The Great Race: The Amazing Round-The-World Auto Race of 1908

by Gary L. Blackwood

In February 1908 six cars from four countries gathered in Times Square for the pistol shot that began the first around-the-world automobile race. This book tells the story of that race, a story of hardy pioneers crossing ice and snowdrifts and surviving bandits and near-drownings.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810994895
• ISBN13: 9780810994898
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Blackwood is a winner with The Great Race

This is another excellent non-fiction work from Gary Blackwood, an author perhaps best known for his award-winning fiction trilogy The Shakespeare Stealer/Shakespeare's Scribe/Shakespeare's Spy. Young readers and adults will enjoy his lively tale about an actual, incredible round-the-world race by several teams of drivers in 1908 - a time when roads were at best poor and at worst non-existent. Some will be most impressed by the incredible hardiness of the drivers as they face mud,snow,cold,and breakdowns, others by the interesting details about the autos and all by the resourceful ways the drivers managed to keep several of the cars that began the race in New York functioning long enough to reach Paris. Blackwood shows how us the kind of nationalism that would soon lead to World War I inspired rivalry among the teams, but also how individual drivers overcame national prejudice to become trusted friends on the journey. The book also includes a wonderful collection of photos to help bring the tale to life. An excellent gift for the boy who is beginning to read less as the computer takes over his life.

We're here because we're here because we're here because we're here

As a children's librarian, I feel an odd sense of pride and accomplishment when I discover a work of non-fiction that covers a topic that few adults are familiar with. I can't explain it. Maybe it's my knee-jerk reaction to the world's assumption that children's books are a pale copy of their adult equivalents. It doesn't happen often, but once in a while an author of books for young people will bend over backwards to research, develop, and hone a story that has somehow failed to remain fixed in the public memory, no matter how fascinating the story. When Gary Blackwood set out to tell the story of the 1908 race to drive around the world, he didn't do it in a vacuum. That said, what he did have to do is pore through old newspapers, documentaries, microfilm collections, and come up with a true to life tale of international in-fighting and unexpected comradarie. In 1908 cars as we know them today were still in their infancy. They were the playthings of the rich and idle, meant entirely for races on circular racetracks. So when a proposal was raised to create a race from New York to Paris by way of Asia, the notion seemed impossible. And yet at the same time it seemed logical to test the automobile in such a race. It had been tested before but as a 1907 article in Le Matin said, "The supreme use of the automobile is that it makes long journeys possible . . . But all we have done is make it go round in circles." So it was that 6-7 teams (depending on which ones you count) started out. The cars came from America, Italy, France and Germany. By the end only one team would win, but every person involved would find that such a race would test every fiber of their being until the very last moment. The book includes websites, a Bibliography, an Index, and several maps of the exciting trek across the continents. There's much to love in a story where men fight one another to be the best of the best in seemingly impossible situations. What's more, the author of this book knows how to tap into situations and moments during the race that kids today can relate to. One example is the moment when charming rogue Captain Hansen at a tense moment bursts into a maddeningly repetitive Boy Scout song that goes, "We're here because we're here because we're here because we're here," set to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne". The fact that he wasn't killed then and there is amazing in and of itself. Blackwood also finds certain lines from the time period to be irresistible. "It must be borne in mind that the motor car, after woman, is the most fragile and capricious thing on earth," or so said a reporter for the London "Daily Mail". As part of his job Blackwood has to find the honestly interesting moments while cutting out the fabricated or exaggerated bits of blather. At one point the "Times" recounts a moment when the Italian car encounters a pack of snarling wolves. Not a jot of it is true, but it makes for a compelling read just the same. One of the

Fun read for middle readers and older

In 1908, auto makers were still trying to prove that automobiles were reliable and could be used as more than a novelty. A race around the world, they hoped, would at least demonstrate that autos could travel great distances-and also, it would be good publicity. But this race had an interesting and difficult set of circumstances, namely when there are few cars, there are few roads to drive on and few people who know how to drive or repair them. These concepts work together to create an intriguing tale. While this book is written for the 9-to-13-year-old crowd, it has more than enough detail to entertain most adults. The language is very appropriate for the middle reader, and when it isn't, the author puts in a parenthetical description that, frankly, this adult needed a time or two. I would like to make it clear that this isn't a "light" read. The cast of characters is huge and some of the team members switch teams (and therefore countries represented) mid-race. I had a hard time keeping track of who drove what, when. Also, the automobiles who raced are not cars we hear of now so it is basically all a "foreign" language to those who aren't early 20th century car buffs. However, after reading this book, I am far more curious about autos of that time period. The accompanying photographs are wonderful and great fun, and I also really enjoyed the many anecdotes that gave the race life. All in all I'd say that this is a really neat book for children who are interested in the time period or in the history of the auto-and their parents will enjoy it also. Armchair Interviews says: An unique way to tell children about the first autos.