Around the World in a Napier: The Story of Two Motoring Pioneers

A unique detailed record of the first round-the-world trip by car

From Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, the ambition to make round-the-world trips was born, and the first man to do this in a motor car was Charles Glidden, in 1902. Along with his wife and British engineer Charles Thomas, the American millionaire took a Napier car twice around the world to visit places that hadn't conceived such an invention. Their journey took them from Boston to Austria, where they cruised 10 miles due to a frozen gas tank and were promptly arrested; the Arctic Circle; the Far East; and more. They encountered a variety of attitudes and people on their travels, including the last cannibal of Fiji and anti-Western sentiments in Japan. Here Andrew Jepson uses his grandfather Thomas's photographs to create a fascinating story of the groundbreaking journey. Perhaps it wasn't done in 80 days, but this is certainly a must read for all road trip enthusiasts.

Andrew M. Jepson is the grandson of Napier motoring mechanic Charles Thomas, who accompanied Charles Glidden on his round-the-world motoring tours. He is a retired teacher who has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather with his own off-the-beaten-track. Geoff McGarry is the president of the Napier Power Heritage Trust.