Automobiles Books

The book had a good story line. It was a very interesting book. I could read it over and over. I recommend it to other children for reading. I really loved it.

This book is funny and cute. If you are a 7 year old boy like me, you would like to read this book!

It's not NASCAR or the Indy 500. It is small town, dirt track racing. There's dust in the air, and colorful characters racing their cars around the track. There's plenty of competition, an intense desire to win, and enough mystery and intrigue to keep even non-racing fans on the edge of their seats.

SATURDAY NIGHT DIRT is set at Headwaters Speedway in Minnesota. Mel Walters and her father, Johnny Walters, are struggling to keep their little race track in business. Johnny, once a driver himself, is now confined to a wheelchair after a tragic accident years ago. Mel's mother needed only a few short weeks to determine she couldn't stay married to a man in a wheelchair, so Mel and her dad have been on their own for quite some time.

Still in high school, Mel acts as track manager, and she is probably the sole reason for the track's continued success. The story begins and ends on one Saturday. Because of Mel's drive and determination, it's a Saturday that makes history for the track and just might breathe some new life into it.

Other members of the cast of characters include several young racers like Trace, Amber, and Beau hoping to make their mark in racing. There's Patrick, who handles parking and sings the national anthem before the night's racing begins. Maurice is a retired navy man who handles the signal flags like a pro. There are also the down-and-out racers like Sonny from the local reservation who lack the funds to really be taken seriously by the other competitors. Even the ever present threat of bad weather becomes a player in the non-stop action at the track. Each plays a part in the Saturday night excitement and helps make the story a real page-turner.

SATURDAY NIGHT DIRT is billed on the cover as "A Motor Novel." Hopefully, that means it is the first of many more. Weaver's book is especially excellent for reluctant guy readers, even if they don't have a special interest in the sport of dirt track racing.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Auto racing is the number one spectator sport in this country not because of NASCAR or Indy, but because of the hundreds of short tracks that run weekly programs from Pennsylvannia to Kansas to California. The drivers are hometown heroes -- the guy or girl who bags your groceries, runs the auto body shop, sits next to you at school. From the pits to the popcorn seller, the ensemble cast in this young adult novel is spot on accurate and real. Crashes, intrigue, romance -- a good story and no better way to get young people, even "motorheads," to read!

Marsh Muirhead - author of "Key West Explained - a guide for the traveler

A colorfully illustrated celebration of the often expensive slot car hobby, with fascinating narrative & anecdotes covering the trajectory & evolution of scalextric product worldwide, from rudimentary beginnings through endorsement by real Formula 1 Champion Jim Clark in the sixties, up to the digital present. Contains a plethora of pictures of the people, cars, sets, scenery, accessories, etc., including detailed historical product line index in the back. For enthusiasts of all ages!

This is a comprehensive recap of the Scalextric toy line. A must have for any collector or someone interested in slot cars. It is a real help in figuring out if something is really a "collector's item" or identifying odd individual pieces. This is the goto Scalextric answer book.

I've just spent some time driving all over the state of Wyoming. Before I went, I looked at every guide book I could find at local libraries and travel book stores. Laurence Parent's book is one of those that I chose to take with me, and I used it throughout the trip. Every chapter was filled with accurate, interesting information. Some of the best places to see in Wyoming are away from the major tourist areas and some are completely ignored by other (many larger) books that I had.

The author has researched the scenic drives described in this book thoroughly. There is information included for people of all ages to enjoy from scenic photography to hiking and fishing. Also included are listings of travel services on each scenic drive.

A great book for finding and seeing France from another vantage point. There is great detail and information about this country not found in travel guides. The information about French people and their unique life styles is invaluable to the traveler. This book is such a find, outlining marvelous places to experience and know about. The color photography is great, with insight into "hidden" France. I can't wait to use this book in France.

A great book for finding and seeing France from another vantage point. There is great detail and information about this country not found in travel guides. The information about French people and their unique life styles is invaluable to the traveler. This book is such a find, outlining marvelous places to experience and know about. The color photography is great, with insight into "hidden" France. I can't wait to use this book in France.

Excellent information about Oldsmobile's cars and people.

This is not just a book about cars. It's about people, corporate culture, and a company town. Helen Earley was an Oldsmobile employee for many years. Yes, she discusses the cars and the ups and downs of Oldsmobile. However, the reader also gets background on what it was like to work and live in Lansing, MI, the home of Oldsmobile. Thus, readers see the interweaving of corporate cuture and community that make up a company town. Because of that, this is not just a book for Oldsmobile fans. It is also a very interesting piece of business and social history.

In SLINGSHOT SPECTACULAR Steve Reyes once again shares some of his archive of images from what is now called the 'Golden Era' of drag racing. I spent many a weekend standing next to Steve at numerous drag races and it's truly a joy to look at this well produced book. If you're a drag racing fan, this is a must have book.

In drag racing's classic era Steve Reyes was considered the sport's greatest action photographer, mesmerizing fans every month with his work in Drag Racing USA magazine. This book has hundreds of front-engined top fuel dragsters, the sport's most iconic class. Fantastic stuff and not to be missed. All the big stars and the lesser-known weekend warriors too. I lived through this era and saw many of these cars. This book is as good as it gets. A+.

Simply Brilliant. The two detail-oriented authors paint an accurate picture of middle America in the 1980's. They describe the lengths Battle Creek goes to, to bring a large employer into the city. A great study that should be read by all business majors.

This book chronicles how a progressive, forward thinking community (Battle Creek, Michigan) went about attracting one of Japan's largest automotive suppliers, Nippondenso. It outlines the community's economic and political history and all the forces that went into landing this economic entitiy.

For fans of the 1950's Chevrolets, Jon Robinson's 192-page book is well worth the wait. This compilation is dated 2006, and is in soft-cover form. We've seen efforts like this in the past with the Consumers Guide hardcover publication from 1993 and 1995's "The Hot Ones," by Anthony Young and Mike Mueller. Mr. Mueller and Mike Key also did brief pictorials on the tri-fives that were worth buying and preserving. In 2003, Robert Genat gave us his colorful, but flawed, "Original Chevrolet, 1955-1956-1957. In between, there have been a number of other publications, most of which lacked the color photographs and illustrations so sumptuously provided in this book by Mr. Robinson. Without confirming every fact and figure (which would be a monumental task) Robinson's book combines the important statistical and technical data with ads and other graphics from the period. Most of these are in color, as are recent photos of these now-classic cars. I would highly recommend Robinson's book to any fans of Chevrolets of the 1950's.

It is very good catalog but instead of supplying multiple images for a sigle vehicle from a certain year it could be better to have more photos of different models from the same year. Technical data could be more detailed.

I beleive that anyone looking for an automobile that could have been made in the US, will find it in this book. Very well written and informative.

The Author's of this book have done a fantastic job of researching and documenting the early history of the American automobile. I have found this book to be an invaluable reference in researching the history of the automobile stock and bond certificates which I collect.

Even the most obscure and low-key manufacturer is covered. This book is well worth it's price and my only criticism would be...if all other readers used it as much as I do...please publish the next edition in hardcover!!