Michael Bruce Associates is an Ohio corporation, founded in 1975. Michael Antonick is the owner and serves as president and chief executive officer.

The company publishes auto books. It specializes in Corvette and Camaro books, but has also published titles related to general automobile detailing and photography.

In its early years, the company sold books only at the retail level. Its first product offering was a series of nine hardbound Corvette books called Corvette! The Sensuous American. These were published at the rate of three per year during the years of 1976, 1977 and 1978 and sold directly to customers by subscription only. A second series of nine similar books was published in 1983, 1984 and 1985. The eighteen Corvette! The Sensuous American books were sold to subscribers with a no-reprint guarantee to improve the likelihood of value appreciation. The books are bought and sold today primarily between private individuals.

In 1978, the company published its first trade publication, Corvette! America’s Only, to celebrate the Corvette’s twenty-fifth anniversary. This hardbound 144-page book was sold directly by the company to its customers, but also in bookstores throughout the United States and other countries. The first 7,500 copies of the standard silver-bound edition were sequentially numbered. A deluxe edition, bound in black calfskin, was sequentially numbered and limited to 300 copies.

The last chapter of Corvette! America’s Only was called “The Facts.” This was a year-by-year listing of Corvette information including numbers, history, options, original window-sticker prices, interior and exterior colors, and unique features. It led to the publication, in September 1978, of a stand-alone, pocket-size fact guide called The Corvette Black Book, the company’s first softbound book.

Other books published by the company which are no longer in print include:

Corvette! America’s Sportscar: Published in 1980, this 240-page hardbound book included features on 1967 L88, 1975 convertible, and 1980 T-top models, the XP-819 experimental (rear engine) Corvette, interviews with GM styling chief William Mitchell and John DeLorean (while he was building his sportscar company), and more. Hardbound, 240 pages, 10.25” x 8.25” horizontal format. Out of print.

Corvette Restoration: State of the Art: Published in 1981 as a hardbound, this book was later released as a softbound with identical content. The book traced the restoration of a 1965, 396 cubic-inch Corvette convertible by David Burroughs, highlighting and emphasizing the principles of the “factory original” restoration. Hardbound, softbound, 112 pages, 10.25” x 8.25” horizontal format. Out of print.

Secrets of the Show Cars: Published in 1981, this pocket-sized book described engine, interior, and exterior detailing techniques. Softbound, 96 pages, 4.5” x 7.25” vertical format, 68 black and white photos. Out of print.

Secrets of Automobile Photography: Published in 1983, this pocket-sized book described the equipment and techniques used by pros to photograph automobiles. Softbound, 96 pages, 4.5” x 7.25” vertical format, 84 black/white photos. Out of print.

Corvette Price Handbook: Annual editions of this title were published in 2000, 2001 and 2002. A price guide devoted exclusively to Corvettes, the pocket-sized book dedicated one page to each Corvette model year. It used a four-grade condition rating to target retail market estimates. Updates were posted on our website through 2004 for price variations. Softbound, 4” x 7”, 64 pages, vertical format. No photos. Out of print.

Corvette Collector Library: This book was previously titled Illustrated Corvette Buyers Guide. Other than the title and cover, Corvette Collector Library was identical to the fourth edition of Illustrated Corvette Buyers Guide. The author was Mike Antonick and MBI was the publisher. The book was written for anyone interested in purchasing a Corvette and included each model’s heritage, its good and bad points, and its driving characteristics. Softbound, 176 pages, 7.5”x 9.25”, vertical format, 230 black/white photos. Unavailable.

California Screamin': A blend of off-the-wall personalities, seat-of-the-pants driving, self-taught skills, and fire-breathing Corvettes lurking in Chevrolet showrooms, created a special period in Corvette racing history. The first 1953 Corvettes were anything but race cars. But by 1957, fuel-injected, four-speed, rip-snorting Corvettes were chewing up race tracks everywhere. In production-class sports car racing, they were the cars to beat. With its moderate weather, a handful of first-rate tracks and an abundance of not-so-first-rate tracks carved from airfields and parking lots, and a car-crazy culture, California during the glory years was the center of the Corvette racing universe. The Corvette's transformation from lamb to lion, the triumphs and tragedies of the racers who rode these beasts...it's all here. NOTE: Published in 1990, the softbound edition of this book is out of print, but watch our website for an updated, hardbound edition to be released during calendar year 2009.