Motorcycle Book
Steve McQueen, The Last Mile, is a wonderful compilation of cherished stories and personal photographs from the precious memories of super-model Barbara Minty, Steve’s disheartened widow. Barbara collected these precious memoirs over the very special three and half years they were together.
Her personal chronicle takes you inside the last few years of the King of Cool’s storied life. And behind the photos lie a true Hollywood love story that will be related to and without doubt replicated for generations to come.
The candid photographs capture a relaxed McQueen shortly after he had retreated from the glare of the Hollywood limelight. McQueen settled in Santa Paula, California about an hour northwest of Hollywood in search of the simple life and away from all the fanfare.
And regardless of his fame, he was an endearing man who favored vintage pick-up trucks over a new cars and comfortable blue jeans over a fancy suits. Not to mention a collection of over 120 wonderful motorcycles, which enjoyed maybe most of all.
Yes, he was a man who loved everything mechanical; whether astride one of his vintage motorcycles, in the cockpit of his biplanes or making U-turns to chase down a vintage pick-up he wanted to own in his collection.
This is McQueen with long hair and sometimes-overgrown beard that was as humbly captivated by the lives of everyday ordinary people as his fans were to him. Maybe this was the one part of life he missed out on due to his highly famed career.
For over 25 years Barbara held these sacred memories to herself but now it is her private accounts that make this book special. Experiencing the photos and the closing chapters, it is easy to get sentimental about the 1980 loss of a true motorcycle enthusiast just into his fifties.
As Barbara recently entered her fifties we wish her well and thank her for this small treasure. We loved this coffee-table book, which was also a great read from start to finish.
