Mike Mueller's book, The Garlits Collection: Cars That Made Drag Racing History, not only showcases the cars that made drag racing history, but also gives the reader a fairly complete history of drag racing.

The author starts by giving background on Don "Big Daddy" Garlits himself, and why he is so instrumental to how drag racing developed and grew as a sport over the decades. Mueller also describes The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, in Ocala, Florida, arguably the greatest monument to drag racing ever built.

The book then goes car-by-car, traveling roughly chronologically through drag racing history, using the most famous (or infamous) cars in the museum. Each car featured has a detailed essay explaining its particular significance. These essays often show the reader a glimpse of drag racing history at the time the car actually raced.

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For instance, one of the cars featured is Shirley Muldowney's 1980 Top Fuel Plymouth. In the accompanying essay, Mueller not only details the highlights of Muldowney's career, he also takes the opportunity to tell readers about the history of women in drag racing, and spotlights other famous women drivers such as Shirley Shahan, Paula Murphy and Barbara Hamilton.

This 192-page book also features tons of colorful photos to illustrate each essay and keep the reader interested. Not just pictures of the Garlits' collection, but vintage racing pics as well.

This book is good both for the die-hard drag racing fan, and the novice who wants to learn more about this sport. And hey, it's a much more interesting book to have on your coffee table than some collection of pictures of flowers or sunrises.