The newly-released The Racetracks of America: From the Pre-Civil War Days to the 21st Century — “An unprecedented history of the tracks that have defined American racing since the 1800s. . .” — will be discussed during a mid-morning talk with its Editor in Chief, Brien Bouyea, and followed by a book signing, on Sunday, Oct. 12 starting at 11 a.m. at the Maryland Horse Library & Education Center in Reisterstown. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Bouyea will offer a brief overview with a visual presentation, and provide additional details about chapters in the book that focus on Bowie and Havre de Grace.

The 440-page coffee table book chronicles the rich history of America’s iconic racetracks. The entire project took about a year to complete, with Bouyea assigning writers based (as much as possible) on tracks they were familiar with. Thirty-five writers, a who’s who of equine journalism, contributed histories of dozens of popular past and present racing venues. The impressive volume includes close to 600 photographs, paintings, programs, admission badges, and other memorabilia.

The book was produced by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in partnership with Keeneland Library, with underwriting support from Stella Thayer and the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust. “The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s mission is to preserve and promote the history of Thoroughbred racing in America and this volume is a perfect example of the Museum doing exactly that,” said Bouyea. “I want to thank Keeneland Library, all of the contributing writers and photographers, and the trustees and staff of the Museum for their support of this unique project.”

Bouyea was among the contributors, and adds to his stable of historical work which includes Bare Knuckles and Saratoga Racing: The Remarkable Life of John Morrissey, and, as co-author, The Travers: 150 Years of Saratoga’s Greatest Race. Prior to joining the Museum in 2010, Bouyea won numerous national and New York State writing awards while working for a variety of newspapers and magazines covering professional and college sports.

Books will be available for purchase for $75, with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book going to the Maryland Horse Library.