10482 replies to this topic

[BcnRaceFan]

I live in Barcelona, but grew up a little west of Chicago. Some of my favorite experiences are wandering through small bookshops in the UK (I lived in various places around the UK for 5 years), but today I buy about 50% of my books on Amazon.co.uk, 20% on Amazon.com, 10% at Borders when I visit New York, and the remaining 20% in quaint little bookshops I stumble upon. I buy 0% in Spain because the few booksellers here that have English version books only carry riff raff.

Any bookseller who knows how to position a book well (or any product for that matter) has a chance to catch my business. The ones that are going out of business are the ones who don´t know how to get someone´s attention (like in any business - I think).

Chuck

[Jack-the-Lad]

Lancia Aurelia in Detail by Jonassen.

Anyone have an opinion about this book?

Thanks.

Jack.

[autodrome]

Finally coming next August.

Autodrome 2


Looks like it includes (from text and cover pic)
Rouen-Les-Essarts
Solitude
North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Opel Rennbahn in Germany
Targa Florio
Birmingham
Sitges
Augusta

This list is not totally correct, full details will be released in the new year - but the Autodrome sequel (which will not have a 2 in the title) is coming out in August - just a few more airmiles to clock up.

The fourth and final book in the Autodrome series will be out for christmas 2011.

[fbarrett]

Friends:

I feel a Good Read coming on. One of my longtime Christmas traditions (maybe the only one) is to spend time, especially on Christmas Day, just sitting down and reading a really good book. This year's top choice is Ferdinand Porsche, Genesis of Genius by Karl Ludvigsen. I'll probably alternate that with The Last Eleven by Phil Carney and Jacques Mertens (the story of Porsche's first race cars, the final 11 Gmuend Coupes). Last week I received The Vincent In The Barn by Tom Cotter, but based on his earlier books, The Cobra in the Barn and The Hemi in the Barn, I read it this week, in record time. If I run short of material, I'll go for The Brothers Rodriguez, which will probably keep me occupied until the middle of January!

What are you planning to read over the holidays?

Frank

Edited by fbarrett, 23 December 2009 - 00:44.

[Jack-the-Lad]

I'm thinking of starting the Rodriguez book, too...it's been sitting here staring at me for months....but it just looks so damn intimidating!

I'm well into TNF'er (that always sounds funny) Paul Kenny's The Man who Supercharged Bond. It is really quite good. Well done, Paul!

I find myself gravitating more and more toward historical bios these days. Perhaps because of the utter lack of interesting, extraordinary, admirable people in public life these days.

Jack.

Edited by Jack-the-Lad, 23 December 2009 - 19:11.

[helioseism]

So, I am rooting around on amazon.com, and I come across this book: European Racing, American Style: A History of Formula One in the United States, by Keith Laney. Published on Nov. 20, 2007 by BookSurge Publishing, has anybody read it? Is it any good? Here's the link.

[Vitesse2]

So, I am rooting around on amazon.com, and I come across this book: European Racing, American Style: A History of Formula One in the United States, by Keith Laney. Published on Nov. 20, 2007 by BookSurge Publishing, has anybody read it? Is it any good? Here's the link.

As BookSurge seem to be part of Amazon and describe themselves as "specializing in self-publishing and print-on-demand services" and this book appears to fall into the former category I'd suspect it might not be considered marketable by a mainstream publisher.

Let's face it: in most cases "self-publishing" is just a more refined way of saying "vanity publisher".

Having said that, I read the two sample chapters and couldn't find much wrong apart from a literal. However, Mike Lang's "Grand Prix!" books or DCN's "American Grand Prix" probably tell you just as much (although both are now pretty old).

[helioseism]

Thanks, vitesse2. It also looks like it probably does not have any photos, so I think I will not be getting it.

[Jack-the-Lad]

Did anybody get books for Christmas?

Jack.

[longhorn]

Did anybody get books for Christmas?

Jack.

I received two books which I missed out on originally, Scarlet Passion by Pritchard and Porsche 917 by Morgan. Also Regga by Hilton. And I have a birthday tomorrow so it could get even better.

[philippe charuest]

Did anybody get books for Christmas?

Jack.

didnt get one but bought one (e-bay for a decent price no other better). a book who fill a gap . the Automobile year #20 1972 -73 . the fittipaldi -hailwood -ferrari -donohue year i dont know why i practically didnt had any documentation on that year

Edited by philippe charuest, 25 December 2009 - 19:30.

[Michael Ferner]

Did anybody get books for Christmas?

Jack.

Rabenschwarze Intelligenz, by Josef H. Reichholf

[kayemod]

Did anybody get books for Christmas?

Jack.

I got The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain and Giorgio Locatelli's Made in Italy, the best Italian cookbook ever. I also got Sir Stirling's All my Races, but I paid for that myself.

We don't all have one track minds on TNF.

[Mark A]

Did anybody get books for Christmas?
E
Jack.

My Christmas haul consists of

Formula 1 in Camera 1960-69
Formula 1 in Camera 1970-79
Formula 1 in Camera 1980-89
Mark Donohue - Technical excellence at Speed
Motorsport Archive - 1924-49

[Jack-the-Lad]

I got The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain and Giorgio Locatelli's Made in Italy, the best Italian cookbook ever. I also got Sir Stirling's All my Races, but I paid for that myself.

We don't all have one track minds on TNF.

Thanks for the cookbook tip. What makes it special?

Would the Food Tour book be helpful to someone who'll be in West Sussex in September?

Edit: Never mind....I just checked the table of contents on Amazon. Nothing about West Sussex.

Jack

Edited by Jack-the-Lad, 25 December 2009 - 20:52.

[fuzzi]

Books for Christmas:

"Motorcycle Apprentice - Matchless by Name and Reputation" - by Bill Cakebread (Bill is a friend of mine)

"A Vintage Year" by Peter Macfadyen (a picture book of vintage events)

"Stand on It by Stroker Ace" a novel by Bill Neely and Bob Ottum. (recommended many pages back, laugh out loud funny).

[Ted Walker]

Just a report on Paul Skilleters and myselfs forthcoming "LISTER " Book . It should be out for March 2010. Its looks very good from the proofs. Well worh waiting for.

[Ralf Pickel]

Bought two for myself, if that counts..
Seven Fifty Motor Club
and
The Man Who Supercharged Bond.
But real presents (from girlfriend) are
Bits And Pieces from Bira
and
Mein Mann Der RennFahrer from Elly Beinhorn-Rosemayer - 1938Edition with the condolences from all the infamous guys...

[longhorn]

Birthday made it even better. I received Racing in the rain by Horsman, and Farina il primo iridato and Nuvolari the legend lives on, both by de Agostini. To counter a previous comment, I don't always receive books about racing. In the past I've been lucky enough to receive books on BB King, Monet, Opera, Impressionists, Cream, Fender and Gibson guitars etc. If I inform people early enough about what I would be delighted to receive, and being mindful of what they might cost, I often strike lucky. I think it's called making your own luck......

[COUGAR508]

Birthday made it even better. I received Racing in the rain by Horsman, and Farina il primo iridato and Nuvolari the legend lives on, both by de Agostini. To counter a previous comment, I don't always receive books about racing.

You will love "Racing In the Rain". It was an absolute revelation to me, and re-ignited my interest in sportscar racing...

[longhorn]

You will love "Racing In the Rain". It was an absolute revelation to me, and re-ignited my interest in sportscar racing...

That period of sports cars was my era and I'm certainly looking forward to reading Horsman's book, particularly to gain his perspective as opposed to say, Wyer's in Certain Sound, or indeed Bamsey's Ferrari 312 & 512, Pritchard's Scarlet Passion and McDonough's Ferrari 312P.

[fbarrett]

Ye Gads! Today, after picking a few new-old-stock books off the shelves to list on Amazon, I came across Birth of the Beetle by Chris Barber, which had a retail price of $39.95 back in 2003. Upon entering it on Amazon, I was flat-out amazed to find used copies priced well over $1,000! Bottom line, I listed my one new copy there for $499.95. Why is this book so rare and expensive?

Of course, I was quickly brought down to earth by listing five new copies of Secrets of Solo Racing, originally a $14.95 book, for a mere $8.99! In fact, if you're an autocrosser, it's worth far, far more.

Yes, Racing In The Rain is a great book; another from almost the same era is 24:16 by Porsche engineer Norbert Singer.

Frank

[pinnacle racing]

Bought a few for myself this Christmas:

Blue & Orange: The History of Gulf in Motorsports by Michael Cotton

Martini Racing Story by Paul D'Alessio

Lotus: The Competition Cars by Anthony Pritchard

Jim Clark: A Photographic Portrait by Quentin Spurring

Porsche: The Complete Photographic History by Glen Smale

Might get Legendary Race Cars by Basef Wasem

[Jack-the-Lad]

Ye Gads! Today, after picking a few new-old-stock books off the shelves to list on Amazon, I came across Birth of the Beetle by Chris Barber, which had a retail price of $39.95 back in 2003. Upon entering it on Amazon, I was flat-out amazed to find used copies priced well over $1,000! Bottom line, I listed my one new copy there for $499.95. Why is this book so rare and expensive?

Of course, I was quickly brought down to earth by listing five new copies of Secrets of Solo Racing, originally a $14.95 book, for a mere $8.99! In fact, if you're an autocrosser, it's worth far, far more.

Yes, Racing In The Rain is a great book; another from almost the same era is 24:16 by Porsche engineer Norbert Singer.

Frank

Frank, I've noticed some anomalies on Amazon. I remember recently looking for a book (sorry I can't remember which one) that was priced at over $1K by one vendor, and all of the others were less than $100. I'm not sure how that happens.

Green Mountain has a Palawan book for which they're asking more than a brand new copy from the publisher, even after shipping costs.

Jack

[karlcars]

I can't explain the high cost of the Chris Barber VW book -- it's quite good but the author has a fondness for exclamation marks that soon becomes wearisome.

May I humbly recommend my 'Battle for the Beetle' from Bentley to those who are interested in this topic?

All the best to all for the new year! It will bring my books on the Bentley-Rolls V8 and the design activity of Colin Chapman, the latter in late April I understand.

[philippe charuest]

Frank, I've noticed some anomalies on Amazon. I remember recently looking for a book (sorry I can't remember which one) that was priced at over $1K by one vendor, and all of the others were less than $100. I'm not sure how that happens.

Green Mountain has a Palawan book for which they're asking more than a brand new copy from the publisher, even after shipping costs.

Jack

thats not unusual .theres a lot of crook in the "third party " at amazon, understand me well Amazon is great ,the best for new book bought directly from them . but abebook or even E-bay are better place to find rare and used books . try this addall book search engine youll see that theres many avenue where to find books and to see whats the real price of the market
http://www.addall.com/
AddALL book search and price comparison

[fbarrett]

May I humbly recommend my 'Battle for the Beetle' from Bentley to those who are interested in this topic?

Karl:

Certainly. It's a much better book!

Frank

[MattKellett]

My Christmas bounty was :

Go Like Hell - Ford, Ferrari and their battle for speed and glory at Le Mans by A. J. Baime

Autocourse 2009-2010

Winning - The racing life of Paul Newman by Matt Stone

Toleman - The last romantics in Formula 1 by Christopher Hilton


I'm about half way through Go Like Hell and it's certainly an interesting read. I'm not sure how the writing style could be described, historical novel, no that's not right because it's not a novel, if anyone else has read it maybe they have a better way to describe the writing style. Anyway, it's an interesting read and i should have it finished in about an hour.

Has anyone here read the new Toleman book by Christopher Hilton, it just arrived today as a surprise gift from my wife - I didn't even give her a list this year, so I think I did rather well!


Matt

Edited by MattKellett, 30 December 2009 - 15:22.

[tyrrellp346wheels]

Has any one read the forza minardi book from veloce and if so what did they think because i am thinking of buying it, would any one recomend it

Edited by tyrrellp346wheels, 30 December 2009 - 12:23.

[ensign14]

Has any one read the forza minardi book from veloce and if so what did they think because i am thinking of buying it, would any one recomend it

I took a couple of minutes to glance through it in a shop, which amounts to reading it cover-to-cover, really. Well worth avoiding.

[tyrrellp346wheels]

Thanks for the advice ensign, i will give it a miss

[red stick]

I'm about half way through Go Like Hell and it's certainly an interesting read. I'm not sure how the writing style could be described, historical novel, no that's not right because it's not a novel, if anyone else has read it maybe they have a better way to describe the writing style. Anyway, it's an interesting read and i should have it finished in about an hour.

I read it about two months ago and the first third struck me as "breathless." I put it down for a week and came back. Either it got better or I got used to the style, because the last two thirds didn't bother me so much.

How's the Newman book?

Edited by red stick, 30 December 2009 - 18:14.

[fbarrett]

How's the Newman book?

I enjoyed Winning and reviewed it positively for www.speedreaders.info. It centered on his true dedication to racing.

Frank

[MattKellett]

I read it about two months ago and the first third struck me as "breathless." I put it down for a week and came back. Either it got better or I got used to the style, because the last two thirds didn't bother me so much.

How's the Newman book?

Mark

I haven't read the Newman book yet, will probably look at it over this weekend. I don't know much about Newman's racing history, either as a driver or team owner, so I'm sure I'll find it interesting to read.

Now for the Go Like Hell book - I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I great light Christmas read, sort of book that one would enjoy relaxing by the fire. Now it's not super detailed, but reads so easily with a certain amount of hero worship - "Let's go and beat those damn Ferraris" But even with his I think the author sheds an interesting and respectful light on Enzo Ferrari and doesn't paint him out to be the evil enemy. After reading I now want to learn more about Ken Miles - are there any books about him?

Matt

[fbarrett]

I now want to learn more about Ken Miles - are there any books about him?

Matt

Matt:

To my knowledge, the only Miles book is Ken Miles by Art Evans, a slim, softbound book published two or three years ago. Let's just say that it was welcomed but could have been much better than it is.

Frank

[red stick]

Now for the Go Like Hell book - I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I great light Christmas read, sort of book that one would enjoy relaxing by the fire. Now it's not super detailed, but reads so easily with a certain amount of hero worship - "Let's go and beat those damn Ferraris" But even with his I think the author sheds an interesting and respectful light on Enzo Ferrari and doesn't paint him out to be the evil enemy. After reading I now want to learn more about Ken Miles - are there any books about him?

It's a breezy read and I have to say I enjoyed most of it. But Baime's background is editing Playboy, and the book is weakened by his lack of expertise about racing (technical issues with the cars are frequently mentioned and then dropped, leaving us wondering how they were resolved) and over-reliance on his interviews with the principals, who are trying to recall events that took place over 40 years ago. The material about Surtees and his struggles within Ferrari were interesting, but the Shelby-worship was a bit much for me--his epilogue about his drive with Shelby where the old man laments the loss of Miles and swears that he'll establish a scholarship fund in his name was evidently supposed to a moving tribute to lost friendship, but mostly left me wondering why the old man hasn't found the time to do it in the last 43 years.

Overall, a B+.

[red stick]

I enjoyed Winning and reviewed it positively for www.speedreaders.info. It centered on his true dedication to racing.

Frank

Thanks. I have a Barnes and Noble gift card seeking a target and this may do nicely!

[Roger Clark]

Highly recommended, to those interested in this of thing, is Las Temporados Argentinas, 1947-48-49 by Guillermo S Iacona. Text in Spanish and English, some superb photos, new to me. I'm not sure about European distribution but copies may be available through adam@forgham.com

[D-Type]

This year I got the Alan Henry Stirling Moss book and Italian Racing Red.

I also have a W H Smith gift card. Any suggestions?

[pinnacle racing]

I really enjoyed Go Like Hell. Could anyone recommend a good book focusing on the Ford GT40?


On another topic, is there any book out there on Red Bull's history in motorsports?

[red stick]

I really enjoyed Go Like Hell. Could anyone recommend a good book focusing on the Ford GT40?

Ronnie Spain's GT40: An Individual History and Race Record is excellent. John Allen's The Ford that Beat Ferrari, is pricey, but worth it.

Baime appears to have relied heavily on Leo Levine's The Dust and the Glory, which is about the history of Ford racing, not the GT40 alone, but is also an excellent read.

Edited by red stick, 02 January 2010 - 22:51.

[fbarrett]

Baime appears to have relied heavily on Leo Levine's The Dust and the Glory, which is about the history of Ford racing, not the GT40 alone, but is also an excellent read.

Volume I, covering the years up to 1968, is definitely the one to have/read, fairly recently re-published by SAE after being out-of-print for years. After 1968, it pretty much got rather boring.

Frank

[red stick]

Volume I, covering the years up to 1968, is definitely the one to have/read, fairly recently re-published by SAE after being out-of-print for years. After 1968, it pretty much got rather boring.

Frank

So true. I originally read this before there was a Volume II which, as you say, is considerably less well-written.

[pinnacle racing]

Ronnie Spain's GT40: An Individual History and Race Record is excellent. John Allen's The Ford that Beat Ferrari, is pricey, but worth it.

Thanks for the tip. I'll check them out.


Can anyone recommend a good book about the Dakar rally?

[David McKinney]

I don't think Fast Ladies by Jean-François Bouzanquet has appeared in this thread, though it has been mentioned in passing on the Hellé-Nice thread.
Being a French book, the emphasis on French drivers is understandable.
But the book's sub-title, 'Female Racing Drivers', is a breach of the Trade Descriptions Act: the publishers (Veloce) should know that in English we do not call rally-drivers or record-breakers "racing drivers".
Although a number of circuit-racing subjects are included, the vast focus is on rally-drivers. And where a driver competed in both disciplines, the emphasis is firmly on her rallying exploits (I didn't even realise Marie-Claude Beaumont had been a rally-driver). Furthermore, the most important rally of all seems to have been the Paris-Saint Raphaël, which was of course open only to female drivers, and similarly, where the circuit racing exploits of such as Bill Wisdom or Eileen Ellison are discussed, an over-emphasis is placed on their successes in ladies-only races at Brooklands.
There's one page on F1 drivers: Desiré Wilson gets just two lines, and no mention of the fact that she was the first woman to win a Formula 1 race, Divina Galica gets four, Maria-Teresa de Filippis eight, Lella Lombardi 11 and Giovanna Amati 24...
Having said that, there are lots of high-quality photographs, albeit mainly static. And amongst it all are some scandalous facts about some of the better-known names which I didn't know about till I'd read it

[kayemod]

Good to see something fitting the description 'Book Review' on here David, much more help than the kind of one-liner that many of us post on this thread. We've been a bit short of proper reviews since poor old Pete departed this mortal coil.

[Vitesse2]

Furthermore, the most important rally of all seems to have been the Paris-Saint Raphaël, which was of course open only to female drivers,

I'd be willing to bet that it glosses over the 1938 one, in which Betty Haig, Mrs Lace, Dorothy Stanley-Turner and Amy Johnson took four of the first six places!

[edit] Can anybody remind me of Mrs Lace's first name? It seems to have slipped my memory!

Edited by Vitesse2, 04 January 2010 - 21:20.

[fbarrett]

Good to see something fitting the description 'Book Review' on here David, much more help than the kind of one-liner that many of us post on this thread. We've been a bit short of proper reviews since poor old Pete departed this mortal coil.

Rob:

Good point. See www.speedreaders.info, which is growing nicely.

Frank

[kayemod]

A few posts ago, I was bemoaning the lack of proper book reviews recently on this thread, so practicing what I preach, here’s a small contribution. I've just finished Williams by Maurice Hamilton, and found it a lot more interesting than I'd expected, I have done a quick search here, and no-one else seems to have mentioned it yet. I've never been a big Williams fan, absolutely nothing against them, and always pleased when they won, it's just that I liked one or two other teams rather more, though Alan, Keke and Damon were always the tops for me. I don't think I've read a biography quite like this before, the way it's done is fairly novel, and on the whole it works well. Each chapter starts in the usual way, and then follow a number of 1st person narratives, each giving comments, background detail, or their own version of contentious or significant events, so Hamilton starts every chapter with a general view, then the likes of Patrick Head, Adrian Newey, Damon, Nigel, Nelson, Keke and all the others, Frank Dernie, mechanics and truckies and the like and Sir Frank himself, all add their own side of the story. I found this especially interesting in the case of the 1986 Hungarian GP, where Mansell is still whingeing today about having been tricked by Nelson Piquet, who he claims used some kind of trick diff, keeping the secret advantage to himself until after the race, but according to Head, Dernie, Williams, and others, it really wasn’t as Nigel and some sections of the UK press reported at the time. The book heightened my admiration for Sir Frank, though I found it rather too eulogistic in many places, Maurice Hamilton is clearly FW’s greatest fan, and I felt that he overdid the praise at times, making him out to be Superman in a wheelchair. He is also not exactly a cheerleader for Damon Hill, who I’d say doesn’t always get a fair write-up, Maurice dwells on the negatives far more than the positive side, whereas Nigel Mansell comes out of his time with Williams rather better than he deserves in my (biassed) opinion. The book is well written, as most would expect, and clearly very well researched. The only really disappointing feature of this book are the photos, which are few in number, too small, not terribly well reproduced at least in my copy, and generally somewhat uninspiring, also almost all of them have been published many times before, you’d have thought that those responsible could have done much better. Overall maybe 8 out of 10, an interesting story imaginatively told, but just too much like a Williams PR job at times.

[Bjorn Kjer]

Paul Parker should release a new book this year in his great series , this one being Sports Car Racing In Camera 1950-1959.

(sorry if it has been mentioned earlier)