For Women’s History month, we’ve been sharing lots of posts highlighting the incredible women of the automotive industry. Today we’re sharing some of our picks for great books written by women who were actually there. That’s right, all of the books on today’s blog post are penned by the great leading ladies of automotive history and motorsports legacies. Learn about their lives on and off the track, as well as the ways that women have helped influence and shape the way we buy, drive, and sell cars today from these incredible stories.
You may recognize some of the names on this list as well from previous posts this month highlighting some of the greatest names in the game. We think you’ll really enjoy this more in depth look into the lives of those who threw open the garage door to allow other women into this male-dominated industry. Let’s turn over the wheel to those who know the ins-and-outs of the automotive realm the best! It’s all right here on today’s post
We’re really excited to share these titles with you, and if you’ve read any of them, we’d love to hear from you in a comment! Let us know which ones are your top reads. And as alwayss, feel free to add your suggestions for other books by women in the car racing circuit and automotive industry, and we’d be happy to feature them in an upcoming post.
The Woman and the Car a Chatty Little Handbook for the Edwardian Motoriste is a reproduction of a classic piece of automotive writing written in 1909. It was written by Dorothy Levitt, a pioneer of women in racing who set the Ladies World Land Speed in 1906, and taught Queen Alexandra and many royal princesses how to drive! This would make a wonderful keepsake for the girly gearhead in your life to add to her collection.
Women At The Wheel: A Century of Buying, Driving and Fixing Cars by Katherin J. Parkin will captivate automotive enthusiasts of all levels. Dissecting the symbolism and history of car culture as a predominantly male-dominated industry, this text takes a look at how women are taking the wheel and have been steering the industry in a new direction for decades. It dismantles stereotypes of automotive marketing, education, and even licensing rules. Take a fresh new look at the history and future of the automotive industry from a new perspective.
Janet Guthrie was one of the first women ever to participate in automotive racing! She earned an engineering degree, but decided to forgo her scholarly ways for a life of excitement on the raceway. She was also the first woman to ever qualify for the Indy 500, and a top overall racer in NASCAR history. This book is great for car enthusiasts of all ages, or even your buddy who is a history buff! You’ll want to check out her autobiography, A Life At Full Throttle for sure.
We’ve highlighted a lot of women in motorsports during women’s history month, a detailed about how many of them have paved the way for racers of today! Rosemary Smith is one of the leading ladies who opened the proverbial garage doors to other women in racing. Her autobiography, Driven: A Pioneer for Women in Motorsport, chronicles her livfe in the fast lane and her perspective and personal experience on and off the track.
Tinkering: Consumers Reinvent the Early Automobile by Kathleen Franz is an excellent book that dives deep into the history of the consumer car. Covering everything from advertising and marketing, sexism and gender bias, invention and innovation, and how ordinary thinkers, movers, and shakers changed the way we look at, purchase, and even drive cars from the original models up to modern day vehicles! It’s a fascinating look at this ever changing industry, and the impact women have especially on the automotive world.
