automobile.
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