Thunderbird Illustrated publication

[wayne63011]

Just received Thunderbird Illustrated Volume 1 Numbers 1,2,3 & 4 and Volume 2 Numbers 1, 2, 3 & 4 from a vendor on ebay.
Reportedly the Publisher was Jake Vandersluis and it was published quarterly by Thunderbird Publications in California.
The 8 books have some great pictures and very interesting stories about the 1955 - 1976 Thunderbirds.

Questions:
Was there ever a Volume 3? If not, why not?
Has anyone who has read the written portion of the books found them to be accurate and informative?
Could any portion of any one of these books be reprinted without repercussions?
Are there any similar publications available for the post 1976 Thunderbirds?

[Alan H. Tast]

Just received Thunderbird Illustrated Volume 1 Numbers 1,2,3 & 4 and Volume 2 Numbers 1, 2, 3 & 4 from a vendor on ebay.
Reportedly the Publisher was Jake Vandersluis and it was published quarterly by Thunderbird Publications in California.
The 8 books have some great pictures and very interesting stories about the 1955 - 1976 Thunderbirds.

Questions:
1. Was there ever a Volume 3? If not, why not?
2. Has anyone who has read the written portion of the books found them to be accurate and informative?
3. Could any portion of any one of these books be reprinted without repercussions?
4. Are there any similar publications available for the post 1976 Thunderbirds?

1. No Volume 3 - didn't sell enough for the publisher to keep going.
2. You have to bear in mind these were written/printed in the mid-1970s. Many of the articles in it did not have rigorous research to verify facts presented - I learned this the hard way when referring to some while researching my two history books on T-birds. They were written for hobbyists moreso than serious historical documentation.
3. NO! Study US Copyright law regarding reprinting of material without the copyright holder's permission.
4. No - there isn't enough demand or interest to sell enough to justify the expense of their publication. I learned the hard way that publishers think that T-birds ceased to exist after 1957 or 1966, based on interest they get from people requesting titles on the subject of post-Classic/post-Vintage T-birds. Articles do pop up from time to time in places like Old Cars Weekly or Hemmings Classic Car, but they're few and far between.

Quite frankly, the number of submissions we get for articles for VTCI's Thunderbird Scoop for post-'66 cars is disappointing. This is why I tell people interested in the post-Vintage eras that, if they really want to see something in print, they need to take the bull by the horns, write the articles and submit them for publication. People like me are more than wiling to review and edit such articles to polish them up, add information and fact-check items - that's what an editor's job is all about. People waiting for something to be written remind me of an old Chinese proverb I was told when in college: "Roast Duck does not fly into one's mouth." In other words, if you really want to see something, you may have to be the one who researches and writes it.

[wayne63011]

Alan,
Thanks for your quick and insightful reply!
I respect your knowledge and advice, thus I will continue to read these books with interest, but will not implement nor quote any of its comments.
Your concern about the lack of post '66 bird articles for our Scoop magazine is sad, but true. I've met a number of such car owners at various car shows and they do feel neglected and left out of not only our magazine, but most supplier catalogs.
If we subscribe to that old saying "what you emphasize - multiplies", maybe this would be a good time for VTCI to "honor" a particular year or model at future conventions. One way to include the post '66 birds, would be to celebrate the 50th birthday of any year T'bird in the future. Therefore, 1968 would be the honored model in 2018, 1969 the following year, etc. I've seen a couple of clubs starting to do this and it seems to be a "win-win" for the car owners as well as the attending spectators. if we were able to assemble a record number of vehicles on their birthday, I'm sure someone could collect enough valuable information to compose an article for a future issue of the Scoop.
Wayne