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Are there any books on racing in Sweden between 1925 and 1939?


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#1 stewartjp

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Posted 02 June 2017 - 00:51

G'day Everyone,

 

I am still working on my research Project on Dodge and DeSoto's racing in Europe before WW2. 

 

I have some great books from Belgium which have helped a lot, but I am having trouble getting much from Sweden. 

 

I was wondering have any books been published on the history of Racing in Sweden at this time? Any tips would be much appreciated. 

 

 

Cheers 

 

Stewart 



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#2 nexfast

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Posted 02 June 2017 - 07:12

Stewart, I have a book called Speed in Sweden, A Century of  Swedish Motor Sports, a collective pictorial work that devotes about 50 of its 135 pages to the period before WWII. It is written in English and Swedish and has plenty of captioned photos - though not much text. I could even find a photo of a Dodge in 1937 :wave: . It was published in 2004 by Darwin Books of Stockholm but their site seems not to exist anymore.



#3 stewartjp

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Posted 03 June 2017 - 04:06

Thanks Mate, 

 

I have a copy ordered and on the way :) 

 

Cheers 

Stewart 



#4 Tomas Karlsson

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 08:00

"Speed in Sweden" is a photo-book with a lot of nice photos, but not much to rely on if you want to do any historical research. I was consulted as an expert and managed to help them a little (over a phone-call the day before the book went to print!), but there are a lot of errors in the captions. And a whole book about racing in Sweden without any picture of Ronnie Peterson...!?

There are some older books, and motor cycle rider Martin Strömberg wrote a whole series of books, that must be considered as the best you can get. But the book about Swedish racing is yet to be written. I have started at least :) But working my way through old magazines and newspapers in the library is very time-consuming. The enjoying part is that there is so much to be found.

Without bragging, I think I could say that the best source you can find is me. Send me a message and let me know what you are looking for. I know of both De Soto and Dodge race cars here in Sweden.



#5 Michael Ferner

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 12:43

But the book about Swedish racing is yet to be written. I have started at least :) But working my way through old magazines and newspapers in the library is very time-consuming. The enjoying part is that there is so much to be found.


As our former host delighted in reminding us, through the words of Barbara Tuchman:

"Research is endlessly seductive, but writing is hard work."


 ;)

#6 Tomas Karlsson

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 17:54

I know. And even more time-consuming!! :well:



#7 nexfast

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Posted 06 June 2017 - 22:43

Tomas, at least you already know you will have a buyer when your book will be finished and published! Even better if you would consider a bilingual edition...



#8 stewartjp

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Posted 07 June 2017 - 00:10

Thanks Everyone, 

 

Thomas I will drop you a note shortly. 

 

Many Thanks 

Stewart 



#9 tsrwright

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Posted 11 June 2017 - 13:03

"Speed in Sweden" is a photo-book with a lot of nice photos, but not much to rely on if you want to do any historical research. I was consulted as an expert and managed to help them a little (over a phone-call the day before the book went to print!), but there are a lot of errors in the captions. And a whole book about racing in Sweden without any picture of Ronnie Peterson...!?

There are some older books, and motor cycle rider Martin Strömberg wrote a whole series of books, that must be considered as the best you can get. But the book about Swedish racing is yet to be written. I have started at least :) But working my way through old magazines and newspapers in the library is very time-consuming. The enjoying part is that there is so much to be found.

Without bragging, I think I could say that the best source you can find is me. Send me a message and let me know what you are looking for. I know of both De Soto and Dodge race cars here in Sweden.

 

Interested in 1930's midget car racing dirt track or ice. I have a few leads but not much so more information would be a help.



#10 Tomas Karlsson

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Posted 11 June 2017 - 20:51

There was, as I wrote to you, a lot of racing in Sweden in the 20ies and 30ies, even though you can't find that much about it in books or on the Internet. It started off with speed events where they ran on a 1000m straight. Most of them on ice. The next big thing was hill-climbs. There were climbs all over the country from spring to autumn. Modern day races were rare and the few races in the 20ies usually had the cars starting one by one. Modern day races didn't start off until in the 30ies. The reason was the lousy narrow gravel roads. So motorcycles were first out. But with the big races at Rämen, where they raced on winter roads (and lakes), the ball was rolling. Most of the races were on ice, where they could find wide flat surfaces. In the late 20ies they also started to race on horse trotting ovals and that continued up through the 50ies (and beyond...). But the tracks and races were few.

 

There were no midgets in Sweden in the 30ies. The only time there ever raced any, where in October 1935, when two British JAP-engined midgets did an exhibition race in the autumn races on Solvalla trotting oval outside Stockholm. But it didn't create any interest in Sweden.


Edited by Tomas Karlsson, 11 June 2017 - 20:52.