The Scarlet Car

by Richard Harding Davis

A hundred years ago any trip in an automobile was an adventure… Brave and intrepid motorists of the early 20th Century faced appalling roads, mechanical malady and an often hostile populace as they exercised their exciting new machines. The Scarlet Car, written by Richard Harding Davis in 1907, captures the adventure and uncertainty that was a major part of travel in the early automobile. The period prose in his romantic novelette provides often humorous detail about of the rigors of automotive travel carefully woven through the strands of a classic love story. This edition of The Scarlet Car has been published by Demontreville Press, Inc., to commemorate and recognize the 100th anniversary of the beginning of automotive fiction.

81 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Richard Harding Davis (1864–1916) was a journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War. His writing greatly assisted the political career of Theodore Roosevelt and he also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine. His influence extended to the world of fashion and he is credited with making the clean-shaven look popular among men at the turn of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a jailbreak, trespassing, and a kidnapping, in that order.
At least in my free copy, it came that way. I was a little confused by the jump from chapter/story one to chapter/story two because it was very abrupt. The transition between 2 and 3 was much better. I’m thinking that I might have gotten a hold of an incomplete copy as a free e-book.
It was worth it though, it was so fun! (The rest of the review will be a
How would you spend time with someone who is too busy to spend time with you? Why by becoming their chauffeur/bodyguard. There you have the basic premise of the book. Hero loves girl, girl is engaged to wrong guy, hero turns chauffeur, adventures ensue. It was sweet, full of humor, and entirely predictable. Well, I didn’t guess the wild scrapes they got into, but the conclusion – that I saw about two paragraphs into the story.
There were a couple of swear words.