Thanks to my colleague Diego, I’ve been adding car-related books to my bookshelf lately. For a long time, I’ve had an interest in learning more about Lee Iacocca, who played major roles in the history of both Ford and Chrysler. So off to eBay I went in search of a copy of “Iacocca: An Autobiography” by Lee Iacocca with William Novak. I ended up getting more than I paid for — and expected.

Book collectors seem to make purchases based on the condition of the books as well as their content. While conducting my search for my very own Iacocca autobiography, its shape didn’t matter to me (unless it was absolutely trashed). I wanted to keep the cost as low as possible because the main thing that mattered to me wasn’t the shelf appeal but the information about a major figure in automotive history in between the front and back covers. It came down to two hardcover choices: an autographed copy for $39.95 or a plain one for $3.98. I thought Iacocca’s signature would be nice, but not 10-times-the-amount-of-money nice, so my budget copy of the 1984 edition was delivered to me recently for a total of $4.30.

As soon as I got the book unwrapped I opened it up and started flipping through the pages. I stopped at the very first one, which would’ve normally been blank, but this one had been written on with a blue ballpoint pen — by Lee Iacocca himself. His signature was the first thing that I noticed (what a steal!), but the section above it was a bonus. It read:

“To Eddie Giobbi —

The cookbook is a winner! I have now found a way to eat more pasta & still lose weight.”

At first I thought this Eddie Giobbi was a random guy that recommended a cookbook he liked and that Iacocca just humored him. Nonetheless, I decided to look him up and now have a reason to believe this was Edward Giobbi, the Italian-American artist and sculptor whose creations have been displayed in the Art Institute of Chicago, Boston Museum, Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., National Academy of Design, and Tate Gallery in London, among other venues.

What do painting and sculpting have to do with pasta? Nothing really, but Edward Giobbi was also the co-author of Italian cookbooks, one of which was “Eat Right, Eat Well — The Italian Way,” published in 1985. Amazon says it “Provides low-fat, low-cholesterol recipes for Italian-style appetizers, soups, pasta, rice, fish, poultry, meat, vegetables, salads, sauces, and desserts.” The author’s name and the context of his cookbook seem to match Iococca’s friendly and supportive dedication, so my guess is that Iaccoca was at a book-signing in 1985 or shortly thereafter, Giobbi told him about (or gave him a copy of) his latest cookbook there, and Iacocca used that to thoroughly personalize his message.

I’m glad I decided to buy this cheaper copy of Iacocca’s autobiography. Sure, it’s not addressed to me, but the story here — if my educated guess is correct — is so much more interesting.