Antique cars and party for launch of new book CAR CRAZY, about early models and days of industry

Please be my guest at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, at Salve Regina University’s Pell Center in Newport, Rhode Island, for a launch party marking publication of my latest book, CAR CRAZY: The Battle for Supremacy between Ford and Olds and the Dawn of the Automobile Age, about the early days of the car industry (). We will have a reading, a signing, great company, fine refreshments – and, thanks to our sponsors, including Audrain Automobile Museum, a display of antique cars on the lawn, including a rare 1904 Oldsmobile and a Model T, two of the vehicles featured in Car Crazy, and a 1912 Packard. The event is free and open to all. The Pell Center is at 518 Bellevue Ave., Newport, R.I., 02840. You may register at

While the book will not be published until November 3, it already is getting great reviews.

“It's hard to imagine Wayne Miller matching the excitement of Men and Speed. With Car Crazy, he has done just that. This is a story rich with corporate war, courtroom drama, world-record racing, and larger-than-life characters -- in particular Henry Ford, who was not just a mechanical and business genius but one of America’s original speed demons,” said Jack Roush, of Roush Fenway Racing.

"A chronicle of the frantic, ultracompetitive, and heroic early days of automobile manufacturing... In his buoyant and charming narrative, Miller sets the foundation for the American century by charting the intense competition, rivalries, successes, and failures of the early automotive industry... A must for car lovers and plenty of interesting material to keep other curious readers flipping pages," said Kirkus Reviews.

"Engrossing and well-written, Miller's study of the cultural impact of the automobile is also a testament to the elements of the vehicle that car enthusiasts find endearing. This work will attract fans of motor sports as well as entrepreneurs and anyone interested in the power of technology to enact social change," said Library Journal.

More at the Car Crazy

Hope to see you Nov. 1!

Best,

Wayne Miller

I'll be there ... and will bring a friend who is an old car enthusiast as well.

Just thought I'd close the loop on this, since the phantom OP hasn't. I attended the event in Newport, RI, this past Sunday. It was well-organized, had approximately 100 people in attendance, complimentary beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres, and four very cool antique cars on display from the early 20th century. The author did a reading from his book and then answered questions from the audience. I didn't buy the book, but not because it isn't good. It appears to be a fine book on the subject. It's just that it covered an era in automotive history that doesn't particularly interest me. Others might like it. And I have other books vying for my attention that I prefer to read instead.

(I noticed that there were very few hard core car enthusiasts in the audience, by our definition anyway. Many seemed only mildly interested in cars, or were there because they knew the author, or were relatives of the author, or colleagues or former colleagues of the author, etc. One of the many lame questions from the audience was "what do you think of the Prius?" That was totally off-topic but probably the only thing that that person could think of related to cars).

In reply to Gary:Sounds like a bunch of hangers on to me. I know a lot of similar events draw a crowd who might otherwise be sampling their lunch at Costco.

In reply to Rupert:

Correct. From what I saw, there were a number of so-called "literary elitists" there who were more interested in the free wine and cheese and trying to sound more intelligent than they perceived the subject matter of the book to be (looking down their noses and sniff-sniffing at anyone who might show an inkling of interest in speed and evil devices that burned hydro-carbons). Another inane question to the author was how long did he think the Providence Journal would tolerate his personal book writing while he was employed as a staff writer for the newspaper, given the state of printed news media today. (That was from a seemingly disgruntled former journalist from the same newspaper who had been "asked" to retire a few years ago. Sour grapes on his part I presume, and it generated a somewhat frosty response from the author). So there was drama there not even related to the book's subject matter!

But despite all that nonsense, I thoroughly enjoyed the event. I also enjoyed the two glasses of wine that I mooched.

(Incidentally, too bad the phantom OP hasn't returned to this thread to say more. But I suspect his post was little more than a free plug for the book, and we'll never hear from him again here, since this was his one and only post, ever. In fact, I'll bet he didn't even create the post himself. It was probably his publicist looking for the free plug!)

In reply to Gary:Well there you have it! What's worse, sneaking in a free plug on a national site or mooching a meal and wine while pooh pooing the product? Sounds like he may have gotten what he deserved. The world is a wheel!