One New Arrival this week:
Carroll Shelby – The Authorized Biography by Rinsey Mills [Motorbooks 2012 hardcover, new] – biography of race driver and car builder Carroll Shelby – Shelby died May 10, 2012. This biography has been under way for years, Mills had, as the introduction puts it, “enthusiastic support from Shelby”. Mills had full access to everything from Shelby’s boyhood pictures to family, friends, employees, business associates, wives, etc. Basically Shelby told everyone to “give ’em whatever he wants”.
I’ve long been interested in Shelby, reading about his racing exploits (he was one of the best in the world in the mid to late 1950s) in Road & Track magazine as a boy, and the creation of the Cobra and then the Shelby Mustangs. I’ve read many snippets of his biography over the years, not this will fill in all the gaps. I’m eager to read it.
Current Reading – Fatal Flourishes by S.S. Rafferty. Saw a review on the Pretty Sinister blog, and John wrote this up very convincingly. I’m really enjoying these stories of a “social problem” solver, Captain Cork, in colonial America. One story for each of the 13 colonies. Told by a sidekick, these are quasi Holmes-Watson format. Review soon. Also current reading is the Shelby biography, which I’m about 150 pages (of 550) into.
Both of these books arroused my curiosity, Rick. Like you, I’ve been a fan of those Shelby Cobras. And I’m a fan of historical mysteries.
Ahh, THAT Shelby. I might have to read this.
I’ve meant to read the Rafferty mysteries. I used to have a copy of DIE LAUGHING but didn’t read that one either.
No new arrivals last week, at least no books. I got the new Neil Young CD, which came free when you bought a concert ticket. (I sent the second copy to my brother, another Neil fan.) Also got the first two series of Da Vinci’s Inquest from amazon.ca (Canada).
Just two free ebooks for me. RED BAKER by Robert Ward and THE BRAT. Oh, and lots of library books, of course.