[Michael Aikey]

There has been a scandal perpetrated on the motor sport book reading public for years. The scandal has which has gone on for decades, unfortunately continues today. Major and minor motor sport publishers are involved and beloved authors are in complicity. It appears that over the years the motor sport book reading public, eager to read about a sport we all love, has turned a Nelson’s eye to this festering scandal. What is this scandal that we have endured and few seem willing to discuss – the lack of an index in many motor sport books!

In our hunger to read about our favorite marques, the great races of the past and the drivers who have been heroes since childhood, we have in far too many instances willingly purchased only 9tenths of a book. Most nonfiction books on other subjects have an index - that's standard operating proceedure. By most lights an index is an integral part of a nonfiction book. But, for some inexplicable reason, far too many motor sport books have no index. Most of us purchase motor sport books to read for pleasure, however, there are a great number of us who use these works as reference tools. Without an index, the value of a nonfiction book as a reference work is dramatically reduced.

I can understand why Barbara Cartland’s works do not have indexes, but it escapes me why motor sport publishers in the 21st century can’t see fit to provide us with an index. Let the word spread, when we plunk down good Pounds, Euros and Dollars for a motor sport book, we should expect, no, we should demand – a whole book!

Today I received Maurice Gatsonides' autobiography/biography - no index!! Am I the only soul who finds this a problem?