Wayne State history professor and author Charlie Hyde is profiled in this article by Jennifer Dixon. Hyde, who has written nine books about the automobile industry and on other topics ranging from lighthouses to vintage bridges, has organized a panel of automotive authors who will discuss the industry and its history on Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Detroit Public Library's Skillman Branch. Hyde explains that he became interested in auto industry history when he moved to Detroit in 1974 and discovered old factories. "I was face-to-face with the physical remains of Detroit 's auto industry when it was at the peak of its prosperity, and that really led me into learning more," he said. Currently working on a history of American Motors and its predecessor companies, Hyde also has written a history of the Dodge Brothers, published in 2005.