Critical Evaluation of Sources
Jack Tomlinson
The topic I chose for this evaluation is the car. The first source I chose was titled “Cars: A Celebration”, an encyclopedia of sorts on the different types of classical cars. The author of this source wants seems to want to accomplish the task of establishing a keen eye and taste for the classic car by choosing a variety of “fascinating” specimens to prove his point that classic cars are still interesting and popular cars. If one were to search for information related to the good aspects of classical cars or just for those that like classic cars, then it would definitely be a valid source. The index contains a list of cars by model and year of production, which is very useful if one were to look for a specific car. The table of contents contains a much more general outlook on the cars, simply by brand of car, but not the specific model of car. The audience of this book seems to be the classic car collector, me (to convince me to enjoy classic cars), and simply the person that likes classic cars. Thus, the book does provide my needs as a reader for this kind of book. This book provides facts and a chart by each car to show the stats of the car, the engine, year etc but does not provide external sources where the information may have been obtained. The information in this book does provide sufficient information to satisfy the audience´s needs. Fortunately, the vocabulary is neutral and does not provoke the reader with emotion on the reasons for liking classic cars but provides solid facts that can persuade someone into liking classic cars. This book does not provide generalizations; the information is stated specifically and is extremely descriptive. The author provides some primary accounts of actually using the cars but most of the information is provided as a secondary account. The source is relatively recent as it was published in Great Britain in 2001 and the author is quite knowledgeable on this topic as the information suggests. Conclusively, this source does provide sufficient information for the audience and is definitely a respectable source despite the few limitations that it may have.
