In 1909, when Edward Stratemeyer published
The Automobile Boys of Lakeport
, gasoline-powered cars were a rarity and a novelty. The first American automobile manufacturing company, the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, was not founded until 1893; Henry Ford's Model T was only three years old. "Roads" were nothing more than dirt wagon tracks; cars were unreliable; flat tires were common; "gas stations" were practically nonexistent; top speed of the Model T was 40-45 mph. Still, motoring was the dream of many, and those who experienced it never wanted to go back to the horse and buggy. It is almost miraculous that Stratemeyer was able to predict with such accuracy what motoring adventures a group of young men would have over the course of a summer, from sabotaged bridged to theft of the expensive, loaned car itself. Not only is the book full of non-stop action, it will open the eyes of readers who have become complacent about the quality, quantity, reliability and near self-driving of today's cars.