The Fairmount Park Motor Races, 1908-1911

Rating:
Summary: Racing History
Review: This is an informative, interesting, often exciting history of a little known series of automobile races. Seneca provides a thought-provoking analysis of the local politics behind the decisions of the Philadelphia elite regarding the holding of automobile races in Fairmount Park in the period 1908 to 1911. Although the races were safe and extremely popular, several members of the city's elite believed they were an inappropriate form of entertainment, and after 1911, the races were never held again. However, the four annual races brought together some of the leading race-drivers of the era, and a surprisingly wide variety of car models. Seneca gives a minute-by minute (and sometimes second-by-second) account of the races, to the point that you can almost hear the tires screech and the crowd shout, and smell the tires burning and the clouds of pungent gasoline exhaust! The book is a really interesting treatment and should appeal to auto enthusiasts, those interested in Philadelphia history, and to a broader audience of readers who would like to know more about popular culture in the early 20th century.