How It All Started
[Note to my readers: I’m sticking to my twice-monthly schedule for now.]
As I wrote in the lede for this post, I was just a boy, maybe eight or ten years old, and so my recall of how I started on my personal speedster quest from over 60 years ago is quite vague. The memories that stuck, however, were like most long-term recollections, images hooked onto an emotion.
My emotions on that day ranged from mild curiosity, to a sense of possible adventure, to wonder, and finally to something I would call “enstartlement.”
I recall that we went to a farm garage that belonged to one of my dad’s friends, someone who had hired him to photograph his 1905 Stanley Gentleman’s Speedster. I had no idea what a steam car was like or how it operated, but I watched with curiosity as the gentleman heated up the boiler.
I knew that “something was up” when he invited my dad to ride with him, and then I gazed in wonder as the car huffed, then puffed, and suddenly chugged off down the road at a very rapid clip. Then, to add to my amazement, the owner put the speedster into reverse and rode backwards just as quickly.
I was startled. I was amazed. I was betwixt and between. I knew then that I had to get me one. Someday…
Someday
Well, that someday hasn’t yet arrived, as Life intervened and changed my path again and again. But my dream still lives inside me, and I am still determined to find that one special speedster that needs my name on it.
In the meantime, I had decided to write about the topic of speedsters, since I couldn’t find a book that covered this important theme in automotive history. That journey began about ten years ago.
I researched the topic at several prominent automotive libraries and started to assemble a collection of automobile companies that would explain the birth of the speedster and illustrate its evolution over time. I decided on 12 companies to keep the book’s size manageable, yet be able to convey the history of the classic speedster.
I wrote out the chapters and the mini-biographies of real-life owners of these cars, since I thought that they would add important context to the chapters.
I asked marque experts to vet my chapters to help me make them as accurate as possible.
I gathered photos, obtained permissions, hired editors, and also a book designer.
I trained up to self-publish the book when completed.
It’s been a ten-year journey, during which I have made new discoveries and many new friends. When will the book come out? I’m still aiming for a holiday season 2021 rollout—stay tuned for news on that.
To digress a bit, I started a blog in 2018 on the topic because there were so many companies and cars beyond the scope of my book—I just had to tell their stories too. And you, as one of my faithful readers, have read my work in that arena. I am very grateful for your interest and support.
Now
As of this date, the book’s front cover has been completed. I hope that you like it, and I know that we will make a back cover that is just as compelling. The book itself is in the hands of the designer at this point, and we are planning for it to be offset-printed for the highest quality possible once all work is completed. More details on that will follow as I find them out.
Next post: A little more about me, and a photo that I will possibly use as my author image for the inside flap of the cover. As always, thanks for your interest and support!
Until then,
=rds