Written by Tom Madigan and published by ejje publishing group, “The Chrisman Legacy – Always Faster” is what we would consider a “hybrid book.” By hybrid, we mean a book that is a combination of the great story-telling of a classic motorsports book married with the best features of a coffee table book.

This one is a large, hard-covered book that should be displayed in an area where it can inspire conversation. The non-fiction subject matter masterfully tells the story of the Chrisman family surrounded by photographs and accompanied by small blocks of text that explain the purpose of the pictures.

About The Book

Like the best books written, this photo-book/biography, draws the reader in and will not let go until chapters are read. Before the reader is aware, the book is finished and a second pass through the book to look at the photos is required. Stuffed full of personal recollections and interviews with other legendary figures – some of which have since passed – with text that is easy and interesting to read.

This is ejje publishing group’s first book to hit the market. As such, we expect it to be a collector’s dream. Because the book is a hybrid, there is really nothing else like it on the market in the automotive/motorsports genre. It can certainly be called ground-breaking in that aspect, and will probably become a very collectible book as time goes on.

The aspects that most readers will not immediately identify is the page size of the book. The ejje publishing group wisely chose a page size that compliments the subject and dynamics of the photographs.

The text and photos are broken down into eight chapters or sections, that cover legendary men and their speed machines; Chrisman’s early years, the years with Autolite, life after Autolite, interviews with family and friends, and the past, present, and future of the Chrisman Legacy.

How The Book Is Set Up

The book is not set up in chapters like conventional non-fiction stories typically are. Rather, Madigan has intelligently broken the sections of the tale into periods of the overall story. When judging a book for its artistic intent, the content, style and merit, all have to be considered.

The style of this novel is very unique – not only in the blurred lines of a motorsports story and a photo-book – but the layout of the chapters is new and relevant.

As far as style goes, Madigan stays true to his previous offerings–showcasing the ability to listen and clearly hear what his subject is saying, then telling that story without going off-track from the theme of each story.

For instance, Ed Justice Jr. explained that there were several photographs in the book that were originally shot in color, but were published in black and white in the book to match the period being described.

The Book’s Merit

When asked why he decided to start a publishing company to print a book when all other book publishers are having a tough time in this electronic age, Ed Justice Jr. simply stated, “It was a story that needed to be told and we felt that we could do the job better than anyone else.”

While everyone – including us – can applaud the newer e-book technology and devices that allow more people to enjoy reading about automotive legends, we are thankful that publishing companies like ejje publishing group continue to produce breakthrough books like “The Chrisman Legacy” in print format. An e-book cannot come close to mimicking the experience of holding and reading this book.

We rarely review motorsports books or movies – not because we don’t read or watch movies – but because so few deserve to be discussed. “The Chrisman Legacy” is one of the rare recently published books that is worth reading and owning. This novel’s dominance, despite having no current competition in motorsports publications, is a book that measures up against the best motorsports books of all time. In the last 10 years, only Rubython and Schlegelmilch’s “Rush to Glory: Formula 1 Racing’s Greatest Rivalry” can come close to matching the quality of ejje publishing company’s debut piece.

“Art & Lloyd along with their father Evert and Uncle Jack Chrisman were and are great examples of the term ‘Hot Rodder.’ As long as it had a motor, they were interested. And let’s face it, Art still is,” said Justice.

In A Nutshell

The Chrisman Story begins with the family’s struggles through World War I and World War II along with the Great Depression era. Evert “Pops” Chrisman, the eldest of 12 children, along with his youngest brother Jack,  moved the family to California in search of jobs, like many American’s during the Great Depression. When the second World War broke out, the family found work in the shipyards of Southern California.

When the war ended the automotive work began as “Pops” opened his own garage in Compton, the center of the Hot Rod world at that time. “Pops” and his sons Lloyd and Art, along with Uncle Jack, worked and began racing as a tight family group. Hitting all of the local drag strips, the Chrisman family flourished in the racing environment. Jack towed a severely chopped Model A Tudor on nitro that ran 114 mph, to the strips. While Art and Lloyd campaigned one of the oldest surviving dragsters of all time, one that had raced on the lakes in the 1930s, which the brothers coaxed to become the first drag car to hit 140 mph.

From the early drag strips, the family pushed on to El Mirage and the Bonneville Salt Flats for speed records. Art became one of the first 200 mph club members in Chet Herbert’s Beast III streamliner when he averaged 238 mph. The clan decided that they could build their own car and set records. By using a design that allowed for a variety of different engines, the family headed to Bonneville to collect as many records as they could.

In the 1953 Bonneville Nationals, they attempted a record in the Class C coupe division, but the Mercury engine ate itself after the first run. Swapping in a 258 ci Ardun, they set a Class B record at 160.178 mph. They swapped that out for a 304 ci Mercury and ran the second fastest time behind the Fox & Cobbs SoCal coupe. In 1954, Art set a new Class B record of 180.08 mph and a Class C record of 180.87 mph, a record that stood for several years. In 1955, they were back at Bonneville and set the Class D record to 190.839 mph. The brothers also tried their hand at circle track racing. Art and Lloyd crewed for Tony Capanna at Indianapolis when they tried to qualify with a Dodge Hemi engine in 1955.

The Autolite Years

Part II of the book is dedicated to the period when Art became the west coast representative of the Autolite spark plug company, a division of the Ford Motor Car Company.  At the time, Ford was investing heavily in racing teams. This brought Art and the family into direct contact with racers from every type of racing. Ford’s “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” mentality turned racing into an exciting time for the Chrisman family. Once Ford decided to decrease their motorsports program, the Autolite advertising program was deemed not cost effective and eliminated. This takes us to part III of the book, “Life After Autolite.”

In part III, we have Art forming his own company with son Mike. The father and son business, C.A.R.S., began as a successful hot rod and speed shop, which continues to thrive today, collecting numerous awards each year. There are many stories of the Chrisman’s successes and eventual membership in different Hall of Fames, car associations, and groups in this section of the book.

Part IV is dedicated to Uncle Jack and tells the story of Jack Chrisman. From his days as a very successful top fuel drag racer to a very successful businessman, many of those interviewed for the book gave their thoughts on why and how Uncle Jack was the competitor that he became.

Video Slideshow Of The Photos In The Chrisman Legacy – Always Faster

Interviews And Photos

Ed Justice Jr.’s guiding hand in the book is evident in the interviews and photos included. Anyone with any familiarity of the publisher knows that Justice likes to get the story correct by comparing the viewpoints of many different sources that were there. This is certainly the case in the chapter dedicated to interviews of  the noteworthy people that shared and lived this rich story of the Chrisman Legacy.

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Candid shots like these are sprinkled throughout the book.

Interviews with the Stroppe’s, Paul Pfaff, Kelly Brown, Harry Hibler, Ed Pink, Tom McEwen, Tommy Ivo, Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Bobby Spere, Tony Thacker, Stu Hilborn, Danny Eames, John Force, Lou Senter, Carl Olson, Jerry Kugel, members of the Chrisman family, Tom Prufer, Bob Muravez, and Jerry Toliver, along with others, color the Chrisman story with a whole array of flavors.

The same is true of the photographs used in the book. Justice is famous for his passion and love of photography. When we heard that Ed Justice Jr. was publishing a book, we automatically knew that the photographs were going to be the best of their period. In all we counted 45 color photos and about 250 black and white photographs from the different periods of the Chrisman family. True to form, the photographs were extremely high quality, which puts it above the typical motorsport book offerings.

Our Recommendation

The Chrisman Legacy – Always Faster, is a book that stands on its own merit. The story is great, the photos are top shelf, the layout is perfect. It’s so nice to see a sidebar on the page where a sidebar is needed. Tom Madigan has done a great job at not only telling a tremendous story, but calling out the details that make an interesting story great.

Kudos to both Ed Justice Jr. and Tom Madigan for raising the bar on motorsports books. It is a great read, a collector’s item, and a good investment. You won’t find another book on motorsports done this nicely. If this is the future of automotive books, count us in!

Anyone interested in finding out more about the book, or those interested in purchasing a copy, can go directly to the website at www.chrismanlegacy.com

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Many of these photographs have never been seen by the public before.