Street Rod 1953

1963 Edition.

Discussing one of Felsen's earlier books, Hot Rod, one reviewer had the following to say:

"Although author Henry Gregor Felsen was not a master novelist, he was good. Unintendedly, he wrote a time capsule that captured a unique era in Americana and in our car culture. The War was over and the country was prospering. Car ownership, with its joys and hazards, was becoming accessible to almost all teenagers. This was truly the dawn of the "hot rod" culture, and indeed this title of Felsen's novel was not a household word at the time.

Felsen documents the spotlights, white steering wheels, and squirrel tails that adorned the early rods. The multi-carbs, straight pipes, and 3-speed stick shifts. And the jargon that now sounds so dated, but was so out front at the time. The machines were incredibly simple by today's measure, but even then there was a sort of priesthood of those few boys/men that knew how they worked and could make them run (I intentionally exclude the feminine gender, because that's how it was. Though I never met one, I suppose there were exceptions, just as there is the occasional two-headed cow)."

For another fan's viewpoint, visit Pop Void.