MOTOR MEMORIES. A SAGA OF WHIRLING GEARS
Detroit: Alved, 1947. First Edition. Hardcover. Illustrated with photographs and drawings. This copy INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author on the front endpaper to an early automobile pioneer: "To Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker,/My old friend of early/motor car days/with all good wishes/and admiration for/his contribution then/and since to higher/principles of living/and working./Eugene Lewis/Detroit/July 26' 48." Medal of Honor-winning aviator Eddie Rickenbacker served as Pershing's staff driver before he became a combat pilot. He first gained fame in the formative years of auto racing as a driver. Before owning and operating the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he participated in some of the first 500-mile races held there finishing in tenth place in 1914. Rickenbacker flew a total of 300 combat hours, reportedly more than any other U.S. pilot in World War I, and his 26 victories as a pilot constituted an American record that stood until World War II. After the war, he started an unsuccessful automobile company, but his most lasting business endeavor was his lifelong leadership of Eastern Air Lines which Rickenbacker transformed from a small airline to a major international transportation company. Very Good, without dustwrapper. Item #013938
Price: $200.00