[Historybuff]

I am only a few days late getting the word but apparently the new book by Coliln Comer on Shelby is out on the market. Entitled The Complete Book of Shelby Automobiles Cobras Mustangs and Super Snakes it is hardbound and you can get a peek at it on Amazon. comThough I haven’t seen the book in person, I was interested in the description on Amazon.com, to whit:

“Shelby American gained almost instant recognition from the moment the first Cobra hit the street. The entire original Cobra/Ford GT/Shelby Mustang period spanned just over eight years, eight years filled with countless racing accomplishments, the World Manufacturer's Championship, a 1-2-3 finish at LeMans, you name it and Shelby won it. The underdog did it, and to this day we are still rooting for him. And deservedly so.
The stories and accomplishments are legendary, but none more so than what can only be described as the magic this company and its cars possess to this day. It was the perfect storm. Shelby found the right ingredients, the right talent, the right sponsors, the right drivers, and enough unbridled enthusiasm to take what some had called "a bunch of junk" out into the world and not come home until there wasn't a challenge they didn't win. Call it what you will - dumb luck, stubbornness, or just being in the right place at the right time, nobody can deny that we will never see the likes of anything like Shelby ever again.
The Complete Book of Shelby is just that - a complete listing of Shelby automobiles. It is the story of every car ever touched by that Shelby magic. From Cobras to Mustangs, race cars to street cars, AC Cars to Toyota, it is your ticket to knowing a little more about every vehicle that Shelby "messed with" as the big Texan would say. Like anybody else, and any other manufacturer, Shelby had its ups and downs. There were great cars and cars we'd rather forget. But the story is indeed one of legend, and larger than life. The tale and the cars transcend traditional boundaries. It doesn't matter if you are a Chevy person or a European car enthusiast, a drag racer or a road racer, into NASCAR or sports cars, or even if you're not even really a "car person" there is something about Shelby that appeals to us all. It is an American success story. And not one of us can ever deny we always respect the underdog who beat all the odds to come out on top. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Shelby American. And every one of the cars that follows has that DNA in it. Grab a copy of the Complete Book of Shelby, fasten your lap belt, and enjoy the ride.

Book Description
Shelbys are the most iconic performance cars in the history of the American auto industry. This lavishly illustrated work conducts readers through Shelby American's forty-plus years. An exhaustive review of American high performance, from the first Cobra produced in 1962 through today's fire-breathing, world-beating Shelby GT500KR Mustang, The Complete Book of Shelby Automobiles offers an in-depth look at the ultra high-performance cars that have made Carroll Shelby a living automotive legend. With extensive details, specs, and photographic coverage, this book is the ultimate resource on America’s most exotic performance car. "

The book is 256 pages, hardbound, ISBN-10: 0760335788
ISBN-13: 978-0760335789 and weighs almosts four pounds. It measures 10.9 x 9.9 x 1.1 inches , and is just over an inch thick at least. It is rated at #12414 in popularity the day I read the review, so it’s moving up fast, already twice as popular in one week as Matt Stone's book on Steve McQueen which has been on the market at least a year.
I don’t know if it was Kindle but somehow on the net you can see the table of contents and a sample page of text and I like the fact the book has an index. I will be interested to see the pictures, having collected Shelby pictures for 40 years to see what new ones have been unearthed.
I will head over to Borders and Barnes & Noble and see if they have it though it only came out Nov. 16th, 2009. Incidentally it is list priced on Amazon.co as $45 but wouldn’t you know they have it priced at $29.70. It might be similarly priced at the big bookstores as Borders and B & N are having a price war at present.
Further opinion after I see it--I knew there would be an "ultimate coffee table book" on Shelby published someday but have to see this one before I can apply that title. I was thinking something more along the order of larger in page size and about 430 pages!

________________________________________