Race of the Century

May 2, 2005
In February 1908, six teams entered an automobile race heading west from New York to Paris. It's difficult to overstate the audacity of this project: still crude, most autos died after about 10,000 miles; the prospect of nearly 22,000 miles of unpredictable weather and terrain over three continents with many unpaved roads, unbridged rivers and ravines, and craggy inclines probably sounded about as enjoyable, expensive, useful and likely to succeed as a trip to the North Pole. The now-forgotten auto manufacturers taking part (Züst, Protos) seem cribbed from Jules Verne, as does the venture. The public enthusiasm over the endeavor was as outsize as the project: 50,000 people witnessed the race's start, and the competitors—from Germany, Italy, France and the U.S.—were greeted as conquering heroes in city after city. Automotive historian Fenster keeps the focus of this sprawling subject matter as much on the constantly shifting locales and the fervid onlookers as on the hardy and weary travelers. The book has much in common with The Devil in the White City
, in terms of the excitement the event generated, and although Fenster's work lacks the spark of Larson's, it's nevertheless a fine chronicle. Agent, Judith Ehrlich.

June 1, 2005
Journalist and author Fenster (Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It) here writes about a race around the world, spanning five months, three continents, and a multitude of countries, that could have occurred only in a time of such optimism at the turn of the 20th century and at the birth of the automobile age. Intrepid drivers faced treacherous conditions: no gas stations, unpaved roads that were in reality horse-and-wagon trails, no maps, and no replacement parts for car engines or chassis. There have been a spate of historical adventure books over the years, most recently James A. Ward's Three Men in a Hupp: Around the World by Automobile, 1910-1912. This one stands out with its focus on the personalities of the key players and its descriptions of the driving circumstances. In addition, a lively narrative and exhaustive research make this adventurous account an enduring read. For all public libraries and specialized transportation collections.-Eric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2005
On February 12, 1908, 17 men from four countries in six cars began a New York to Paris race--21,000 miles across three continents. They traveled over mountain ranges and drove through deserts and the Arctic cold. The race took them west across the U.S., then by ship to Japan. After driving across that country, they took another ship to Vladivostok, then drove across Siberia and eastern Europe, ending in Paris on July 30. And, of course, there were no gas stations along the way and no place to buy replacement parts. Fenster describes New York City and the crowd of 250,000 people who watched the start of the race as well as offering a brief history of the 17 drivers--Germans, Frenchmen, Italians, and Americans--and their cars. She recounts the race in detail; the weather (blizzards, blowing sand, mudholes, and flash floods) and tells what the drivers ate and wore. It was an arduous race to say the least; that's what makes the story so fascinating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)