Racing Books

This is a wonderful book for Halloween fun for younger children. It has monsters, but isn't too scary. Having simple rhymes and meter, I found this to be the perfect introduction to poetry for my 5 year old grandson.

Although chronologically I qualify as an adult, I enjoy most goods geared toward children. That held especially true with this book. This year was my daughters first Halloween. The two of us had such fun reading this book together. The rhymes made it easy to narrate in a sing songy fashion. That, coupled with the length of the writings, made this a perfect read for both of us. I didn't pack this book away with the rest of my Halloween decorations, it will remain out all year!

Although chronologically I qualify as an adult, I enjoy most goods geared toward children with much glee. That held especially true with this book. This year was my daughters first Halloween. The two of us had such fun reading this book together. The rhymes made it easy to narrate in a sing songy fashion. That, coupled with the length of the writings, made this a perfect read for both of us. I didn't pack this book away with the rest of my Halloween decorations, it will remain out all year!

Author and artist are perfectly matched in this brilliant collection of Halloween poems. The green-faced, blue-haired, grinning witch on the cover tempts adults and children alike to open the book, sample the witty epitaphs on the endpapers ("Here lies the body of Jeremy Victor. He shouldn't have hugged his boa constrictor. Sleep tight"), and chuckle their way through the book. All kinds of ghoulish creatures cavort their way through the pages, and the poems, a delicious mix of scary and funny, are winners.

My grandchildren loved the storyline and the illustrations. Very clever of the author to take an aseop tale and create such an ingenous contemporary version. The moral of the story, friends are so important, sends a great message for kids. My husband and I also thought the illustrations were delightful. Can't wait to send Mr. Corwin's next children's book to our grandkids. Hope he has another on the drawing board soon.

My 16 month old daughter is still too young to appreciate the story line of this book, but she really gets into the illustrations, which are excellent. Actually, these pictures would make a fabulous coloring book (take note, Abrams!) Older kids will also get a big kick out of the sound effects and fun wording of the text!

Wow, do I disagree with School Library Journal's review where it says this is not a necessary addition to a collection! Obviously that librarian does not read aloud to children very much! I have shared this title with over sixty schoolchildren and it never fails to elicit cheers. It goes beyond the moral of "slow but sure" and extends into the theme of friendship, a subject of interest to every child. The illustrations are bold and snazzy. Overall, this book was a real pleasure to share with primary children. I hope there will be more by this author/illustrator. if this debut is any indication, he's really headed for the stars!

I am a mother of a five year old boy and three year old girl and this book was great for the both of them. My son loved the race and space theme. My daughter loved the whimiscal illustrations. They both loved the words like Vroom, putt-putt, slowpoke, and of course superduper. Best of all they realized even though they were in a race trying to beat each other to finish they cared for each other. I think the Aesop's fable of staying focused is right on course with this modern retelling to reach children. We loved it -illustratons and story!!

Must have to read (or do) a lot of the old school type customizing for cars. Very complete. Well written and detailed sections.

Burger and Hendrickson have done a great job of covering the process of building a hot rod. With their years of experience, wit, and wisdom it makes for a very enjoyable read. Much of the text is obviously culled from the late, great RODDER'S DIGEST magazine, but it was good then, just as it is now. For anyone who is seriously into hot rods, this is required reading.

Okay, I admit, I am not a hot rodder. I like fast, water-cooled volkswagens. The book was a gift. "Great," I thought. "What am I gonna do with this?" It sat around for awhile before I cracked the covers. Good Golly, y'all!! THIS BOOK ROCKS!!

The authors have really distilled auto resto and modification down to were even a nimrod can understand it and envision doing the projects. I can't really speak to the "Model T-this," "Deuce-coupe-that" sort of stuff in the book, but man, the technical stuff about metal-bumping, welding, body work, paint application, suspension modifciation, and other how-to stuff is great. They have put the facts in simple, step-by-step sequences with loads of photos to clarify the procedure. This is the kind of stuff you find in good car magazines, but here, the authors have wrapped into one slick package.

Okay, so it looks a little funny on my shelf with all my euro-car books, but I am not ashamed to own (AND actually to have READ) a copy of Hot Rodder's Bible. My hat is off to the authors. I am sure hot rodders will love this book as much as I found that I did. Believe me, I was determined to not like, or even admit that I owned, this book. Now, I take it to my club meetings and show if off to my buds. I wonder if the authors would ever consider a "Pocket Rocket Bible?"

This book was designed to be a complete guide to finding, building, and enjoying a hot rod. Chapters include: * A Brief History of the Hot Rod * Finding Your Hot Rod Project * Building a Better Body * The Hot Rod Frame * A Rogue's Gallery of Hot Rods * Hot Rod Suspension Basics * Hot Rod Brakes * Hot Rod Engines and Drivetrains * Hot Rod Interiors * 15 Things to Do With Your Hot Rod * The Ten Commandments of Hot Rodding * Source Guide * Club List

Each chapter includes a section on general information and theory, followed by step-by-step how-to sequences. The "Rogue's Gallery" includes color features on a variety of hot rods.

This book is well worth it, for those of you who are sparked by the idea of Hydroplane racing. It has some very in depth info as well as some great photographs. Enjoy

If you are an Unlimited Hydroplane fan you will love this book. Lots of great information, stories and pictures. You won't be disappointed!

To this day, the hydroplanes race on Lake Washington in early August, and the crowds still come, but it is not the same as it was in the glory days of the 50's and 60's. Back in those days, the crowds were enormous, the hydroplane drivers were household names, and the sport captivated the city in a way that no other sport has done, before or since.

During race week, all three local television stations showed hour after hour of qualification runs throughout the week, and all three stations covered the Sunday race from early morning till late afternoon. Children - I was one of them - spent their summers creating their own wooden hydroplanes and racing them through the streets either tied to their bicycles or pulled by hand. And after three popular drivers died on the Potomac River in 1966, it was never the same. Many of us trace the end of our youth, the loss of innocence, to that day.

"Hydroplane Racing in Seattle" brings back images and memories of those years, and of subsequent years all the way up to the mid-1980's. This is not a detailed history, more like a scrapbook, and the narrative is anecdotal rather than strictly chronological. The focus is on the biggest names - Stan Sayres, the auto dealer-sportsman who's Slo-Mo-Shun hydroplanes captured the city's imagination and started the whole hydroplane craze in 1950; builders/designers Ted Jones and Anchor Jenson; drivers Bill Muncey, Ron Musson, Rex Manchester, Mira Slovak, Dean Chenoweth, Don Wilson, and others; and the boats themselves - Slo-Mo-Shun IV, Miss Thriftway, Miss Bardahl, Miss Exide, and many others; and, finally, the accidents, the shattered hulls that caused so much pain and sorrow.

For those who were there, this will provide an evening of memories; for those who weren't there, it will not mean as much. Why not five stars? Mainly, because it's all black-and-white photography, and that is not quite good enough for such a colorful sport. Also, there is little if anything about some of the sport's more peripheral but colorful characters - Chuck Hickling, Norm Evans, Bob Gilliam, Jim McCormick, and Dallas Sartz come to mind. And also virtually nothing about the media figures who were such an integral part of that era - Bill O'Mara, Rod Belcher, Pat O'Day, Keith Jackson, Charles Herring, Mike Rhodes, and a host of others. Perhaps it was just a case of "space does not allow . . . "

"Hydroplane Racing in Seattle" tells the story of the explosive growth in popularity of Unlimited Hydroplane racing in Seattle during the 1950s and the subsequent changes in the sport. This book is well-written and professionally packaged in terms of photo selection and page layout. The 125 pages are populated with approximately 200 mostly excellent black and white photographs of the boats and the personalities that made them go. You can do the math; the book is rich in photographs, and maybe a little thin in text. The front cover contains a small, tantalizing color photo of the restored "Slo-mo-shun V".

The scope of the book is limited to Seattle-based boats and Seattle races from 1909 through 1984. This corresponds to the piston engine era; one may conclude that the "hair dryer boats" (turbines) are out of favor with the author, but actually he has chosen a good cut-off point.

The story of Stan Sayres and his legendary "Slo-mo-shun" boats is well told in Chapters One and Two. The ongoing controversy over who designed which parts of the "Slo-mo-shun IV" is examined. Not explored are the contributions of other designers and builders such as Rich Hallett and his client Paul Sawyer. Subsequent chapters focus on the heroes of the sport (Bill Muncey, Mira Slovak, Ron Musson, etc.) and the legendary boats (the "Miss Thriftways", the "Miss Bardahls", the "Hawaii Kai III", the "Pay N Paks", etc.)

The fanatical enthusiasm of the Seattle fans is alluded to but not examined in any detail. No mention is made of the kids towing miniature hydroplanes behind their bicycles. Very little mention is made of the sometimes freakish "dream boats" such as the "Miss Skyway", the 24 cylinder "Scooter too" aka "Adios" aka "Miss Moses Lake", "Miss University District", "Shanty II", "Zephyr-Fury", and the first "$ Bill". The remarkable boat building career of Bob Gilliam is also pretty much ignored. Some of the other things that were omitted were the competition between TV stations for audience share (the battle of the long lenses) and the competition between newspapers for reader share. The sometimes bitter rivalry between Seattle and Detroit is given adequate coverage, but it would be nice to have a photo or two of some of the Seattle camp's tormentors like the "Miss Pepsi" or the "Such Crust III". The most glaring error in a mostly error-free book is the assertion that the "Slo-mo-shun V" qualifying flip in 1955 occurred in the first lap; most accounts state that the blowover was on the back straightaway in the third and final qualifying lap. There are many photographs of flips, collisions, and the resulting wreckage. Even Detroit-based boats are included in the photographic record of incidents that make hydroplane racing a truly dangerous motor sport.

I was there for the fiftieth running of the Gold Cup on Lake Washington in 1957. Reading David Williams' book brought back memories of that race. I would recommend "Hydroplane Racing in Seattle" to anyone who thrills to the sights and sounds of Unlimited Hydroplane racing... the roostertails and the outrageous color schemes, a V-12 aircraft engine revving beyond its design limits and that deeper, ominous sound when the driver punches the nitrous oxide button.

Bob Foley

Well done, I myself am not really into racing but this was great, it kept me interested. The book was fast paced and suspenseful, with lots of good Vegas characters and villians.

I really enjoyed reading this delightful yarn. The twists and turns kept me rivoted such that I couldn't put it down and read it one long sitting! Not just another spin of a familiar tale.

Watkins blends the old Las Vegas with the new -- with characters from the underground and the rumors about who runs it all we've all heard about. It's done in a way that makes you feel like a participant and not an observer. I'd like to see more from this author in the very near future. Keep it coming...

Pop into high gear and enjoy the twists and turns this brilliantly written novel has to offer. Richter Watkins has delievered yet another figernail bitting, heart pounding, high speed thriller that will blow you away! Take a ride with Bobby Hansen during the NASCAR try-outs and find out what real speed is all about. Bobby Hansen has it all...a girl, a fast car, and the will to drive it home. The only problem is his father, Ned Hansen, who is not going to make it an easy ride. You see, Ned Hansen owns a track in Vegas that is producing some of the hottest and fastest new race car drivers around...Bobby Hansen being one of them. Knowing this, Ned has no intention of selling this hot property to outside buyers. The only problem is that these "outside buyers" don't take no for an answer. Watch as Ned Hansen gets deeper and deeper into to trouble with greedy investors who want a piece of the action...if not all of it. And don't forget Kay Valentine, the woman that is going to get them out of this mess...if she doesn't fall in love first. Get into the race and take a ride you won't forget! If you like Micheal Crichton and Scott Phillips you will love Richkter Watkins' Into the Wall. It's the thriller you've been hoping for.

Pop into high gear and enjoy the twists and turns this brilliantly written novel has to offer. Richter Watkins has delievered yet another figernail bitting, heart pounding, high speed thriller that will blow you away! Take a ride with Bobby Hansen during the NASCAR try-outs and find out what real speed is all about. Bobby Hansen has it all...a girl, a fast car, and the will to drive it home. The only problem is his father, Ned Hansen, who is not going to make it an easy ride. You see, Ned Hansen owns a track in Vegas that is producing some of the hottest and fastest new race car drivers around...Bobby Hansen being one of them. Knowing this, Ned has no intention of selling this hot property to outside buyers. The only problem is that these "outside buyers" don't take no for an answer. Watch as Ned Hansen gets deeper and deeper into to trouble with greedy investors who want a piece of the action...if not all of it. And don't forget Kay Valentine, the woman that is going to get them out of this mess...if she doesn't fall in love first. Get into the race and take a ride you won't forget! Into the Wall is the thriller you've been hoping for.

being a relatively new fan of nascar, and having family members that work closely with it gave me the incentive to read this book. after the untimely death of nascar great dale earnhardt, i found it difficult to watch the weekly races.they seemed to be missing an important member of nascar and my reason for tuning in every weekend. after reading this book,i have changed my mind.nascar is truly the junior johnsons,the kale yarboroughs, and the ricard pettys. they made nascar what it is today. they paved the road for the newcomers. i still miss dale,but now i find i really do have another reason to tune in. i enjoy watching. i no longer have a favorite driver. i just cheer on the front runner. the book was a good read. i reccomend it highly.

To all outward appearances Jr Johnson was a country bumpkin, yet this book shows beneath that "good ole boy" veneer was a sophisticated mind and drive on which crowds cheered and engineers with PhDs came for advice, the latter not covered by Tom Wolfe's book. A quality presentation.

Tom Higgins of the Charlotte Observer and ESPN and Steve Waid of WC Illus. can tell a story like no one else can. Mix Tom, Steve and Junior together and you get lots of NASCAR history AND sore ribs.

being a relatively new fan of nascar, and having family members that work closely with it gave me the incentive to read this book. after the untimely death of nascar great dale earnhardt, i found it difficult to watch the weekly races.they seemed to be missing an important member of nascar and my reason for tuning in every weekend. after reading this book,i have changed my mind.nascar is truly the junior johnsons,the kale yarboroughs, and the ricard pettys. they made nascar what it is today. they paved the road for the newcomers. i still miss dale,but now i find i really do have another reason to tune in. i enjoy watching. i no longer have a favorite driver. i just cheer on the front runner. the book was a good read. i reccomend it highly.

If you are a fan of Johnny Rutherford and racing in general, this is the book for you. The book gives insight from inside the racing world. It is a highly detailed account of Johnny's personal life and his racing career. I found his personal struggle to become a big time driver very interesting, as he started at a relatively late age for his era. It was also interesting for me to read his explanation of the many changes in racing and what was expected of a driver from his first race until his retirement. The candid comments and numerous photographs, make the reader fell like he has had a personal converstaion with J.R. himself. I believe almost anyone will enjoy this book.

Overall, I liked this book. The story of JR's early racing days and his travels with Jim McElreath as they followed the IMCA circuit was good reading. In addition, the details of his 1966 Eldora crash and recovery as well as his experience driving the Smokey Yunick NASCAR Chevy in 1963 was very interesting. I would have liked more technical detail on what happened to his race cars to cause poor finishes at Indy in 1973, 1982, etc.

If you are a fan of Johnny Rutherford and racing in general, this is the book for you. The book gives insight from inside the racing world. It is a highly detailed account of Johnny's personal life and his racing career. I found his personal struggle to become a big time driver very interesting, as he started at a relatively late age for his era. It was also interesting for me to read his explanation of the many changes in racing and what was expected of a driver from his first race until his retirement. The candid comments and numerous photographs, make the reader fell like he has had a personal converstaion with J.R. himself. I believe almost anyone will enjoy this book.

If you are a fan of Johnny Rutherford and racing in general, this is the book for you. The book gives insight from inside the racing world. It is a highly detailed account of Johnny's personal life and his racing career. I found his personal struggle to become a big time driver very interesting, as he started at a relatively late age for his era. It was also interesting to me to read his explanation of the many changes in racing and what was expected of a driver from his first race until his retirement. The candid comments and numerous photographs, make you fell like you've had a personal converstaion with J.R. himself. I believe almost anyone will enjoy this book.

This is another great piece of work by Christopher Hilton. Now, don't think I'm a Hilton fan. I'm simply familiar with Hilton's work. I purchased this title for the simple reason that Hakkinen is my all time hero. I recommend this title to any Formula One or Hakkinen fan. Do note that it only goes up to the 1997 season, but that is what you want to know about anyway, right? Learn about Mika's "casual" living style and sometimes a little too "carefree" life as an up and coming driver. There will be laughs along the way without doubt!

Enjoy!

Christopher Hilton's biography of Finnish racing driver Mika Hakkinen was written before Hakkinen won the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship at the wheel of his West McLaren Mercedes last year.

Hilton opens his story with the final fateful moments leading up to Hakkinen's serious accident during qualifying for the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, and days later, Hakkinen's regaining consciousness in the intensive care ward of an Adelaide hospital.

He then takes us back to the beginning, retracing Hakkinen's childhood and early racing career in Finland through to his inevitable move to Britain, his progress through the junior racing formulae and the break into the big-time with the now-defunct Lotus F1 team.

The story ends towards the end of 1997 ‡ just, it can be argued, when it was getting REALLY interesting!

Hilton's style is idiosyncratic, but readers who are happy to put up with his asides and personal touches will be rewarded with an empathetic, well-researched and ultimately authoritative work on the latest F1 World Champion.

But despite Hilton's claims that Hakkinen remains one of the most accessible F1 racers of his time, this book lacks a certain something.

Hakkinen certainly comes across as unaffected, accessible and supremely talented ‡ racing a car at breathtaking speed is, after all, only ìdoing what comes naturallyí, as Hilton's book is subtitled.

But unlike biographies/autobiographies of previous world champions ‡ Alan Jones' collaboration with Keith Botsford, ìDriving Ambitioní, or Botsford's collaboration with Keke Rosberg, ìKekeí spring to mind immediately ‡ one leaves Hilton's book with a little sense of knowing the man.

Even one of Hilton's own previous efforts, Ayrton Senna ‡ The Hard Edge of Genius, gave a far greater insight into its subject. Perhaps that was an indication of Senna himself; he was known to be a man given to deeper thoughts than many of his contemporaries and rivals.

Work may be underway even now on a book by Hakkinen's own hand. But for his fans, and they are legion, for the time being at least this book is about the best there is.

Hilton has done a fair job, and shown impressive prescience in selecting Hakkinen as a candidate for a biography. It needs to be updated, to take account of the 1998 championship-winning season.

Hilton's book will sell well and satisfy the inevitable post-championship demand for information on the man of the moment. But it's not the definitive essay on Hakkinen that his fans, and fans of motorsport generally, are waiting for.

Now that Mika has one the World Drivers Championship (twice), this makes an interesting read.

Although seemingly distant, and lacking interest in his chosen sport, this book highlights the talents that Mika clearly has in order to achieve his dream.

With help from his boss, Ron Dennis, Hilton highlights how Dennis and Hakkinen spent many long hours coupled together, penetrating each other's heads and, ultimately, getting the best out of each other. The book's title expresses this in concise terms.

While illustration is sparse, it spares us the pointless "page filling" of many lesser books, and gets to the point.

A great read for any fan of Mika, and McLaren.

This book contain all of Mika's! From his karting days to F-1, FANTASTIC~~ Quick buy, before he is going to be the World Champion!

If you need to know what happened in GP Bike racing each year and from only one source this is it. The photos alone are worth the price of the book. My only wish is that I had found out about this series sooner so I could read the earier one too!!

This is not a review

I have sent previous e-mails and I think your responses have been blocked.

The package arrived last week but the sleeve was torn and the cover damaged. What can I do?

Please respond to

nlbeddington@webmail.co.za

Yet another excellent annual by Motocourse. Primarily covers the MotoGP tour but also includes SBK and some national racing.

This edition is particular important as Americans topped the 500cc Championship and the Superbike Championship which probably hasn't happend since the late 80s.

Excellent recap and photographs

I've read these books for years. Each and every year I get the whole picture of what has happened on the World Gran Prix Motorcycle scene. The pictures are beyond words, and give a clear shot of what it's like to ride one of these bikes at speed. The technical information is very good, considering that all the major manufacturers take secrecy to the extreme making it hard for outsiders whom are interested in the technical aspects kind of shut outs. Overall, though....I can't wait to get my hands on the next edition.

Execellent and comprehensive study of the Grand Prix motorcycle scene, with lots on insider stuff besides just the statistics. I especially enjoyed the vignette on the role and influence that "King Kenny" Roberts had on the Euro-centric organizational power structure.

The one short-coming which perhaps Dennis Noyes will address for his NEXT book would be maps for all the circuits where GP motorcycle races have been run.

This one belongs in every two-wheel enthusiast's library

For anyone who needs to know anything about grand prix racing, this book tells it all. The great English and Italian bikes, the coming of the Japanese and so on, it's all here. Fantastic photos and priceless words. Worth every penny.

Anyone with serious interest in motocycle racing needs a reference work of impeccable quality and accuracy, and this is it. There is no point in going on at length about the excellence of this magnificent book, because it delivers satisfaction at every level, from the quality of its contributors (Dennis Noyes, Michael Scott, et al), the brilliance of its photography (Malcolm Bryan, Gold & Goose, etc.) and the completeness of its historical record, not only in describing the technical trajectory of race-bike development and rider accomplishment in all relevant classes, including sidercar, but in the vital statistics that record the results. It's all here, rendered at the highest levels of journalism and publishing.
Hazelton's annual Motocourse journals on motoGP racing are terrific, but somewhat costly, but this wrapup of the entire post-WWII record of GP motorcycle racing does it all. No enthusiast should be without it.

Even if you're not one of the die-hards who regularly buys the Motocourse annual this is the book you cannot live without. Five chapters deal with the different epoques in Motorcycle GP Racing - especially the chapter covering the years 78-87, written by Dennis Noyes is captivating, but even the chapter covering 88-98 by Michael Scott brings tears to your eyes.

The book is deliberately sprinkled with excellent photos, and for the anoraks among us, there is a complete statistic appendix covering results and records.

If this book is not enough for you, another book is available on the same topic. It's french, written by Didier Ganneau and is called - surprise - 50 ans de Grands Prix Moto. (1999 Editions SOLAR, ISBN 2-363-02877-3)