English biographer Michael Holroyd (Lytton Strachey) takes a short trip down memory lane with the stylish automotive autobiography On Wheels.
As a young boy, Holroyd went to his grandparents' garage where he would comfortably nestle into their old car to read Conan Doyle and Rider Haggard. During his two years in the army, he served as the regiment's Motor Transport Officer--"no one seemed to mind that I didn't have a driving licence--later on I was told I could have awarded myself one." Instead, he took lessons from a "man who reminded me of a peculiarly fierce sergeant major let loose from the army." Later, he was able to teach his wife, novelist Margaret Drabble, to drive (she's better than he is).
There are also many wonderful anecdotes about Holroyd's biographical subjects and cars. The painter Augustus John took friends on a successful drive from London to Dorset, but since his driving lesson had "never touched on the philosophy of gear changing, the car had been in first gear from start to finish." And it was George Bernard Shaw, who loved bicycles and cars, who gave Lawrence of Arabia the motorcycle he was riding when he swerved to avoid some boys, crashed and died.
On Wheels is short, with lovely illustrations--the layout and design add quaintness and charm, making it an ideal present for drivers more enamored of the mystique and history of the motor car than its speedy, flashy side. --Tom Lavoie, former publisher