The history of the tractor is a short one of rapid development, from the turn of the century when it was seen as little more than a substitute for the horse, to today's sophisticated machines which boast a host of technologically advanced equipment. At first defined purely as an engine on wheels - a source of motive power to haul farming implements, or drive a belt to power a threshing machine - the tractor's farming uses are now manifold and today are even controlled by on-board computers and satellite navigation systems. In this fabulous, fact-packed and intensely visual encyclopedia, John Carroll charts this exceptional history, the machines and their manufacturers from the early days of The J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company and its experimental gasoline tractor of 1892, to the JCB Fastrac, one of the numerous state-of-the-art machines now on the market. Each piece of machinery is illustrated with fascinating archive material or full-colour photography, and the informative text includes specification boxes and a detailed mechanical profile. Including an international overview of farm machinery from around the world, detailed technical information, and a wealth of photographic illustration and evocative portraits, this volume forms a fascinating, highly comprehensive, accessible and utterly reliable single-source tractor bible - the only book on the subject that anyone will need to own.