When I was in high schol in 1961 your dad's books were the only ones kids who liked cars would read. You had to sign up on a waiting list to get the book. Your dad was a great writer. Years later when I became a high school shop teacher I told the school librarian about your dad's books and she gave me his books, including two copies of HOT ROD which I still have today and enjoy reading at age 64.
I'm 53 and remember finding them in the school library in jr high. Man it was like an oais in the desert. I wish they were in reprint.
Welcome !!! I also read all of your dad's Books.Then I got to meet him in Louisville Ky at the Street Rod Nationals and he was a real Treasure to talk to.You sure had a (GREAT) Dad.Cecil in Dayton Ohio
I can't say I've read all your father's books he wrote so many but I have read all the hot rod related ones I could find I have several that I reread occasionaly Hot Rod Crash Club Street Rod Road Rocket a recent reprint of Rag Top and his Fever Heat written under the pen name Angus Vicker I know that if some of these kids here could get their hands on these books they would eat them up
Welcome, like many of the others I read several of your dads books as a teenager. I would have to believe that they gave many of us the inspiration to build our first hot rod in the 60s.
Well, I read the books about 20 years after most of these folks, and they STILL influenced me. For a car-crazy kid who was too young to drive, living through the printed page was a huge rush. It helped shape how I thought about things and his genuine personalities also helped influence me to think twice when dealing with others. It helped make me who I am today... I'd hate to think about growing up without them in the library.
Welcome to the HAMB. I'm sure your father's books inspired everyone here who read them to some extent. I read Hot Rod and Street Rod when I was 13 and they really set me on the road, so to speak. Flatman
Your dad's books were a big part of my daydreaming in school in the 60s. In 6th grade I started writing my first (and only) novel, inspired by Mr. Felsen. I'm in my fifties now, but I still have those few pages I wrote. When all my friends were into Camaros and Mustangs, I had a chopped, channeled, fenderless Model A coupe. When the six-book set was released 15-20 years ago, I bought it, and all three of my children read them growing up, too. I know that many have said Felsen's books always had a moral lesson, and that's true, but they were also written in such a way that I could mentally picture the cars, the people, as if I were there. There was no one like Henry Gregor Felsen before and hasn't been since, as least in impacting a couple of generations of gearheads.
I found hot rod in 1979 in the Jr high library . and still have it ? man what are the late fees gonna be on that one ? welcome. I will have to find the other books .
I found Hot Rod and Crash Club while in grade school in the 70's. I'd picked up Road Rocket later in the 80's. I read those 3 books over many times. They were my favorite books. At the '92 NSRA Nationals in Louisville, I met your Dad while he was promoting his box set. I was so floored to meet him and have a conversation with one of my heros. We talked about his books, other authors of the time, and his time in central Iowa. It was cool to talk with him about Ames, Des Moines, and State Center. He said that some of those areas were inspiration in his works. He also said that there'd been talk about making Hot Rod into a movie, but it obviously never came to be. I could have spent hours talking to him. I'll treasure the box set I bought from him and that he signed for me. I probably don't have anything else to add to your Dad's story, but if you're in the DM area, I'd gladly meet with you to learn more about him. Good luck on your site.
Welcome to the HAMB! I love all the books!! From about JR.High(1969),I have been trying to live the life,as told in the series!! Got my first '50 ford in the junkyard,and still have it.. Have you ever thought about writing sequels?? Ricky Madison's wheels were still spinning,did he survive? What about Sharon?????
I am so glad to see you post on here, I had the great privileged to meet your Dad at the Detroit Autorama years ago, I also have a boxed set signed by him. I started a thread 2 years ago on here, about him and Hot Rod http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93927&highlight=Henry+Gregor+Felsen I am sure that your Dad and his writing influenced a multitude of young men for many decades,.... I will never forget the first time I read "Hot Rod",... the night of the big wreck shook me to the core (I just about couldn't sleep that night,..still shakes me up when I read it), I could see everything in those books in my minds eye from the beginning to the end,..... and like I said in that post two years ago, I made both of my Sons read it before they got there Drivers License. Your Father really understood teenagers and Hot Rods,..... the pressures, loves, desires, the feelings and rush you got behind the wheel, and the unbreakable connection between a young man and his Hot Rod. Henry Gregor Felsen will always be one of my personal Hot Rod hero's,... (I have my original copy of Hot Rod set aside to give to my grandson someday.)
I found Hot Rod on the bookmobile (mobile library) that came to my neighborhood when I was in grade school. Loved that book. My junior high had a few more in their library and I read each of them multiple times. I made notes on each car described in the books so I could build models of them (never got around to that project). I was thrilled to death when the boxed set came out in the 90's....it was the only thing I asked for for Christmas that year! I credit your dad with much of my love of hot rods. Thanks!!
I'm 61 years old and I can tell you that I fell asleep countless times reading and dreaming of that Pink Coupe! I must have been in late grade school when I found it in the then-new Bookmobile as well. A treasure to be remembered for me always. I don't think I allowed anyone else to take out either "Street Rod". "Hot Rod" or "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" for at least six months from out rolling library....I'm truly endebted to your dad for keeping the flame alive in me...perhaps you're destined to do the same for a new generation. Keep it simple, keep it clean, and don't let the current culture limit the appeal of the original.....Best of success to you Sir! .... Sandpiper
You want to talk about awesome??... This is it!! I have a similar story as most of the members but mine is slightly different. I used to rummage around our attic for fun in the 80's as a kid. A lot of cool stuff was found such as my parents high school yearbooks and other neat stuff... BUT my greatest find was my dads hardcover copy of Boy Gets Car! (i think later it was called Hot Rod) I read that book over and over for years. Every night it was next to my bed and I would read a little and use an early 60's "Pacemaker Rod and Custom Club" Pit Pass from the drags they held in Mount Vernon, OH as a bookmark. I, too, met your father at the NSRA Street Rod nats, bought his whole set of books, and was generally amazed by him. It was a real treat for a 12 year old kid to meet someone who he only knew through print, face to face and had a positive influence on him. Your dad is one of the greats, in my book.
I read Boy gets Car and Street Rod in 9th grade back in "77". I reintroduced myself to those and some of the others about 5 years ago and loved them as much now as I did back then, i plan on handing them off to my son in a few years.
I was born and grew up In New Zealand ,a long way from the locales described in the books ...where there is a big hot rod culture. I bought most your Dads books through a a school book club and I know that the other rev heads in my school also either had them or had read mine. An influence? sure was,In fact i am sure that most of my younger life ( and driving habits) were influenced by his works.
Greetings from Long Branch,NJ,Americas first seashore resort and 7 time U,S. summer capital....Like the others I also discovered HOT ROD and Bud Crayne and his friends while in grade school back in the 50,s....needed a book for a book report and found it at a school book sale....got an A on the report ....also during some of my various sales jobs I have used that note pad on the knee thing and very seldom use my horn just like old Bud....just drive out of it!!!!....the garage....driving around with no lights on....the speed run to Trenton....the kids.... yes tragedy too....cant tell you how many times I have read that book over the years....I used to be a hot rod kid now I guess I am a hot rod old man with a daily driver old Corvette with side pipes and fat tires....buddy of mine thinks I am trying to be young....no....just being me and the way I've always been with my '31 roadster, 46 panel, 48 Caddy and 69 Nova standing guard. Great books ....HATS OFF TO YOUR DAD.
Welcome to the HAMB, those books sure left an impression,on many a young rodder over the years. They were,and still are treasured.
Killer, what an intro!! Welcome to the HAMB. Believe it or not my mother bought me a copy of Hot Rod when I was about 11 or 12. It was probably the first book I read without putting it down. If you reprint the box set, PLEASE be sure to take orders here first. Mark me down for a set, my 2 year old grandson needs to read his books.
So, if you haven't already figured it out.....we are waiting for a reprint. If you could do it with the original artwork, that would be awesome. Perhaps in Paperback to make it affordable for a kid and then an issue in quality bound hardcover.......? Those books got me into the library in elementary school.
What do you say about a man like your dad. I'm 61 and still read voraciously because of him. I've read all of his books over many times. It would be great to see them reprinted for today's youthful gearheads. Only author I hold in more esteem is Hemingway. Yes, I think your dad was as great. You must be very proud of him. Maybe sometime you could relate what it was like growing up his son. I for one would love to hear about it .He was the greatest, and "Welcome Aboard".........Ole Pork
Glad to hear from you. I'm 60 years old. I read most of your Dad's books when I was a kid. Still have some. They are great to read and timeless in their content. Hard to say which I enjoyed the most--probably the first one I read in the 50s--Road Rocket. I notice they still sell well on the various book sites.
I read that book a few times as a child. And I was also building model cars then. Now I remember it well. I hadn't thought about it for 40 years or more. The main character of the book ended up with a pink Hot Rod. Funny I have also ended up with a pink car.
Greetings from North Dakota. As with everyone else I too discovered your dad while in high school and was influnced by his work. It felt like he was one of us, knowing what we liked and more importantly what we felt. When you get done reading the tributes to your dad take a look at the locations they have come from. He has truely touched lives around the world.
I'll be 60 in a couple of months... When I was in the 6th grade, my older sister checked Hot Rod out of the high school library and brought it home for me to read. After that I read all of your dad's car-related books except Fever Heat (didn't know about that one back then). Later, in high school, I re-read them all. A few years ago I started buying old copies on Ebay. I have them all now (some hardbound, some paperback) except Fever Heat. I look forward to reading that one someday (if I can ever find a copy that I can afford; they're rare and valuable). As said above, if you ever decide to reprint the collection, let us know - I want one or two. I still love those stories and re-read them every couple of years...
HJFelsen-- Welcome to H.A.M.B.! You may be surprised to find that there are many of the old-timers here that were influenced by your father's books. There is also another long thread here on H.A.M.B about your father --Henry Gregor Felsen...Hot Rod...Fiction? The following is the thread I posted on that sight-- --------------------------------------------------------------- Street Rod by Henry Gregor Felsen was the first book I bought, read every word and didn't skim through the pages. I kept it for many years and at KKOA in Holland, MI, I met Henry Gregor Felsen and showed him my copy of Street Rod. I asked him to sign it. Before he signed it, he called his wife over to look at it because it was an edition that he had never seen before. His signature also included words thanking me for saving the book over the decades enabling him to see the cover for the first time. He turned to me and said "Thank you for making my day". I told him actually, he had made my day. ------------------------------------------------------------------ As your father mentioned to me during our conversation many of his book when new editions were brought out they changed the covers that he hadn't seen. I'm sure there are covers that you haven't seen before . If you ask the guys to post different covers I'm sure they would. Best of luck on your website and let us know when it's ready for viewing. TwoChops
I discovered your Dad's books in 1968 when my family moved to Iowa. One of the books, I believe it was Street Rod, was set in Des Moines. Your Dad describes how the kids would start their cruise downtown and proceed west on Grand Avenue, north on Polk Boulevard, east on University and then back downtown. Kids in Des Moines still "scoop the loop", but don't get out of downtown. The books show up on eBay from time to time and I have read them all again. Great memories!
I bought "Hot Rod" in paperback around 1969 and read it over and over many times. I live in Western Illinois and had traveled many of the highways and blacktops of Eastern Iowa with my parents so the fact that it was set in Iowa was pretty cool for me. There are a handful of "treasures" I still have from those days, that copy of "Hot Rod" and a paperback copy of the script from "American Graffiti" are two of them. If there is a box set in the works sign me up and you might consider a biography of your father to go with it, he touched a lot of young lives in a very positive way. Heck I don't have much going on this weekend, I think I'll dig "Hot Rod" out and read it again!
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