Shelby American Book-Signing
Books And Book-Cookies At AutoBooks In Burbank
A book-signing with a taste of the book itself.
By Doug Stokes
Sat, Sep 10, 2022 10:15 PM PST
After reviewing "Shelby American - The Renegades Who Built the Cars, Won the Races, and Lived the Legend", we went to the book-signing at AutoBooks over in Burbank. With a 10AM start on a rainy SoCal Saturday, the coffee AND donuts that the famous place lays out every Saturday morning, were very welcome.
Even more fun were the cookies (the British call them "biscuits") that the book's author Preston Learner’s longtime companion Emily Young commissioned for the occasion featuring the cover of "Shelby American". How’d they taste? No idea. They were way too cool to eat (I had two chocolate chip cookies instead).
Almost everyone who took one of the biscuits carefully wrapped it up in a napkin and stowed it in a pocket or a purse. For most there at the signing it was a special keepsake for the day... I did see one person who took a closeup photo of the sweet with their phone, and then proceeded to wolf it down … probably put it on TikTok or Twitter.
It was a fun tribute to a very well-received new look at a man and his machines that still evokes almost endless fascination.
As is the tradition at Autobooks, Learner hung around after the event and signed a number of the books that are now on sale at the Burbank store. If you’re an LA local … you already know how to get there … if you’re "not from around here", that’s OK too, just call Autobooks (818-845-0707) for an autographed copy.
About The Author
Doug has a long and wide-ranging history in the motoring business. He served five years as the Executive Director of the International Kart Federation, and was the PR guy for the Mickey Thompson's Off-Road Championship Gran Prix. He worked racing PR for both Honda and Suzuki and was a senior PR person on the first Los Angeles (Vintage) Grand Prix. He was also the first PR Manager for Perris Auto Speedway, and spent over 20 years as the VP of Communications at Irwindale Speedway. Stokes is the recipient of the American Autowriters and Broadcaster’s 2005 Chapman Award for Excellence in Public Relations and was honored in 2015 by the Motor Press Guild with their Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award. “… I’ve also been reviewing automobiles and books for over 20 years, and really enjoy my LA Car assignments.” he added.
