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The Hardest, Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Contest That Changed America
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Expected 2 Jun 26Win a free print copy of this book!
11 days and 14:21:40
25 copies available
U.S. and Canada only
From Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Eric Moskowitz comes the riveting story of the first true coast-to-coast automobile race in U.S. history, a fast-paced tale of the gritty and determined drivers who braved hostile terrain, mechanical failure, and, shockingly, sabotage, to take home the gold.
In 1909, America was home to 253 automakers, a landscape of visionaries, schemers, and would-be barons of the new century. But when playboy millionaire M. Robert Guggenheim announced an audacious “Ocean to Ocean” contest from New York City to the Seattle World’s Fair, only three companies were brassy enough to show up at the starting Acme, Ford, and Shawmut.
Oddsmakers favored the Acme and Itala, a pricy import also joining the race, while dismissing the pint-sized Ford — a homely little number called the Model T— and the long-shot Shawmut, struggling to survive after a factory fire. In fact, many didn’t believe any of the cars would reach Seattle at all, as they would need to forge a 4,106-mile course of mountain ranges, mud bogs, washed-out wagon bridges, and harrowing canyon trails, long before the era of asphalt highways, seatbelts, and service stations.
But Henry Ford was intent on proving that the Model T could go the distance and beat out the muscular luxury cars---and he didn’t plan to leave it to chance. Indeed, a little over three weeks after the race began, a Ford crossed the line hours ahead of the Shawmut.
Except that victory was a fraud.
The Hardest, Longest Race is a colorful tale of ambition and subterfuge, but it is also a love letter to America at the turn of the Twentieth Century. As a seeming people’s champion—a car for the masses—traverses the vast nation, Moskowitz brings to vivid life the diverse populace and landscape that it would soon transform.
In 1909, America was home to 253 automakers, a landscape of visionaries, schemers, and would-be barons of the new century. But when playboy millionaire M. Robert Guggenheim announced an audacious “Ocean to Ocean” contest from New York City to the Seattle World’s Fair, only three companies were brassy enough to show up at the starting Acme, Ford, and Shawmut.
Oddsmakers favored the Acme and Itala, a pricy import also joining the race, while dismissing the pint-sized Ford — a homely little number called the Model T— and the long-shot Shawmut, struggling to survive after a factory fire. In fact, many didn’t believe any of the cars would reach Seattle at all, as they would need to forge a 4,106-mile course of mountain ranges, mud bogs, washed-out wagon bridges, and harrowing canyon trails, long before the era of asphalt highways, seatbelts, and service stations.
But Henry Ford was intent on proving that the Model T could go the distance and beat out the muscular luxury cars---and he didn’t plan to leave it to chance. Indeed, a little over three weeks after the race began, a Ford crossed the line hours ahead of the Shawmut.
Except that victory was a fraud.
The Hardest, Longest Race is a colorful tale of ambition and subterfuge, but it is also a love letter to America at the turn of the Twentieth Century. As a seeming people’s champion—a car for the masses—traverses the vast nation, Moskowitz brings to vivid life the diverse populace and landscape that it would soon transform.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
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3828 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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February 19, 2026This is a very interesting book. Since I live in Michigan Henry Ford is a figure that I definitely have heard about. It's interesting to see the lengths he went to in order to put his company in the number one spot in the nation even if some were underhanded This book will appeal to someone who is interested in history and in cars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Before Route 66, there was gravel, dirt, mud and the early pioneers of cross country travel, racing from New York City to Seattle. And what a race it was.
In 1909 five cars set off on a journey across America that was nothing like the advertised vacation decades later on the country’s most iconic roadway. The drivers of cars from the now entrenched Ford Motor Company, Shawmut, Acme, and European Itala faced breakdowns, bad weather, bad ‘road’ conditions and more than a little subterfuge to demonstrate the future of motor vehicles.
The book is told primarily through the perspectives of various Ford employees and branch managers and a driver of the Shawmut car, showcasing the differences between a growing, multinational company and a small startup in the Northeast trying to beat the odds.
Eric Moskowitz’s book contains a breathtaking amount of detail for an event that happened over a century ago, showing a dedication to research that immerses the reader so wholly they feel a part of the journey. As a Kansan, it was just as easy to imagine the mud the cars were getting stuck in driving across my state in the unending rain from my days playing in it voluntarily as a child to being incredibly thankful for the paved roads and the introduction of the interstate system (by a Kansan briefly mentioned) that exist now.
The ocean-to-ocean race in this book was something I knew nothing about, and I love reading about little known historical events, especially when they’re written in an engaging way. Not only does Moskowitz do this, he’s picked an event that provides a unique look at a time that bridges the gap of the last days of the Wild West and white expansionism with the technological advances already well into existence when the next notable historical period beginning with World War I arrives.
The book also succeeds in appealing to a broad audience for having a ‘storyline’ that builds in excitement over the course of the book, and a villain or two willing to do whatever it would take to come out victorious. As the book went on I found my pace ratcheting up as the race drew to its conclusion.
In addition to introducing a new perspective on the transition from a rural to industrial age rarely seen when history books are focused in a single location or part of the country, Moskowitz presents some other storylines that are food for thought. One of course being, how much of what members of The Ford Motor Company did to win was fair or foul play. Some of it unquestionably falls into the latter category, but the fact that drivers could receive parts, repair, and assistance at Ford dealerships across the country also seems a very valid selling point that when you bought a Model T, you were getting more than the car itself.
The other idea for thought and unpacking is how history (and advertising) is told by the people that have the narrative and the resources to tell it, something that has helped sustain Ford as a company for over a century after the conclusion of this race.
I am not a car person, and I won’t claim to understand the technical details that Moskowitz keeps to a minimum to focus on the broader picture. But even without having auto appreciation, I fell in love with this engaging story in history of the open road, adventure, competition and the almost literal paving the way to travel as we know it today. Read this book!
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
In 1909 five cars set off on a journey across America that was nothing like the advertised vacation decades later on the country’s most iconic roadway. The drivers of cars from the now entrenched Ford Motor Company, Shawmut, Acme, and European Itala faced breakdowns, bad weather, bad ‘road’ conditions and more than a little subterfuge to demonstrate the future of motor vehicles.
The book is told primarily through the perspectives of various Ford employees and branch managers and a driver of the Shawmut car, showcasing the differences between a growing, multinational company and a small startup in the Northeast trying to beat the odds.
Eric Moskowitz’s book contains a breathtaking amount of detail for an event that happened over a century ago, showing a dedication to research that immerses the reader so wholly they feel a part of the journey. As a Kansan, it was just as easy to imagine the mud the cars were getting stuck in driving across my state in the unending rain from my days playing in it voluntarily as a child to being incredibly thankful for the paved roads and the introduction of the interstate system (by a Kansan briefly mentioned) that exist now.
The ocean-to-ocean race in this book was something I knew nothing about, and I love reading about little known historical events, especially when they’re written in an engaging way. Not only does Moskowitz do this, he’s picked an event that provides a unique look at a time that bridges the gap of the last days of the Wild West and white expansionism with the technological advances already well into existence when the next notable historical period beginning with World War I arrives.
The book also succeeds in appealing to a broad audience for having a ‘storyline’ that builds in excitement over the course of the book, and a villain or two willing to do whatever it would take to come out victorious. As the book went on I found my pace ratcheting up as the race drew to its conclusion.
In addition to introducing a new perspective on the transition from a rural to industrial age rarely seen when history books are focused in a single location or part of the country, Moskowitz presents some other storylines that are food for thought. One of course being, how much of what members of The Ford Motor Company did to win was fair or foul play. Some of it unquestionably falls into the latter category, but the fact that drivers could receive parts, repair, and assistance at Ford dealerships across the country also seems a very valid selling point that when you bought a Model T, you were getting more than the car itself.
The other idea for thought and unpacking is how history (and advertising) is told by the people that have the narrative and the resources to tell it, something that has helped sustain Ford as a company for over a century after the conclusion of this race.
I am not a car person, and I won’t claim to understand the technical details that Moskowitz keeps to a minimum to focus on the broader picture. But even without having auto appreciation, I fell in love with this engaging story in history of the open road, adventure, competition and the almost literal paving the way to travel as we know it today. Read this book!
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"The Hardest, Longest Race : Henry Ford and the Cross Country Contest that Changed America," by Eric Moskowitz, will be published by St. Martin's
Press very shortly. I am privileged to have been granted access to an ARC for the purposes of this review by the publisher, and I am most grateful. The book's subtitle neatly summarizes the main axis of exploration to get into this rather convoluted tale of the early years of the automotive industry and its initial forays into road racing. The race under examination took place in 1909 and was more like a modern rally race than anything on a dedicated track such as most modern readers might have some familiarity with. This complicates matters and the author early on goes to some trouble to spell out the technical challenges and obstacles confronting earlier attempts to approach this kind of motoring event prior to the digitization of far flung sources thereby paving the way to a far more piercing exploration of the subject matter. The race in question was from New York City to Seattle, Washington over public "roads" such as they were in 1909, The participants were competing for the Guggenheim Trophy, all concerned saw this as a way to promote the growth of the auto industry. Particularly notable in this regard is the critical role of Henry Ford who, alone, fielded a "team" of two stripped down Model T's or derivatives thereof. While promoters initially hoped for a large field of competitors drawn principally from America's rapidly expanding auto industry, the actual race fell far short of their hopes in this respect because of widespread and shrill concerns about a potential bloodbath on public roads! In the end, it turned into a competition between three cars, the two Fords, and something called a Shawmut. Without giving it all away, I will say that the drama here and much of the text's importance is related to the way in which the author sees Henry Ford's vision of marketing through racing and the enormous obstacles to any kind of race of this type (even today) and the logistical consequences of having an embryonic but widespread dealer network available to support your own team. The hardships endured and the insights they provide into the nascent American auto industry and, most importantly Henry Ford's influence on the industry and its marketing development are quite startling since we seldom see this side of Ford's complex character so well developed. Just think of a road race run largely in the absence of seriously developed roads and relying for navigation on local guides to get from one checkpoint to another in the almost total absence of accurate and detailed maps. You can well imagine the ensuing mayhem, and it makes for quite a tale full of adventure and insights not simply into the auto industry but into our nation itself and the ways that automobiles would come to change everything. Recommended for all collections.
Press very shortly. I am privileged to have been granted access to an ARC for the purposes of this review by the publisher, and I am most grateful. The book's subtitle neatly summarizes the main axis of exploration to get into this rather convoluted tale of the early years of the automotive industry and its initial forays into road racing. The race under examination took place in 1909 and was more like a modern rally race than anything on a dedicated track such as most modern readers might have some familiarity with. This complicates matters and the author early on goes to some trouble to spell out the technical challenges and obstacles confronting earlier attempts to approach this kind of motoring event prior to the digitization of far flung sources thereby paving the way to a far more piercing exploration of the subject matter. The race in question was from New York City to Seattle, Washington over public "roads" such as they were in 1909, The participants were competing for the Guggenheim Trophy, all concerned saw this as a way to promote the growth of the auto industry. Particularly notable in this regard is the critical role of Henry Ford who, alone, fielded a "team" of two stripped down Model T's or derivatives thereof. While promoters initially hoped for a large field of competitors drawn principally from America's rapidly expanding auto industry, the actual race fell far short of their hopes in this respect because of widespread and shrill concerns about a potential bloodbath on public roads! In the end, it turned into a competition between three cars, the two Fords, and something called a Shawmut. Without giving it all away, I will say that the drama here and much of the text's importance is related to the way in which the author sees Henry Ford's vision of marketing through racing and the enormous obstacles to any kind of race of this type (even today) and the logistical consequences of having an embryonic but widespread dealer network available to support your own team. The hardships endured and the insights they provide into the nascent American auto industry and, most importantly Henry Ford's influence on the industry and its marketing development are quite startling since we seldom see this side of Ford's complex character so well developed. Just think of a road race run largely in the absence of seriously developed roads and relying for navigation on local guides to get from one checkpoint to another in the almost total absence of accurate and detailed maps. You can well imagine the ensuing mayhem, and it makes for quite a tale full of adventure and insights not simply into the auto industry but into our nation itself and the ways that automobiles would come to change everything. Recommended for all collections.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I loved this book and could not stop until I had completed it. A wonderful account of the 1909 Cross Country auto race to celebrate the Seattle Worlds Fair. A race of over 4,000 miles before there was anything like an interstate highway system, when most roads west of St. Louis were only made of dirt, or mud as they case was in Kansas. A race that was supposed to have close to 20 entries ended up with only 5, two of which were Ford Model T's. There were rules, but many times they were not followed. There was a winner, but maybe not the car that finished first. One of most impressive aspects of the book was the depth of coverage that Ford has across the US by 1909. Dealers, mechanics, branch managers everywhere at a time nobody else was even thinking of nationally. It was a super look at a race, and time not that long ago when a few cars trying to see who could make from NYC to Seattle captured the national headlines and out countries attention.
Superb research!!
Superb research!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
This lively account of the first coast-to-coast car race will be a big hit with car buffs. Well-researched and entertainingly written, at times it reads like the script for an adventure movie. In 1909 there weren't that many cars on the road, and there weren't many roads to carry them. Many places barely had wagon tracks to run on and conditions were often perilous.
The New York to Seattle contest was dreamed up by a wealthy dilettante, and three automakers were bold enough to sign up. Ford Motor Co. was the underdog with their Model T. But it turned out one of the deciding factors was the fledgling network of Ford dealers across the country. The race was a bit of a free for all -- no holds barred, rules broken, and all kinds of skullduggery.
This is a glimpse of early automotive history and turn of the century America and a highly entertaining story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This lively account of the first coast-to-coast car race will be a big hit with car buffs. Well-researched and entertainingly written, at times it reads like the script for an adventure movie. In 1909 there weren't that many cars on the road, and there weren't many roads to carry them. Many places barely had wagon tracks to run on and conditions were often perilous.
The New York to Seattle contest was dreamed up by a wealthy dilettante, and three automakers were bold enough to sign up. Ford Motor Co. was the underdog with their Model T. But it turned out one of the deciding factors was the fledgling network of Ford dealers across the country. The race was a bit of a free for all -- no holds barred, rules broken, and all kinds of skullduggery.
This is a glimpse of early automotive history and turn of the century America and a highly entertaining story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Author Eric Moskowitz must have done ton of research to bring so many shenanigans to light. Really fascinating non-fiction, especially if you have ties to the automobile industry. Non-fiction that
reads like fiction. (If it were fiction, you probably wouldn't believe it!)
Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher St. Martin's Press and author Eric Moskowitz for approving my request to read the advance read copy of The Hardest, Longest Race in exchange for an honest review. Approx 368 pages, expected release Jun 2, 2026.
reads like fiction. (If it were fiction, you probably wouldn't believe it!)
Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher St. Martin's Press and author Eric Moskowitz for approving my request to read the advance read copy of The Hardest, Longest Race in exchange for an honest review. Approx 368 pages, expected release Jun 2, 2026.
December 25, 2025
Eric Moscowitz has crafted a well-researched account of a groundbreaking cross-country car race in “The Longest, Hardest Race.” He crafts an engaging narrative and one can’t help but admire these drivers. There were a couple of gaps in the narrative from my perspective that still have me scratching my head but don’t let that put you off. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the opportunity to preview this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews