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The Great Race: Around the World by Automobile
Long before the Amazing Race television show there was the Great Racea thrilling true story that will grab readers from the start to the finish line.
In February of 1908, six cars from four countries gathered in Times Square for the pistol shot that began the first around-the-world automobile race. Gas-powered cars hadn’t been round very long, and roads were nonexistent as this group of hardy pioneers set out to drive from New York to Paris, hoping to cross the ice of the Bering Strait along the way. The Europeans were sure their cars were superior, but it would be the scrappy Americans in their Thomas Flyer, after braving twenty-foot snowdrifts, bandits, and many near drownings, who would win the race.
In a book published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the race, Gary Blackwood, author of well-known historical-fiction novels, crafts a thrilling narrative of great courage and splendid folly, illustrated with original, never-before-published photographs throughout.
In February of 1908, six cars from four countries gathered in Times Square for the pistol shot that began the first around-the-world automobile race. Gas-powered cars hadn’t been round very long, and roads were nonexistent as this group of hardy pioneers set out to drive from New York to Paris, hoping to cross the ice of the Bering Strait along the way. The Europeans were sure their cars were superior, but it would be the scrappy Americans in their Thomas Flyer, after braving twenty-foot snowdrifts, bandits, and many near drownings, who would win the race.
In a book published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the race, Gary Blackwood, author of well-known historical-fiction novels, crafts a thrilling narrative of great courage and splendid folly, illustrated with original, never-before-published photographs throughout.
- GenresNonfiction
144 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Gary L. Blackwood
66 books92 followersHe grew up in rural Cochranton, Western Pennsylvania, where he attended school in a one room schoolhouse. He graduated with a B.A. in English from Grove City College in Pennsylvania. While a college student, Blackwood published his first short story, Cliffs of Gold, in Twelve/ Fifteen magazine.
He has sold dozens of stories to children's magazines, and has published thirty-five novels and nonfiction books for adults, young adults and middle readers.
Blackwood is also a widely produced playwright.
He has sold dozens of stories to children's magazines, and has published thirty-five novels and nonfiction books for adults, young adults and middle readers.
Blackwood is also a widely produced playwright.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 4, 2008
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 more remarkable aspects of the tale is how often each team had to help another out of a tight spot. More than once a car like the Thomas Flyer would break down and have to be towed into the nearest town by someone like the Italian Zust. And if one team seemed to be ahead by even a day, the next minute they'd be broken down on the side of the road watching their fellows whiz past. I found the abundant maps and graphs of particular use, especially when I was trying to determine who was who. The list of Official Entries, for example, even goes so far as to list the Weight, Cylinders, Horsepower, and Drive of the entrants, to say nothing of their Names and Countries.
Some complaints I've heard lodged against the book is that it doesn't plumb the story's innate excitement as effectively as it might. And honestly, I can see where these people are coming from. Blackwood is so intent on keeping the race coherent, the contestants memorable, and the timeline linear that he sometimes includes almost too much information. For all that this is a thin 144 page text, it still could have stood some slower and more thoughtful moments from time to time. The introduction of all the characters, for example, is done in a single section. All the drivers are introduced at once, the important ones alongside the unimportant ones, rather than when their cars or countries are announced. An average reader who goes through this cast of characters could be forgiven for forgetting who one man or another was. Better to have introduced them in the context of their car and country. Particularly when most of them drop out almost instantaneously, or in the early days of the race. And I liked the list of The Captains and Their Crews, but we didn't necessarily need all that information in a quick and dirty chapter. I liked the tale but sometimes I yearned for a narrative voice that played around with the words a little more. Blackwood's book does its job well in retelling the facts of the matter, but there's a possibility that some kids will yearn for more.
Not to say that the book isn't exciting. One minute the cars are driving on railroad tracks (which are far preferable to the roads before them). The next minute they're almost getting crushed by oncoming trains after driving hell-for-leather for the end of the tunnel. And then the next the drivers are melting down iron spoons to create homemade bearings until they can replace them with new ones. Admittedly, the readership for this book may be limited to those kids and teens for whom automobiles hold a deep and abiding fascination. I enjoyed it and I'm not much of a car buff, so I can only imagine that statements about how some of the mechanical monsters in the contest had, "eight times the fuel capacity of a modern SUV," might send certain readers into fits of apoplectic joy. I think that the book certainly would have benefited from an explanation on Mr. Blackwood's part explaining how he discovered this race and what it was about this story that made him think it was a worthy subject to cover in a work for children and teens. Still, there's no denying that it sucks you in, even if you've little to no interest in motor vehicles or nationwide races.
The poet and Italian rider Antonio Scarfoglio summarized his own view of the race eloquently. "We had set out to perpetrate an act of splendid folly, not to open up a new way for men. We wished to be madmen, not pioneers." I thought I was very clever to find this quote, until I saw that it is replicated on the back of the book itself. But there's a reason that Scarfoglio's words echo the story's sentiments perfectly. What could be better than a story about a group of functioning adults that are, by all definitions, completely and utterly insane? Blackwood maybe should have ratcheted up the story's narrative pull, but as far as I'm concerned this tale will suck in adult and middle grade readers alike. Daredevils, it seems, come in all shapes and varying states of mental competence. The same could be said for their stories.
Ages 11-16.
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 more remarkable aspects of the tale is how often each team had to help another out of a tight spot. More than once a car like the Thomas Flyer would break down and have to be towed into the nearest town by someone like the Italian Zust. And if one team seemed to be ahead by even a day, the next minute they'd be broken down on the side of the road watching their fellows whiz past. I found the abundant maps and graphs of particular use, especially when I was trying to determine who was who. The list of Official Entries, for example, even goes so far as to list the Weight, Cylinders, Horsepower, and Drive of the entrants, to say nothing of their Names and Countries.
Some complaints I've heard lodged against the book is that it doesn't plumb the story's innate excitement as effectively as it might. And honestly, I can see where these people are coming from. Blackwood is so intent on keeping the race coherent, the contestants memorable, and the timeline linear that he sometimes includes almost too much information. For all that this is a thin 144 page text, it still could have stood some slower and more thoughtful moments from time to time. The introduction of all the characters, for example, is done in a single section. All the drivers are introduced at once, the important ones alongside the unimportant ones, rather than when their cars or countries are announced. An average reader who goes through this cast of characters could be forgiven for forgetting who one man or another was. Better to have introduced them in the context of their car and country. Particularly when most of them drop out almost instantaneously, or in the early days of the race. And I liked the list of The Captains and Their Crews, but we didn't necessarily need all that information in a quick and dirty chapter. I liked the tale but sometimes I yearned for a narrative voice that played around with the words a little more. Blackwood's book does its job well in retelling the facts of the matter, but there's a possibility that some kids will yearn for more.
Not to say that the book isn't exciting. One minute the cars are driving on railroad tracks (which are far preferable to the roads before them). The next minute they're almost getting crushed by oncoming trains after driving hell-for-leather for the end of the tunnel. And then the next the drivers are melting down iron spoons to create homemade bearings until they can replace them with new ones. Admittedly, the readership for this book may be limited to those kids and teens for whom automobiles hold a deep and abiding fascination. I enjoyed it and I'm not much of a car buff, so I can only imagine that statements about how some of the mechanical monsters in the contest had, "eight times the fuel capacity of a modern SUV," might send certain readers into fits of apoplectic joy. I think that the book certainly would have benefited from an explanation on Mr. Blackwood's part explaining how he discovered this race and what it was about this story that made him think it was a worthy subject to cover in a work for children and teens. Still, there's no denying that it sucks you in, even if you've little to no interest in motor vehicles or nationwide races.
The poet and Italian rider Antonio Scarfoglio summarized his own view of the race eloquently. "We had set out to perpetrate an act of splendid folly, not to open up a new way for men. We wished to be madmen, not pioneers." I thought I was very clever to find this quote, until I saw that it is replicated on the back of the book itself. But there's a reason that Scarfoglio's words echo the story's sentiments perfectly. What could be better than a story about a group of functioning adults that are, by all definitions, completely and utterly insane? Blackwood maybe should have ratcheted up the story's narrative pull, but as far as I'm concerned this tale will suck in adult and middle grade readers alike. Daredevils, it seems, come in all shapes and varying states of mental competence. The same could be said for their stories.
Ages 11-16.
February 26, 2019
The Great Race by Gary Blackwood is a very well written book about a race from New York to Paris, taking place in February of 1908. With the first car ever made would have only been around for 23 years at this time. Cars not being as advanced has they are today adds lots of action as they drive through snow, mud and desert. The six different cars with very different styles of drives. With their own way of getting throw the difficult race. The different ways people actually participated in the race is what made this book interesting to me in the first place. This book follows the racers threw their ups and downs all the way from New York to Paris. These ups and down causing me to want to read more of the story. Blackwood’s purpose for writing this story is to show that there are many ways to do the same thing. For example the racers, needing to cross the ocean on a ship. They all agreed to cross at the same time but each took different ship “ by train just in time to board a steamer that sailed for Alaska on the 26th. If they missed that ship, they would have to wait nearly a week for the next one”. So, they all shipped separately because in waiting for one they would all miss the ship so some left and others didn’t quite make it.
Six different cars with six different drivers shows that there are many ways to finish the race. Blackwood shows that all the ways will get to the end but some are better ways to get there. The American car getting to the end first shows that their way was better than the others way. This style of writing shows that there are many ways to do something but some are better than others. Blackwood expresses this very well in his writing. Each car had its own plan on how to get through each part of the race, which causes the story not to be repetitive . Blackwood uses the different ideas from each car to make you question what is going to happen next. Blackwood doing this makes the story very interesting at all points. I would give The Great Race by Blackwood a 4 out of 5 the story is very interesting at all points. It constantly makes you want to keep reading.
Six different cars with six different drivers shows that there are many ways to finish the race. Blackwood shows that all the ways will get to the end but some are better ways to get there. The American car getting to the end first shows that their way was better than the others way. This style of writing shows that there are many ways to do something but some are better than others. Blackwood expresses this very well in his writing. Each car had its own plan on how to get through each part of the race, which causes the story not to be repetitive . Blackwood uses the different ideas from each car to make you question what is going to happen next. Blackwood doing this makes the story very interesting at all points. I would give The Great Race by Blackwood a 4 out of 5 the story is very interesting at all points. It constantly makes you want to keep reading.
June 20, 2014
Although a fascinating true story of a 1908 auto race from New York to Paris I found it hard to keep straight who the men were, their positions in the race and even which cars they were driving. This book would have been greatly improved with some of those maps depicting where the teams were in relation to the each other. Don't know if you could get a relented reader to struggle through this one even if they were interested in cars, adventure or world travel.
August 13, 2011
Very interesting story about a road race from Paris to New York in 1908. It gives a sense of the world just before the First World War. For example, the contestants passed some people driving Conestoga Wagons across the US.
October 30, 2008
Fascinating. I want to read it again when I have more time; it is a subject that I have no knowledge in.
April 22, 2010
Entertaining account of the automobile race around the world in 1908. I didn't know anything about this race before reading this book and found it a fascinating subject.
Read
August 22, 2009I'm reading this as a Sibert contender, and so far it's a strong one.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews