FROM THE PUBLISHER

This book is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Lionel Toy Electric Trains. Few companies in the field of playthings have had as dramatic impact upon American culture. The story of Lionel is a story about the development of the United States from the Age of Progress onward. The uniqueness of Lionel is unparalleled in the history if the American toy industry. While certain toys have made impressions on the period of American history in which they emerged, and some have even enjoyed a nostalgic longevity, no corporate name has come to be as clearly identified with a whole range of toys as has the name Lionel.

About the Author
Dan Ponzol is a Pennsylvania-based toy train collector and dealer whose specialty is the postwar era of Lionel trains. He is the owner of the Allentown Toy Train Company, which features Lionel products of every period. Ponzol is also the local organizer for several regular train meets in the Pennsylvania region. In his second life, Ponzol is a highschool administator and the author of history textbooks for high school students. This is Ponzol's first book about Lionel.