The story of the new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette - the first mid-engine Corvette design ever to make it to series production - is one that deserves to be told. GM knows this, and the Detroit-based automaker is building upon its forthcoming two-part documentary video series Revolution: The Mid-Engine Corvette Story with an officially licensed book that will also recount the tale of the C8's conception and development.

Pre-orders for the book, titled "Corvette Stingray: The Mid-Engine Revolution", are now being accepted through online retail giant Amazon. It features a forward by GM President Mark Reuss, and it's chock-full of photography from Corvette team members and GM's own historical archives.

"With the eighth generation, Chevrolet has done more than raise the bar or move the goalpost - they've torn down the stadium and started from scratch," reads the book description.

"Corvette already had prodigious power on tap, but its front-engine configuration put some limitations on its handling and traction," it continues. "The new mid-engine Corvette eliminates any final performance barriers and takes the battle to supercar rivals like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren."

"It's the story every Corvette fan needs to read."

Indeed, it would be hard to overstate the significance of the Corvette's switch from a front-engine layout, like it's had since its introduction in the 1950s, to a mid-engine one. Such a dramatic shift wasn't strictly necessary; Chevrolet could have kept pushing the performance envelope without relocating the engine. But moving such a big source of mass rearward has the benefit of relocating the center of gravity for improved rear-wheel traction and better cornering.

Corvette Stingray: The Mid-Engine Revolution is scheduled to drop on May 19, and if we had to guess, we'd say that's likely about when Part 1 of the video documentary will debut, as well. We can hardly wait.