Henry Gregor Felsen, 1916-1995, and author of some three dozen books, is best known for his six books about teens and their cars, written in the 1950's. He so captured the era, and the relationship of teens and their cars, that he earned the nickname, "The Granddaddy of Street Rodding." There was a time when a boy could scrape together a small amount of money and buy a car that would run. He could use his own imagination and ingenuity to create a street rod that others would envy. Ricky Madison is that boy in Street Rod. In this timeless coming of age story, Ricky goes against his parents to buy a car, enabling him to be part of the group. "Scooping the loop", wild driving, and pranking others gets him in trouble with the adults in town. Ricky and his dad come up with a way for teens to be respected as responsible drivers, but encounters problems along the way. Ricky has an idea that might redeem him in the eyes of the town and his friends. Felsen's descriptions of cars, driving, and teen behavior are a precious time capsule to what we now think was a simpler time. Once the recipient of an award at a librarians' conference for having his books stolen more than any other author, you'll understand why so many never returned "Street Rod." Hot Rod, Street Rod, Rag Top, Fever Heat, Crash Club, and Road Rocket (Boy Gets Car) sold millions of copies, and are still sought after by Felsen's fans. Original copies are hard to find, and can cost more money than you can imagine. The family owns the copyrights and has been responding to the urging of his readers, who now want to have their children and grandchildren read these books. More information about Henry Gregor Felsen can be found at www.HenryGregorFelsen.com.

Street Rod

Children's Books

Felsen, Henry Gregor

Cars, Trains & Things That Go

Felsen Ink

Link Aller was a rebel and an outcast. The people of Dellville blamed him for what had happened to Ricky Madison.Virgil Kern, Dellville's new cop, had nothing but comtempt for Link, and had no problem roughing him up.Link knew how to get back at Kern, a plan that included Kern's 16 year old daughter, Darlene. VanZuuk watched with an amused expression on his broad, shiny face as the yellow convertible rolled down the street well within the speed limit. A block away, the driver spotted the police cap as Arnie knew he would. A moment later the mellow tone of the mufflers was swallowed up by an angry, earsplitting roar as the yellow car shot ahead with tires screeching, leaving black marks on the pavement. As the car tore past the police car, the driver turned his head and gave the two policemen a bold, defiant stare. Felsen captured the mood, the feel and the tempo of American adolescence during the fifties better than any other writer. His novels may seem naïve to us now, but those were naïve times. Felsen was the fifties. For that reason alone, his books are worth remembering.  Jim Morton Popvoid.blogstot.com

Rag Top

Literature & Fiction

As the original 1950's book was promoted: The breakneck story of a wild breed of men - and their thrill hungry women. The tearing shriek of metal against metal, the stink of gasoline fumes, the sweat of men working all night in the pit, and the cheap perfume of the girls who hang around the track looking for kicks...this is the souped up world of the stock car racer. And this the story of Ace Jones, a man whose flesh and soul have prectically grown to the battered iron of the heaps that are his whole life - and of a girl named Sandy, who sees in him the same fever that burned out her husband, the same wild streak that made her love him... Henry Gregor Felsen, iconic '50's author, published Fever Heat under the pseudonym, Angus Vicker. Unlike his teen novels, Hot Rod, Street Rod, Rag Top, Crash Club, and Road Rocket, Fever Heat was an adult story, written in the setting of a small town and the locals who raced on Saturday nights. Felsen has been referred to as the "Granddaddy of Street Rodding" as his books sold millions of copies, and reached readers all over the world. His fans find his older copies to be collectibles, but his books were so widely read that the condition is often poor. At the request of fans, his daughter, Holly Welch, and son, Dan, have republished the ten car novels in hopes of providing a rembrance for those who read the books as teens, and a picture of teens, their friends, their girls, and the cars that consumed them.

Fever Heat

"In the car-crazed youth culture of the 1950s and early 1960s, no figure was more important than the writer Henry Gregor Felsen. In my circle of semi-Beatnik Southern California street racers, for instance, his novels were were read and re-read until the paper covers literally disintegrated. He was one of the few adult writers (Jack Kerouac was the obvious other) who understood the full desperation and elation of our punched-to-the-metal generation. At the same time, this tough ex-Marine undoubtedly saved thousands of lives with his forensically sobering descriptions of the Friday night carnage on the crossroads of small Midwest towns. In American cultural history, Felsen was to the 1950s as L. Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz) was to the 1900s." Mike Davis Professor Creative Writing U.C. Riverside So far, Raccoon Forks had been a lucky school. Its fads had been noisy, out-landish, expensive, silly; its leaders noble, flighty, and irritating. But it had been spared the destructive, damaging crazes that had seized students in other high schools. Indeed, the addiction to drag-racing gaudy cars was almost something to be thankful for. And yet, the current fad was doomed from the day "Outlaw" Galt transferred to Raccoon Forks. He not only usurped Mike Revere's position as the "best boy with the best car," and also the girl who went with it, but set off a struggle for prestige and leadership that was fought with cars. Racing gave way to recklessness and "heroes" were measured by the depth of their road wounds. Where would the new fad end? That question troubled the principal of Raccoon Forks High. But how to regain his leadership and the affections of his girl was all that mattered to Mike Revere. He'd find a way. . . With Crash Club, Henry Gregor Felsen proves again, as he did with "Hot Rod" and "Street Rod," that he not only understands teen agers and their problems but can also write a story guaranteed to keep their eyes glued to it from start to finish. Felsen's children, Dan Felsen and Holly Felsen Welch, have republished these favorites for the fans who loved them as teens and for new generations, as well.

Crash Club

Noble Old Heap! That's what Woody Ahern, president of the Road Rockets, thought when he first saw the big old '47 Ford. And when the motor roared to life, Woody knew he had to have it-no matter what he had to do to get it! Here is the action-packed novel of "a car crazy kid," who learned the hard way that he couldn't own a car just for a few bucks and a little elbow grease! Henry Gregor Felsen was the master story-teller of hot rod fiction. Millions of readers have thrilled to his other outstanding bestsellers, Hot Rod, Street Rod, Rag Top, Fever Heat, and Crash Club. First published in the 1950's, his children, Dan Felsen and Holly Felsen Welch, have republished these popular books for the fans who loved them as teens, and to introduce a new generation to the world of '50's hot rodding.

Road Rocket

1950's street rod stories by iconic author, Henry Gregor Felsen.

Henry Gregor Felsen Street Rod Collection

Speed! Danger! Death! These words were splashed across the cover of Hot Rod, warning readers. Written in 1950, this book gives an historical look at the dangers of teens and reckless driving. After WWII, cars became more accessible, and teens were now hitting the roads for excitement. Many horrific accidents occurred all over the country. Felsen was specifically approached to write a book about the dangers of teen drivers. Bud Crayne was the typical tough guy with a chip on his shoulder. Dressed in a black leather jacket, black boots, and blue jeans, he was not the clean cut kid. Adults cursed him, while teens admired him. He drove fast and wild. His idea was to "drive your way out" of any trouble. While it worked for Bud, others weren't as fortunate. A couple of horrific wrecks make him question his need for speed. Stephen King, when interviewed for an article called Reading While Famous, named Felsen as one of four authors who most influenced him when he was young. He actually used Hot Rod and Henry Gregor Felsen as a book Ben Hanscom was reading in the book "It".

Hot Rod

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