'Masten Gregory: Totally Fearless'

Just arrived - the biography of Masten Gregory by Michael Cox, known around here as Joe Fan. No time for more than a quick scan yet, but I don't think it is premature to offer Michael sincere congratulations on his achievement. Long standing members of this forum will be aware of the development of the project from the first time he asked us to identify the subject of Carroll Shelby's quote "He was the fastest American who ever went over to race a Grand Prix car".

Michael has been very generous in his acknowledgement of help from members of this forum and others, but the hard work, the determination and the success are all his.

That's excellent news.

Michael, congratulations on your achievement. Top marks for sticking to your guns and see this all the way through.

And we could only think of one man to write the 8W article on Masten...;)

http://8w.forix.com/gregory.html

Thanks guys.


This was a project that was somewhat born on TNF and I wouldn't have been able to write the book without a whole lot of help from so many great people--many of which participate on this forum. I really can't imagine writing a book like this without the Internet and especially without a place like TNF.

Overall, I am happy that the book is finally in print, but I can attest that publishing is like life and a real art form! The book has its strong points but some of the photos in my inserts did not come out as well as they should have because my printer printed with too much ink. They printed darker than they were on the monitor and how they printed on my DeskJet. This upsets me because I chose one of the largest printers in North America, not some small mom-and-pop one. And a few things got by my highest paid copy-editor. But I see typos and glitches in first edition books all the time and thought "that will never happen in my book." I guess the only perfect book is a second or third edition one, after the slow readers find them and mail them in.

Despite a few flaws, I think the book is a pretty good value considering its small print run and all the time and effort that went into it. Ideally, I should have socked a bit more money into the book and priced it considerably higher like they do most small market books, but I felt getting Masten's story out to more people was worth more to me than profit.

At any rate, the book should be ready to ship next week for U.S. customers (see: www.mtcabooks.com) but I haven't figured out how to handle international orders yet because shipping internationally is risky and can be expensive for express deliveries.

The book being about a home town hero, Michael, how's the local reception?

Congratulations on getting the job done and overcoming the many potential issues that could have led to this being stillborn.

For better or worse, the reason I found Atlas was Joe Fan’s article on Masten Gregory in the main website. As Joe knows, Masten was my teenage hero. I know from making movies and videos, you are never satisfied with the finished product. You see all the flaws. It never totally comes out as you saw it in your mind. My order will go in right away. I have been waiting a long time for this. Let’s support Joe’s effort here. It was a labor of love.

My check is in the mail...congratulations.

Ursula

Originally posted by Buford
.....I know from making movies and videos, you are never satisfied with the finished product. You see all the flaws. It never totally comes out as you saw it in your mind.....

Absolutely true!

At Racing Car News we took all the care in the world inspecting the artwork and then the negatives... but the first thing we did when we got the finished copies was to go through to find the mistakes!

Great new!
I just emailed to my sister in Dayton to send an order, so if all goes well, the book
will be here end of this month.

That gives me an idea...

Might get my son in Indiana to order it for me and send it on as a present. Or maybe his wife...

Problem is that everything he ever sends me through the mail seems to just go back to him undelivered. It never leaves the USA... apparently they don't know where Australia is. Or maybe they don't understand the accent he has when he writes the address?

Originally posted by Joe Fan

... I haven't figured out how to handle international orders yet because shipping internationally is risky and can be expensive for express deliveries.

Through eBay using the "Buy it Now" option? Specify PayPal as the only payment method and you should have a guaranteed payment.

And sincere congratulations on the publication of your book Michael. So now what are you going to do?

I hope the book is still available when I reach the U.S. at the end of April!!!

Well done, Joe!!!

Originally posted by Joe Fan
This was a project that was somewhat born on TNF and I wouldn't have been able to write the book without a whole lot of help from so many great people--many of which participate on this forum.

Hey, that was really no problem. I was glad to be of help. Just mention my name on the front page and transfer the 50% and we are not talking about it anymore. Count on my discretion.

Originally posted by Ray Bell
That gives me an idea...

Might get my son in Indiana to order it for me and send it on as a present. Or maybe his wife...

Problem is that everything he ever sends me through the mail seems to just go back to him undelivered. It never leaves the USA... apparently they don't know where Australia is. Or maybe they don't understand the accent he has when he writes the address?

I ship to Australia all the time with no problem. When I sent Baby Satan her beads to New Zealand, I shipped from Las Vegas on a Friday, they told me it would take a week to 10 days. She got the package on Tuesday, 4 days later! Actually three days because it was still Monday where I was and Tuesday in NZ.

Congratulations to Michael! The book looks great - reads great too. I believe it is a valuable contribution to the literature and history of motor racing. I hope everyone on TNF will show their support by buying a copy!

Excellent news, congratulations Michael

You can pre-order the book at Barnes & Noble, and they ship internationally. I ordered two books from them in the past, and although the packing was not perfect, the books have arrived (almost) intact. Unfortunately, they changed their policy recently and raised the shipping costs considerably. Last summer I order two books (the new edition of Doug's 'Cooper Cars' and the new 'Maserati - A Racing History' by Pritchard) and they only charged $7.90 for S&H!

Thanks for the congrats and to everyone who has ordered books. I am short on time and I will post more responses and answer some questions later (along with a good Masten anecdote that came in after the book was at press) but I wanted to point out that I have no deal with Barnes and Noble, they pulled my info from Bowker's Books In Print. So if you ordered them on Barnes and Noble's site, you will be disappointed. I may do a deal with a local B&N store later but the cost of my book and the price I am asking for it doesn't make it a good candidate for large retail chains.

It is kind of funny that B&N shows my book and they also show, "People who bought this book also bought." I have never been contacted by Barnes and Noble about carrying my book or about any pre-orders. However, I did get a form to fill out (sent by Bowker) if I desired them to stock my book. Eventually they will change the pricing details when they can't deliver the book to those who ordered it through them. However, my book will still show up on their website and on their in-store computer system because they use Books in Print as their master database. Books in Print is a free book listing catalog for publishers created and maintained by Bowker, the ISBN supplier in the U.S.

Originally posted by Ray Bell
The book being about a home town hero, Michael, how's the local reception?

The local reception is starting to warm up a bit but Masten got passed over once again for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Some power boat racer from St. Louis got in and that was their token "motorsports" selection for the year.

But there was an article in The Kansas City Star a week or so ago that mentioned Masten. It was an article on a famous war photographer, David Douglas Duncan, whose pictures appeared in publications like Life magazine. Here the excerpt that mentions Masten:

"He [Duncan] recalled people he photographed. Such as the child featured in a picture page Duncan shot for the The Kansas City Star in 1939. The photo editor suggested he focus on the kids in Duncan's neighborhood at summer play. Duncan showed one boy daydreaming. He used a photographic trick by placing a picture of a schooner [a sailboat] he'd taken behind the boy's shoulder.

"But that wasn't the point. Duncan explained, with casual astonishment still in his voice, how the boy, named Masten Gregory, went on to become a famous Formula One race car driver, the first American to do this or that at Le Mans."

I contacted the writer and told him about my book. He said he had visited my website in the past and was interested in a copy of my book. I sent him one and he said he was going to either write an article on Masten or he would try to get some blurb about my book somewhere in the paper. I also wished I knew where to get this photo that Duncan took because photos of Masten as a child or teen are quite rare, as well as photos of Masten's father.

Originally posted by Buford
For better or worse, the reason I found Atlas was Joe Fan’s article on Masten Gregory in the main website. As Joe knows, Masten was my teenage hero. I know from making movies and videos, you are never satisfied with the finished product. You see all the flaws. It never totally comes out as you saw it in your mind. My order will go in right away. I have been waiting a long time for this. Let’s support Joe’s effort here. It was a labor of love.

Oh No! I am responsible for Bufurd! The Paddock Club and TNF have never been the same since.


Buf, this one is for you. Here is a Mastoid anecdote from a Kansas City friend of his, that came in too late to make my book.

Driving down Ward Parkway with my friend in his small Hemi-powered ’47 Plymouth, we heard a honk and saw Masten next to us with the whole family in a Ford station wagon. We had met Masten several times at Duncan’s house [Masten’s brother-in-law] and we thought he was great. We took off at about 59th street and raced him around the curve on Ward Parkway to the Plaza. He beat us by at least two car lengths and we didn’t catch him till 47th Street and Jack’s Hemi was fast.

The next time we saw him was during that next summer when we were working at the Prairie Village Standard station. Masten came in around 2 o’clock in the afternoon in a small Ferrari coupe. We looked the car over while he told us about it, then he took off going south on Mission Road and went through the gears. The Ferrari had straight pipes and we could see and hear him for about a mile. He had to be going 80 or 90 mph by the time he got to 75th street. We were four or five years younger and drag racers, and he was a big deal even then. He was always great with us and answered all our questions and certainly left a lasting impression with me.

Congratulations Michael. I hope to pick the book when I will be at Sebring next month. Can't wait to read it.. you know why.

Originally posted by Joe Fan
It is kind of funny that B&N shows my book and they also show, "People who bought this book also bought." I have never been contacted by Barnes and Noble about carrying my book or about any pre-orders. However, I did get a form to fill out (sent by Bowker) if I desired them to stock my book. Eventually they will change the pricing details when they can't deliver the book to those who ordered it through them. However, my book will still show up on their website and on their in-store computer system because they use Books in Print as their master database. Books in Print is a free book listing catalog for publishers created and maintained by Bowker, the ISBN supplier in the U.S.

Hmmm.... This is strange! If it's not possible to get the book from B&N, please let us know, Michael how we could order it from Europe. I'm certaily interested in reading it! I received books from the US more then once, and the shipping cost was usually a mere $9, even with prioritiy mail. How many books were actually printed?

Count me in for one in the UK too, if you can. And I'll show it to a certain UK bookshop proprietor who might be interested in coming to an arrangement if you like.

Me too, Michael. I'm in Sweden, but to get it from the US or the UK is no problem, just as long as I know who to contact.

Originally posted by Buford
I ship to Australia all the time with no problem. When I sent Baby Satan her beads to New Zealand, I shipped from Las Vegas on a Friday, they told me it would take a week to 10 days. She got the package on Tuesday, 4 days later! Actually three days because it was still Monday where I was and Tuesday in NZ.

But do you write the address with an Aussie/Indiana tainted accent?

Honestly, it's happened time after time. Bundles of magazines he's got for me, they're in his basement. A CD of a printer driver was months in the mail system before he got it back. I don't think it left Indianapolis!

Well you can't really count Indiana as being in the civilized world, or anything.

Oh?

Well, he apparently gets all his bills okay...

Anyway, I've asked him to get the book for me, maybe he can post it some time when he goes to Montana to visit his inlaws.

Michael, I am also looking forward to reading your book on Masten.

Your comments on David Douglas Duncan caught my eye as well. One of my most treasured books is his War Without Heroes (1970), a photographic anthology of U.S. Marines in Vietnam. The U. S. Army sent me to Khe Sanh, one of the places he covered, shortly after DDD had been there. Those photos are a haunting reminder of what hell on earth looked like. I lived with recurring nightmares of the place for 26 years until I finally exorcised those demons by returning there in '94.

He just turned 88 -- a pro's pro who covered combat in WWII, Korea and RVN.

Geza, Criceto, conjohn, Vitesse2, Ray and other TNers outside the U.S., just send an email to: mtcabooks@prodigy.net and my wife or I will work something out for you all.

PayPal would be a nice option to use for international buyers but the variances in shipping costs creates problems. In order to ship a book and cover your rear, you have to pay an additonal $7.50 for insurance through the U.S post office--and I think they limit the claim to $40. Variable shipping rates (based upon the buyer's country) cannot be setup in PayPal. You have to set the shipping costs up as a percentage or in a dollar range with no regard to the country of the buyer. The real risk in international shipping is items getting damged or lost in customs. Graham Gauld sent me some photos and a slide for use in my book and the damn customs people cut open the envelope 1/3rd open, probably to see what the slide was, and they didn't bother to tape up the envelope. Fortunately the slide did not fall out but it easily could have.

So, in order for me to cover my butt with international shipping, I would have to charge about $15 because shipping varies according to country. I will have to check into these issues further but it has been like a Chinese fire drill around my house because the publisher got the print job done much sooner than I anticipated.

As far as the size of my print run--proprietary information. I will say that my first print run was probably half or a fourth of a typical motorbook from a big publisher and I could have easily advertised it as "limited edition" and charged much more but I would like to do another print run if possible. And if I do a second edition, it more than likely be at a higher price. Also, after checking two cases of books (48 copies), 12 copies are completely unacceptable for resale because some of the photos make it look as if Masten was African-American because of too much application of ink. And in a few copies, there is a weird blotch on one particular photo. I am going to have to check the quality of each book before sending them out and if this botched rate holds form, 25% of my books on the first run will more than likely have to pulped. This means that the book is even a better buy and I might have to raise the price up later to its original retail price because with each botched book, I am losing an opportunity to recoup my time and investment. And my net-profit potential off the first run was nothing to get real excited about to begin with.

Originally posted by Lotus23
Michael, I am also looking forward to reading your book on Masten.

Your comments on David Douglas Duncan caught my eye as well. One of my most treasured books is his War Without Heroes (1970), a photographic anthology of U.S. Marines in Vietnam. The U. S. Army sent me to Khe Sanh, one of the places he covered, shortly after DDD had been there. Those photos are a haunting reminder of what hell on earth looked like. I lived with recurring nightmares of the place for 26 years until I finally exorcised those demons by returning there in '94.

He just turned 88 -- a pro's pro who covered combat in WWII, Korea and RVN.

As much as Duncan photographed wars with some disturbing images forever etched in his mind, it is kind of amazing that he would still remember photographing Masten as a youth, especially at age 88.

Originally posted by Joe Fan


The local reception is starting to warm up a bit but Masten got passed over once again for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Some power boat racer from St. Louis got in and that was their token "motorsports" selection for the year.

First, Joe, err Michael...congratulations on the book

The powerboat racer from St. Louis, Bill or Mike Seebold? No slouches either one of them, and while it's ridiculous that Masten still isn't in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, it's refreshing that they even put anyone from any form of motorsports in...that's far better than some of them out there.

Interesting story about Duncan's photo of a young Masten.

I did notice that short track Stock ace Larry Phillips is in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which is both great and shocking. I just stumbled across that in a lengthy article on him that appeared in the Kansas City Star last October. The unecessary and inaccurate stereotypes about California racers, and it's overall "aw shucks" tone weren't needed but I'll clue the writer in with details he doesn't have ;)

Jim,

I am of the belief that many of these "Halls of Fame" are more interested in honoring those who can sell the most $100-per-plate seats at the induction banquet.

The power boater from St. Louis was Bill Seebold, who is also a honored member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Michigan.

My copy arrived yesterday... well, I got it yesterday, but the Post Office has had it for several weeks... I just haven't been able to get there in the daytime for a while...

Great detail, Michael, you've kept the reader abreast of his progress in racing by detailing it event by event. This is only possible because you have done a lot of research and been unrelenting in the pursuit of this detail.

But the master stroke I've struck so far (I'm about half-way through...) is the article written by his mother. That's a great find for the book, and something you just had to include. Like the letter he wrote to his brother after Portugal in 1955, it adds a reality of the time when it is plain that you have struggled to get that reality in other parts of the book.

Especially for a first effort, you are to be congratulated on the result. And I am proud of you going the self-distributing route too, beating the system and keeping the price in a more affordable range without sending yourself into the poorhouse.

In all, apart from the historical perspective and the human drama presented, the book is a testimony to your determination and application to the job. I'm afraid I won't have much sleep again tonight as I will just have to read some more...

Thanks Ray. That article written by Masten's mother and the letter Masten wrote to Riddelle were real gems. I have never read any racing biography (for drivers of that era) where you got the perspective of a driver's mother. It is apparent that they very close and had a unique relationship. I could of disected those written pieces and wove bits of them throughout the book. It would have made me appear to be more of an expert and made some of the parts of the book more interesting but I felt it was better to leave them in tact.

I'm sure you did the right thing... they are an aside from the regular commentary on his life, an excerpt from another world in the case of his mother's piece.

Where the reader is intent on moving on to the next race or the next season, this interruption reminds him/her that there is a human side that has considered things other than fastest laps and prizemoney, pointscores and contracts.

As a 'first effort' publication, I doubt that you could have done any better. The level of research is commendably high, the number of contacts you obviously made is remarkable, the time you have used has been well spent.

Just get him into that hall of fame!

Thanks again Ray.

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Just get him into that hall of fame!

That is my goal. I really think Masten deserves to be in more than just local halls of fame. But you have got to start somewhere I guess.

As far as the book, I know I could have done better had I worked a little longer on it. However, you have got to put the baby to bed sometime, especially since so many people who wanted to see this book in their hands are getting up in years.

At last a book on Masten Gregory, well done that man.

When writing the Sixties Motor Racing book with Michael Cooper he told me a funny story about Masten. Apparently MG kept a London flat near Marble Arch and Michael visited one day in the '60s and while he was there used the bathroom. Whilst taking a leak something suddenly landed on his right shoulder, frightening Michael half to death and causing a slight misfire! he leapt into the air in panic dislodging a slightly bemused bush baby that Masten was keeping in the bathroom as it was the warmest room in the apartment!

Anyway Kurt at Motor Books in London showed me their advance copy and I await the first deliveries. I saw Gregory race several times in the early 60s and a few years ago drove the '59 Tojeiro Jaguar at Silverstone. Even though it is a much better car now than then, Masten really deserved a VC for driving it so quickly (ditto Clark, Flockhart et al). It scared me witless. Elsewhere in TNF we were discussing D types and Ray Bell reminded us that MG had lapped the Ring in under 10 minutes with a D type in 1958 (in fact 9m 58sec). For this alone he should be remembered.

Originally posted by Paul Parker
When writing the Sixties Motor Racing book with Michael Cooper he told me a funny story about Masten. Apparently MG kept a London flat near Marble Arch and Michael visited one day in the '60s and while he was there used the bathroom. Whilst taking a leak something suddenly landed on his right shoulder, frightening Michael half to death and causing a slight misfire! he leapt into the air in panic dislodging a slightly bemused bush baby that Masten was keeping in the bathroom as it was the warmest room in the apartment!

I wish I would have known about this one before I went to the printer. I received a letter from Michael shortly before John died and I wished he would have added that one in his letter but his father was in ill health.

Originally posted by Paul Parker
Anyway Kurt at Motor Books in London showed me their advance copy and I await the first deliveries. I saw Gregory race several times in the early 60s and a few years ago drove the '59 Tojeiro Jaguar at Silverstone. Even though it is a much better car now than then, Masten really deserved a VC for driving it so quickly (ditto Clark, Flockhart et al). It scared me witless. Elsewhere in TNF we were discussing D types and Ray Bell reminded us that MG had lapped the Ring in under 10 minutes with a D type in 1958 (in fact 9m 58sec). For this alone he should be remembered.

Not only was Masten quick at the Ring, but in his first true participation at Le Mans in 1957*, the only Jaguar driver who posted a faster lap than Masten during the event was Ivor Bueb, and Bueb was only a few tenths faster. Considering Masten's co-driver and owner of the D-type was Duncan Hamilton, a previous winner of Le Mans, and that other previous Le Mans winners Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson also drove in D-types in that race, I think this says a lot about Masten's raw speed.

*At Le Mans in 1955, Masten didn't get to drive during the race because the Ferrari he was scheduled to drive broke a piston early on while Mike Sparken was at the wheel.

Joe, great book. I was fortunate to meet Masten in the Chicago area when he was passing thru town attending to business. We were all at Sandy McArthurs and he strolled in. Said he was living on an island of the coast of Italy. He had long been retired. Watched him race at Road America.

Originally posted by xkssFrankOpalka
Joe, great book. I was fortunate to meet Masten in the Chicago area when he was passing thru town attending to business. We were all at Sandy McArthurs and he strolled in. Said he was living on an island of the coast of Italy. He had long been retired. Watched him race at Road America.

Thanks Frank! Sorry I didn't see this until now.

Congrats on getting your book out! I just saw the review in Road & Track, and my first thought was 'I wonder if that's the book Joe Fan was working on?'. I'll be sure to order up a copy ASAP!

Originally posted by Joe Fan
The local reception is starting to warm up a bit but Masten got passed over once again for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Some power boat racer from St. Louis got in and that was their token "motorsports" selection for the year.

Has anybody mentioned on TNF that Masten Gregory was finally inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame this year?
http://www.mosportsh...?inducteeid=404

BTW: The powerboat racer mentioned above was none other than the famous Bill Seebold.
http://www.mosportsh...?inducteeid=313

Originally posted by ReWind
Has anybody mentioned on TNF that Masten Gregory was finally inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame this year?
http://www.mosportsh...?inducteeid=404

I thought I had posted this somewhere here at the time, but maybe not. Anyway, I attended the event this past February with Masten's daughter and granddaughter (who both look quite a bit like Masten), Masten's first wife, sister-in-law, nephew, and high school friend. Masten's brother Riddelle gave the acceptance speech and did a great job, really bringing credibility to the sport amongst all the stick-and-ball athletes. You all would have been proud to be a motorhead in attendance there after that speech.

Another interesting development, James "Jim" Chressanthis (the man who shot the Dale Earnhardt movie "3" for ESPN and also the recent ESPN movie on Roger Bannister movie "4 Minutes") is trying to pitch a movie on Masten ("Totally Fearless") based upon my biography to a production company in Hollywood. He was in a bookstore in Australia this year and saw my book in the corner of his eye and bought it. He heard some of the Masten stories from his uncle who lived in Kansas City when he came to visit him here (Kansas City) as a youth. Anyway, he obviously liked the book and sent me an e-mail and this started banter back and forth on the idea. Chressanthis has good rapport with ESPN and they love his work, so this would be easier sell to ESPN. Unfortunately, Jim told me that a time period movie such as this would probably require double the budget that ESPN Earnhardt movie had.

I am not holding my breath that a Gregory movie will ever be made because racing movies are hard sells in Hollywood due to past box office flops. Maybe the upcoming Will Ferrell "Talladega Nights" NASCAR movie might cause some in Hollywood to reevaluate the worth of racing movies, because Hollywood is more concerned with churning out money-makers than they are really good movies from an artistic standpoint. But at the very least, Chressanthis wants to do a documentary on Masten if the movie idea doesn't go anywhere. And whether it gets made into a movie or a documentary, it will be a great one either way and promote the memory of arguably the bravest driver in motorsports history.

I enjoyed your book and it's nice to see that your lobbying on behalf of Masten has finally paid off.

What took those dingbats so long to induct Gus Otto? I had forgotten that he was on the Raiders in the "Heidi" game.
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