The Kings of the Road by Purdy, Ken W - 1955

Dust jacket is clipped, quite bright and vivid. Has rub marks, chips and creases to edges. Piece missing from jacket top of spine. Cloth cover has marking and wear to edges. Text block has foxing, end papers tanned. Text block separated slightly from top of spine. Some foxing and tanning to pages. No marks or inscriptions.

Ken Purdy was an American automotive writer and editor, born in Chicago in 1913. He graduated in 1934 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Soon after, he got his first newspaper job with the Athol, Mass., Daily News. From there he went to Oshkosh, Wisc., to the Chicago Radio Guide, to associate editor of Look; and to the United States Office of War Information as editor of Victory during World War II. He was an editor at Parade, Car and Driver, Argosy, and True magazines between the late 40's and mid 50's. His main interest was cars and the people who drove them. He produced 35 short stories and scores of automotive pieces for Playboy magazine. He won Playboy's annual writers' award three times. His first car book "Kings of the Road," published in 1949, is still considered by many to be a landmark.