THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE AUTOMOBILE

In 1952 Mr. Purdy published The Kings of the Road (Little, Brown-A.M.P.) which was a roll call of the famous cars, old and new, the men who made them, etc. This new book surveys various areas of automotive performances -- racing drivers, cars and courses; biographies of Portago and Nuvolari; accounts of Bugatti, the Chevrolet brothers and Durant, the Stanley Steamer, Dusenberg, Mercedes-Benz, etc.; the tricks of garages and mechanics; automobile manufacturing progress and the failure, to date, to achieve a safe car, which leads to a section which pounds home the requirements of safety in driving. Primarily for the racing buffs, this will also have its appeal for the sports car devotees and all those for whom the automobile (which is ""the first topic of conversation among Americans"") is irresistibly attractive....a good sized market.