Yes, this book really is that heavy and it is really very good. The pages are lavishly laid out, the text is readable (though translated from Italian with a few errors) and the photos are breath-taking.Hoewever, here's why it's not a five star book: the authors strongly favor the European automobile tradition to the point that the American cars are almost entirely dismissed out of hand. After seemingly endless pages devoted to all manner of continental models, the chapter on modern American ragtops is titled "Too many Targas". Too bad the American car industry is so minor.Buy his book, stare in wonder at the creations men have wrought for the past hundred years, but don't read the text too closely if you care about our American auto tradition.