49 replies to this topic

[Ron Scoma]

Regarding Doug Nye's BRM book Volume 2 and 3.
I received the following from the publisher a few weeks ago. I know it should be of interest to many.
My apologies to Mr. Nye for not seeking permission to post this tidbit of information.

Ron

Dear Mr Scoma
I fear that my early reply to your e-mailed query re Vols 2 and 3 of BRM may
have become stuck in my 'draft' folder instead of being transmitted. Just in
case this is so, I explained that if you place your order directly with us,
we can reserve No 288 of each volume for you on publication. Vol 2 is
scheduled for late February (not January as some people are suggesting!) ,
with Vol 3 six months later.
In February, just let us have either a credit card number or a cheque
for £120 payable to MRP Publishing Ltd, plus of course your full delivery
address, and our distributors will despatch Vol 2 to you immediately it is
available.
Sincerely
John Blunsden
Publisher, MRP

[Allen Brown]

It doesn't say which year.

[David Beard]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
It doesn't say which year.

Cos the publisher has found out that Doug has discovered TNF?;)

[Marco94]

I guess his reply to me got stuck in the same folder. Asked the same question last week. For a different number ofcourse. Good to know that we can order a specific number.

[roger ellis]

Amazon are showing a publication date of Sept 30 for Vol 3 !

Thats only 67 days to go.

Doug?

[Doug Nye]

Very sorry - not going to happen. It's currently about 85% done.

DCN

[green-blood]

Very sorry - not going to happen. It's currently about 85% done.

I dont think I have ever completed anything to more than 85%, just ask my wife about our bathroom / garden / kitchen / mini....

85% is good enough for me!!!




















can we pay 85% ??????

[Jerry Entin]

Green- blood this has nothing to do with Doug's book. But, I have been re staining my house for the last 3 years. Got her about 1/3 done. So you are way ahead of schedule as is Doug.

[Allen Brown]

85% done! Scope creep, if you ask me. I'm sure it was nearly 90% done a year or so ago. At this rate it will be only 50% done by 2015.

Allen

[green-blood]

Green- blood this has nothing to do with Doug's book. But, I have been re staining my house for the last 3 years. Got her about 1/3 done. So you are way ahead of schedule as is Doug.

I hope you're not using Ronseal 5 year wood stain or you're now stuck in a never ending staining process.....

maybe Doug is writtiing in Ronseal 5 year woodstain!!!

[Barry Boor]

Now this project has taken a turn for the worse.

Ah, now we are back to talking about the V.16 B.R.M.

[roger ellis]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Very sorry - not going to happen. It's currently about 85% done.

DCN

Well at least I can offer my thanks for the clarification, Doug, and also for saving me from counting down the days in the manner of a felon crossing off weeks of his sentence.

[Doug Nye]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
85% done! Scope creep, if you ask me. I'm sure it was nearly 90% done a year or so ago. At this rate it will be only 50% done by 2015.

Allen

Glad you spotted that Allen. Thanks for mentioning it here. The fly in the ointment is that the project is now 20% bigger than it was a year or so ago...so at least I'm still (narrowly) ahead of the game.

DCN

[Vitesse2]

Blimey! At this rate volume 3 will come in two parts in a slipcase ....

[roger ellis]

Right now I'd settle for a Vol 2.5

[Allen Brown]

Roger, IIRC, Volume 3 is already the second half of the intended Volume 2. The pattern seems to be scope creep followed by chopping in half so you could well be right.

Personally, I'm happy to be patient. The first two instalments are such wonderful books that they are well worth the wait.

[roger ellis]

Originally posted by Allen Brown


The first two instalments are such wonderful books that they are well worth the wait.

Allen, I whole-heartedly agree.

His readership is just so thankful that DCN has undertaken this project with a breath-taking level of commitment, thoroughness and patience.

[petefenelon]

When you look at some of the heartless, soulless potboilers that are knocked out in the name of racing literature these days it becomes very easy to forgive Doug his deadline slips. You know you're getting something that the author has lived through, not just stapled together some press releases and old magazine articles and waited for the royalty cheques to roll in.

In my professional life I often have recourse to a wonderful set of books called The Art Of Computer Programming by a remarkable man called Donald E Knuth. Knuth set out in the early sixties to write the definitive book on the fundamental techniques of computer programming - something he thought would take a few years and one volume.

Forty-four years later Knuth is releasing fragments - fascicles - of Volume 4. TAOCP is now expected to consist of about eleven volumes.... At one point, he took about ten years away from the project because he didn't like the typesetting of the first editions of Volumes 1 and 2 and wrote a typesetting system from the ground up, TeX, which is now used by a vast number of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. And of course every time there's a new edition of Volumes 1 - 3, Knuth goes back and revises them to encompass the latest ideas and methods... as with BRM, the grand plan, the structure of the books, is well-known, but the sheer amount of material to cover expands at least as fast as DEK's ability to write it up!

The kind of commitment that people like Doug and Donald Knuth put into their books restores your faith in scholarship, craftsmanship and commitment.

[roger ellis]

Originally posted by petefenelon


The kind of commitment that people like Doug and Donald Knuth put into their books restores your faith in scholarship, craftsmanship and commitment.
[/B]

Pete, your post has immediately brought to mind the sad loss of Chris Nixon, who certainly fell into this category. A cruel and premature demise for one of motor sports very best authors, he continues to be missed by so many.

[Doug Nye]

Oh bugger.

I'd better really get on with it then.

DCN

[roger ellis]

Doug, I was hoping a bit of motivational manipulation might work!

[green-blood]

why don't we try the tough love approach

Doug, go to your room and finish this volume or you are not allowed drive anymore cars at Goodwood

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Oh bugger.

I'd better really get on with it then.

DCN

That, or the world (or at least parts of it that don't read TNF) is probably crying out for biographies of Scott Speed and Christian Klien ;) -- which would sadly probably sell more...

[roger ellis]

Originally posted by petefenelon


That, or the world (or at least parts of it that don't read TNF) is probably crying out for biographies of Scott Speed and Christian Klien ;) -- which would sadly probably sell more...

Which some well meaning relative/ friend will probably buy for Christmas. Eugh!

OT. Don't you just hate it when browsing book shops when "our" books are displayed in "Transport"

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by roger ellis



Which some well meaning relative/ friend will probably buy for Christmas. Eugh!

OT. Don't you just hate it when browsing book shops when "our" books are displayed in "Transport"

Fortunately I've educated people not to buy me anything on modern F1.

Re: shelving, don't get me started on that.... almost as bad as whether books on spaceflight should be under "astronomy" in the science bit or under "aviation" in the transport bit ;)

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by roger ellis
.....OT. Don't you just hate it when browsing book shops when "our" books are displayed in "Transport"

At our Lifeline Bookfests it's much worse...

They're under 'War and Vehicles'!

[ian senior]

Originally posted by petefenelon


Re: shelving, don't get me started on that.... almost as bad as whether books on spaceflight should be under "astronomy" in the science bit or under "aviation" in the transport bit ;)

Best one I ever saw was a biography of Margaret Thatcher in the "humour" section of my local library.

[roger ellis]

Meandering well OT, once when entering a s/h book shop in Cheshire, I was immediately accosted by the assistant. "What have got about the history of motor racing?" I asked. He excitedly produced some pathetic "Bumper Book of Racing" type of pot boiler. When I politely declined, the man just totally flipped.

Thing is, I have often found people in the general s/h book trade to be rude. Perhaps it goes with the job, or maybe it's just me!

[Bumblyari]

Originally posted by roger ellis

Thing is, I have often found people in the general s/h book trade to be rude.

Erica Rowe used to work in a s/h bookshop.

[green-blood]

have you guys evere seen the UK channel 4 TV show "Black Books" with Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey

that sums them (SH book shops) up perfectly

[Richard Jenkins]

Originally posted by roger ellis
Thing is, I have often found people in the general s/h book trade to be rude. Perhaps it goes with the job, or maybe it's just me!

Eric Thompson, he of motor racing fame, worked in the s/h book trade for aeons and he was, and still is, as nice as pie.
And, although I didn't work in the s/h book trade, I did use to work in the book trade, and, in my dealings with them, found many s/h booksellers delightful & ever-helpful.

So it could just be you, Roger.

[roger ellis]

Originally posted by Richie Jenkins


Eric Thompson, he of motor racing fame, worked in the s/h book trade for aeons and he was, and still is, as nice as pie.
And, although I didn't work in the s/h book trade, I did use to work in the book trade, and, in my dealings with them, found many s/h booksellers delightful & ever-helpful.

So it could just be you, Roger.

Absolutely! But I did make the distinction of saying the GENERAL S/H book trade.

Without exception, every specialist car book dealer that I have had dealings with have been polite & professional. In particular, after making my first purchase from their 1959 motor show stand at Earls Court, Chater & Scott ( the late Frank Stroud & latterly his son Clive), have always supplied superb service. ( The book was The Bugatti Book, not a bad choice for a car mad 13 year old ).

My rant was specifically aimed elsewhere.

[kayemod]

Originally posted by Bumblyari
Originally posted by roger ellis

Thing is, I have often found people in the general s/h book trade to be rude.

Erica Rowe used to work in a s/h bookshop.

Maybe she was working there as a bouncer.

[Andretti Fan]

The book stores I regularly frequent have pretty big auto racing sections, filled with lots of books on...............Nascar............hahaha! Now, I like Nascar.......but I've always been a big fan of F1, sports cars, etc. I can take Dale Jr. et all in small doses only. ( When my friends hear me mention Fangio, Moss, Clark, Fittipaldi, Peterson, Reggazoni, etc, they all look at me funny, but to a person they know who Tony Stewart is.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Andretti Fan
.....but to a person they know who Tony Stewart is.

They do?

I didn't think he made that big an impact, really... though Max Stewart did take him under his wing at one time and help him along. But if he hadn't been related to Paul England or Jack Godbehear or whoever it was that did his twin cams, he'd probably never have got as far as he did.

[cosworth bdg]

[i But if he hadn't been related to Paul England or Jack Godbehear or whoever it was that did his twin cams, he'd probably never have got as far as he did. [/B]

Both built & rebuilt his Twin Cam engines & also supplied chassis..........

[cosworth bdg]

By the way ,Tony Stewart of AF2 fame was very much under estimated in his driving ability but not that flush with funds to be at the leading edge of competition....................................................

[Barry Boor]

...and this thread is about..... ???

[GreenMachine]

I cannot go along with the generalisation about rude s/h booksellers. That is not my experience over the last 30 years, dealing with s/h bookshops here in Oz and overseas. Taking Barry's comment to heart, I have started another thread on this subject.

[roger ellis]

Originally posted by Barry Boor
...and this thread is about..... ???

I will not go off thread again
I will not go off thread again
I will not go off thread again...



Especially when opening a can of worms.

[pete3664]

Although I hate to bring up a sore subject is there any update on the long awaited voume 3 of BRM, I'm getttting to the end of Volume 2 and need a BRM fix. Please Doug, is there any news?????

[Alan Cox]

http://www.motorbooks.co.uk/

If you scroll down, the left-hand side of the page there is an insert reading:

BRM Volume 3 - Publication date, July 2007!

[fuzzi]

But what a Christmas present it will make!

[rl1856]

Well Amazon US is quoting a July 2007 delivery date and a price of $45 US / ~47.5 Pds at current rates.

Amazon UK is quoting a delivery date of 12/06 (!) and a price of 66.50 Pds.

I've just placed a preorder from the US site.

Best,

Ross (in the US).

[Doug Nye]

Amazon can go forth and multiply. BRM V3 is in text proof stage, the illustrations are in selection and about to be captioned and the finished job should be out towards the end of this year.

At ------- last.

To those who have been patiently waiting - thank you for your resilience. To those who haven't - can't please all of the people...etc.

DCN

[Alan Cox]

Originally posted by rl1856
Well Amazon US is quoting a July 2007 delivery date and a price of $45 US / ~47.5 Pds at current rate s.

It's actually £22.73 at current rates - can't be right. No wonder DCN has no truck with them.....

[rl1856]

OOPS ! Should be *$95 US* ~47.5 GPDS.

Sorry for any confusion or consternation my original post has caused.

Best,

Ross

[Arturo Pereira]

Any Doug Nye´s book is worth the waiting, as it is the case with the BRM series

Thank you for your 1st class work Doug !! Certainly, BRM owes you one, or 2, or many more to be fair

[Gerard Gamand]

I'm still waiting with passion..

[dmkerry]

Just Received an update from Amazon that Vol III will be delivered in May 2008, am still working my way through Vol II so cant wait till next year ! I have to say Doug your writing is amazing and for us youngsters, first GP in 1985 your books provide a real glimpse as to what grand prix used to be like, I wish I could go back in time see a real Grand Prix, but alas books like this are all we can ask for, Again thansk and good luck with Vol III and IV

dave