"Chain your dogs and lock up your fowls!" heralded posters announcing the first international road race in the United States and the first of the six William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910. These races were the most prestigious sporting events of their day, drawing huge crowds from 25,000 to over 250,000 spectators. The Vanderbilt Cup Races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways and are a testament to the early racing spirit and drama. The rare images in this book, many published for the first time, have been selected from the archives of major museums, libraries, and private collectors.
Howard Kroplick, a research volunteer at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, has extensively researched and lectured on the Vanderbilt Cup Races. He is a member of the Vanderbilt Cup Race Centennial Committee and the Long Island Motor Parkway Panel and is the CEO and owner of the Impact Group, a Manhattan-based medical communications company. Florence Ogg, who contributed the foreword, is the director of collections and archives at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.