Book excerpt: This awe-inspiring collection covers the largest, top-of-the-line mining equipment in each of the manufacturer's five major classes; haulers, wheel loaders, hydraulic shovels, graders, and bulldozers. Design, development, and production histories are accompanied by the stories of these gargantuan machines in service, as well as details of the Herculean efforts required for their assembly. Incredible modern color photography from both the author and the Caterpillar archives provide shots of the equipment in action and production, not to mention detail shots to help explain their working componentry.