Book Evaluation - Rolls-Royce: The History of The Car

Book Evaluation

Bennet, M. (1983). Rolls-Royce: The History of The Car. Sparkford, England: The Oxford Illustrated Press.



Strategy for finding the book:
How did you find the book?
I went to the Davis library website and searched for sources that dealt with Rolls Royce. I then went to the library to check one of them out.

What database, book, bibliography, etc. did you find this source in? (if appropriate)
I found this source on the Davis Library's website

What was your rationale for selecting that book? In other words, why did you think that book would be useful for your research?
I felt as if this book would be helpful to my research because it gave in depth information about the Companies history and efforts to become what it is today. Throughout the book, R.R. was compared to other companies such as Bentley and American luxury vehicles. Though this is an older source than what I had hoped for, it still gave me sufficient information on the company’s competitive history as well.



Rationale for selection of the book
Why did you think that the book would be useful for your research, before you reviewed it?
Before I had even checked this book out, I knew that it might be very helpful if I was to find out, more in depth, about the company's history before I did further research. The title points out that the book is about the history of R.R. so it seemed to be the only choice. Most companies have competitive roots that go back many decades so I was curious to see if Rolls Royce had any of these competitive roots.



General evaluation of the book
The authority, scope, intended audience, and currency or timeliness of the book.
The authority of this book is very credible. It gives specific details and diagrams that come directly from Rolls Royce. These details include everything from the thickness of the seats to the power output of certain models. The scope is very detailed. Everything is addressed in the history of the company and what the vehicles include. The intended audience is anyone who is seemingly interested in Rolls Royce. The timeliness of this book still pertains to the company today. Though it was written over twenty years ago, the information is still relevant to what I’m studying.

Select the evaluation criteria that are most appropriate for evaluating this particular book.
Audience, Logical Consistency, and Functionality are all criteria that are best used in this book.

List each and write a short explanation of how well the book fulfills the criteria.
Audience: The addressed audience is for anyone interested in Rolls Royce and what it has done to become what it is today. If you are interested in the company’s historical competition as well, this book also includes that as well. This book fulfills these criteria because it is aimed directly at someone who is interested in the topic.
Logical Consistency: Logical Consistency is evident throughout this book because specific details are given on each topic. There are dimensional drawings and sketches as well as pictures. This information comes directly from Rolls Royce so it is correct and relevant to my topic by comparing the dimensions to other vehicles.
Functionality: This book is very functional because it can be used in a mechanical observation and an interior observation. You can also look at the companies past endeavors and how it started. Almost everything you can think of pertaining to Rolls Royce is covered in this book.



Example strategies used to search within the book

How did you find information within the book?
I looked throughout the book to find the information I needed. The index in the back of the book had sections that I looked for. Whenever I needed a picture to understand a piece of information, I was able to find the pictures through the index.

What terms did you use to search the book?
I typed such terms as, “Rolls Royce” and “Rolls Royce history” into the search tools on the Davis Library website.

How did you combine these terms?
I originally used just “Rolls Royce” but when I looked at the sources available, I decided that it was too broad of a topic. So then I decided to narrow my search down and look up the history of the company.

What other strategies did you use to find information within the book?
I predominately looked at the index and chapter sections. I also skimmed a little bit throughout the book. My major strategy was still to look at the index.

What were the results of your searches within the book?
My searches yielded results in the early days of the company. I found out the Rolls Royce and Bentley used to work hand in hand with one another (Bentley was built by Rolls Royce). I was also able to find out who the major early competitors were with Rolls Royce.

Explanation:
My search started off by just looking for general information on Rolls Royce but as I found many sources to choose from, I decided that my search was way too broad. Once I decided to narrow it down to just the history of the company, my search became much easier. My original search would give me a large knowledge base on everyday things, but on the downside, I would miss out on what makes a Rolls Royce, a Rolls Royce. The amount of information that I would receive with my original search would be almost overwhelming. By doing this search change, I was able to not only find out more useful historical information on competition and statistics for the company, but I was able to learn about more in depth topics that are unknown to the general public. A few items on a Rolls Royce have significant historical meaning to them (the front grille, the grille emblem, the interior gauges) and other companies don’t have these timeless values.



A brief summary of the information yielded by the book.
The information I was able to find included such things as, Bentley and Rolls Royce used to work as an integrated company. Now days, they are competitors. The same emblem style is used today on a Rolls Royce as it was almost 100 years ago; most car companies have changed their emblem styles over time. In the competitive market, Rolls Royce had such competitors as Studebaker, Cadillac, and Mercedes. Cadillac and Mercedes are still in that competitive market with Rolls Royce. They are all directly competing against each other in terms of innovation and style but indirectly in the areas of exclusiveness and social status.

What information does the book as a whole contain?
Informative and visual information is provided throughout the book.

What information does the book contain that is relevant to your research question?
Competitive differences and similarities and historical facts.

How does the book help you (or not) to answer your research question?
It has helped me to narrow down my search and gives me more in depth information on topics that I’m interested in.



A revised draft of your research question, if one is needed.
I have decided to keep my question the same, this book has helped me gain more useful and direct information instead of broad and generalized information that would have occurred in my first book search.