It's a Gas! Allure of the Gas Station

A place that symbolizes freedom, traveling and the wind of change: It’s a Gas! is going in search of the most unique gas stations around the world

The first gasoline was sold in pharmacies — but this was to change in the 1950s. As the car experienced its great rise in popularity, gas stations began to pop up like mushrooms out of the ground. Futuristic and progressive, these modern temples of mobility became roadside reference points for young people hungry for independence, and to everyone who strove for a sense of freedom.

It’s a Gas! explores the surprisingly diverse world of the gas station — a functional high tech temple, a transit zone, a film set, a converted residence, or an abandoned ruin hidden in a backyard. The world of pumps is full of surprises, ready to be discovered in this book.

The preface was written by US-American talkshow legend and passionate car collector Jay Leno.

Co-editor Sascha Friesike is an Assistant Professor of Digital Innovation at VU University in Amsterdam, and associated researcher at Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society Berlin, and passionate photographer of gas stations.