Archive for Items Categorized 'Biography/ Autobiography', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.
Fast Lady, The Extraordinary Adventures of Miss Dorothy Levitt
by Michael W. Barton
“The Fastest Girl on Earth” had plenty of adventures in life but an inquest ruled her death of morphine poisoning at 40 a misadventure. What good is it to be the first British woman racing driver, the world’s first holder of a water speed record, the first woman to hold a land speed record if no one remembers?
For Flux Sake: Beer, Fags and Opposite-Lock
by Ian Flux with Matt James
This British driver belongs to the baby boomer generation, the last one to be able to immerse itself in racing without guilt, regret, or even a backward glance. This account of a racer’s life is endearing, frank, shocking, funny and fast-paced—just like its author.
The Last Lap, The Mysterious Demise of Pete Kreis at the Indianapolis 500
by William T. Walker Jr.
On the one hand it was called “the strangest death in all racing history” because no observable causes were found. On the other hand, unobservable forces may/did/could have put so much agony into a man’s soul that going over the edge, flying into the sky, crashing into a tree, was the only sure way to find peace.
Racing With Roger Penske, A History of a Motorsport Dynasty
by Sigur E. Whitaker
Dynasty implies succession but The Captain, after several years as a race car driver, built his empire from scratch and is still involved in many of its aspects. “Most successful” describes most his accomplishments, and this book seems much too small to do them justice.
Raoul ‘Sonny’ Balcaen
by Raoul ‘Sonny’ Balcaen III
You may not know the name, or even how to pronounce it (hint: it’s of Belgian origin) but you would recognize the cars and the people you’ll encounter in this memoir justly subtitled “My Exciting True Life Story.” He could take a car apart by the age of 11 and he’s not stopped since.
The Greatest Escape
by Martin Barratt
RAF Bomber Command’s slogan was “the bomber will always get through.” But not necessarily back. Almost 45% of their aircrews died in WWII. Almost 10,000 were captured, and many kept their stories to themselves. This is one of them.
The Man with the Golden Typewriter
Edited by Fergus Fleming
His first James Bond thriller was still only a draft but Ian Fleming could smell he was on to something—so he treated himself to a gold-plated typewriter. It was an auspicious start to a long life in letters, which is what this book by his nephew surveys. The words he wrote weren’t always golden, nor was the whole of his life.
S.F. Edge, Maker of Motoring History
by Simon Fisher
When it came to speed, wether it was bicycles or powerboats, he was on the cutting edge of all the new happenings of this time, as a competitor, a manufacturer, an agent for other makers, and also as a promoter and sponsor. His personality matched his achievements. Ah, drama.
Harold Edgerton: Seeing the Unseen
by Ron Kurtz, Deborah Douglas, Gus Kayafas (editors)
Thanks to the use of strobes and flashes, Edgerton’s Speedray photos, as they were nicknamed, gave visual evidence of laws of nature that had only been theorized upon before but not been observable. This book offers a look at the science and the man.
Sea to Shining Sea, Racing From the Wild West to Daytona
by Ken Clapp with Bones Bourcier
Predominantly known as NASCAR’s man on the West Coast, pioneering race promoter Clapp looks back to the days of yore, when it all got started and what it grew into.
Jim Crawford, Lessons in Courage
by Kevin Guthrie
A team boss of his once called him the bravest driver he ever knew. Also a wonderful human being. What, you never heard of the Scot who loved the Indy 500?? Here’s a book to fix that.
Boost! Roger Bailey’s Extraordinary Motor Racing Career
by Gordon Kirby
Bailey’s professional life spanned more than five decades and included such a variety of positions—mechanic, team boss, official, administrator—that you think you’re dealing with more than one person. No wonder his nickname was Boost!
Phone / Mail / Email
RSS Feed
Facebook
Twitter