Home  
Site Partners: SpotterGuides Veloce Books  
Related Sites: Overdrive BTCC Diecast Your Link Here  

Go Back   TenTenths Motorsport Forum > General Forums > Armchair Enthusiast

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 14 Jun 2005, 12:07 (Ref:1328216)   #1
John Turner
Race Official
Veteran
 
John Turner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
United Kingdom
Pontesbury, Shropshire
Posts: 13,203
John Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of Fame
Books - My Top 20

I've checked old threads and don't think anyone has done it in this form; recently anyway. I wanted to list, from my collection, my current selection of favourite motor and motor racing books! Some are predictable and some no doubt are not the best on the particular subject, but they are the ones that over the last couple of years have interested and entertained me. Next year, after reading others, or rereading old favourites the list might change, but anyway, in no particular order, here goes:-

1) Roesch and the Invincible Talbot - Anthony Blight
2) The French Sportscar Revolution - Anthony Blight
3) Brooklands - The Complete motor Racing History - 'Bill' Boddy
4) Stirling Moss - My Cars, My Career - Moss with Doug Nye
5) Derek Bell - My Racing Life - Bell with Alan Henry
6) My Life Full of Cars - Paul Frere
7) The Certain Sound - John Wyer
8) Martini Racing Story - Paolo D'Allessio
9) Aston Martin, 1913-47 - Inman Hunter
10) Sportscar Heaven-DBR1 v Testa Rossa - Chris Nixon
11) Racing with David Brown Aston Martins Vol 1 & 2 - Chris Nixon
12) Unbeatable BMW - Jeremy Walton
13) Maserati - A History - Anthony Pritchard
14) Ferrari 250 GT Competition Cars - Jess Pourret
15) Targa Florio - David Owen
16) The Mille Miglia - Mike Lawrence
17) Echoes of Imola - David Tremayne
18} Chasing the Title - Nigel Roebuck
19) Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken-My Autobiography - Murray Walker
20) Life at the Limit - Prof. Sid Watkins

Well, there it is! I started to put comments by each one, but then decided I would probably be here all day, so gave up on that. What are your choices?
John Turner is offline  
Quote
Old 14 Jun 2005, 13:02 (Ref:1328286)   #2
BillyT
Veteran
 
BillyT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
England
London
Posts: 687
BillyT should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
For me i like the bike autobiographys so here is my list of top 5:

1)Steve Hislop - Autobiography
2)Formula 1 Fanatic - Koen Vergeer
3)Dale Earndhardt Jr - Autobiograpghy
4)Neil Hodgson - Autobiography
5)Alex Zanardi - Autobiography
BillyT is offline  
Quote
Old 14 Jun 2005, 13:14 (Ref:1328302)   #3
ensign14
Veteran
 
ensign14's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
British Antarctic Territory
Deception Island
Posts: 3,809
ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!
Different books for different needs.

For stats, Sheldon's Black Books are essential. If I had to pick one volume, it would be 2, covering a forgotten era. (And I have copy number 3.)

For a story, Cooper Cars by Doug Nye, from cut & shutting Fiat Topolinos to the World Title and back.

For a rollicking read, The Story of March by Mike Lawrence, terribly indiscreet but very well told. "When Robin Herd received the letter announcing he had been awarded the OBE, his reaction was 'Christ, Mark Thatcher wants a drive'."

From a sheer literature perspective, the Blight books mentioned above and anything by William Court. The latter is the closest we have to a Motor Racing Laureate. Court was a barrister and I believe Blight was a solicitor - something to legal accuracy and verbiage?

Best autobiog is probably Wyer's, or maybe Alf Francis'.

Best oral history is American Zoom by Peter Golenbock.

Honourable mention to Greg Fielden for his indefatigable NASCAR work and Gerald Rose for his first motor racing history.

But if I had to choose one book to rescue from a fire, it would be Janos Wimpffen's Time & 2 Seats. Talk about a labour of love! Stats wonderful, photos magnificent - and covering some of the obscurities as well, captions irreverent, text entertaining. Runner-up would be Georgano's Encyclopaedia from 1970ish but that's a lot commoner on ebay...
ensign14 is offline  
__________________
Birmingham City FC. Founded 1875. League Cup Winners 2011.
Quote
Old 14 Jun 2005, 21:20 (Ref:1328762)   #4
Slippy Diff
Registered User
Veteran
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
New Zealand
UnZud
Posts: 801
Slippy Diff should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
All Arms and Elbows-Innes Ireland.
Slippy Diff is offline  
Quote
Old 15 Jun 2005, 19:34 (Ref:1329716)   #5
Knowlesy
20KPINAL
 
Knowlesy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 29,853
Knowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameKnowlesy will be entering the Motorsport Hall of Fame
Perry McCarthys book is a blast.

And any Nigel Roebuck book.

I've got so many books I couldn't make a top 20, so many quality volumes out there!
Knowlesy is offline  
Quote
Old 16 Jun 2005, 05:35 (Ref:1330069)   #6
lj79
Veteran
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Qatar
Posts: 517
lj79 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Champion Year - Mike Hawthorn
lj79 is offline  
Quote
Old 16 Jun 2005, 20:35 (Ref:1330949)   #7
M Coupe
Racer
 
M Coupe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location:
West Midlands, UK
Posts: 374
M Coupe should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
In no particular order:-

Mon Ami Mate - Chris Nixon
Racing The Silver Arrows - Chris Nixon
Auto Union Album 1934-1939 - Chris Nixon
Rivals Lacia D50 & Mercedes W196 - Chris Nixon
Klemantaski & Aston Martin - Chris Nixon
Rosemayer - Elly Beinhorn Rosemayer & Chris Nixon
Lotus 49 The story of a Legend - Michael Oliver
Lotus 72 Formula One Icon - Michael Oliver
Jim Clark - Graham Gauld
Quicksilver, An investigation into the Development of German Grand Prix Racing Cars 1934-1939
Rallye De Monte Carlo - Maurice Louche
Le Grand Prix de Provence & Marseille - Maurice Louche
Seven Year Twitch - Marcus Chambers
Rally - Rheinhard Klein
All Arms and Elbows - Innes Ireland
Dynastie Pilette Dynasty - Pilette
M Coupe is offline  
__________________
"If you can leave black marks from the time you exit a corner till the time you brake for the next turn, then you have enough horsepower." --Mark Donohue

Colin McRae 1968-2007
Quote
Old 21 Jun 2005, 12:32 (Ref:1335778)   #8
Hip Priest
Racer
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 230
Hip Priest should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
I quite enjoyed Gerald Donaldson's books about Gilles Villeneuve & James Hunt. I purchased his "Auto-biography" of F1 recently too, which is a great book for dipping into and reading a few funny stories or interesting anecdotes.

I've heard that Mon Ami Mate by Chris Nixon is a classic, but i haven't been able to find it anywhere. Perhaps somebody could point me in the right direction.
Hip Priest is offline  
Quote
Old 21 Jun 2005, 12:51 (Ref:1335807)   #9
Sheila M
Veteran
 
Sheila M's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
England
Burton-Upon-Trent
Posts: 2,578
Sheila M should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridSheila M should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
Unless I'm Very Much Mistaken - dear old Murray Walker
Life at the Limit - Sid Watkins (although I tend not to read the first chapter)
Beyond the Limit - Sid Watkins
Fangio by Fangio (priced at 3s 6d - no idea how we acquired that!)
James Hunt The Biography - Gerald Donaldson
The Grand Prix Book of Motor Racing Quotations (guess where I got my sig from!)

There are others, of course but I could be here all day listing them!
Sheila M is offline  
__________________
You win some, lose some, wreck some - Dale Earnhardt
Quote
Old 21 Jun 2005, 19:32 (Ref:1336345)   #10
alesi95
Veteran
 
alesi95's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location:
Edinburgh
Posts: 1,471
alesi95 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Quote:
Originally Posted by btracer


2)Formula 1 Fanatic - Koen Vergeer

A very under rated book. Got my copy brand new hardback from WH Smith for 25p! Really

Zanardi's book is also very good as is the James Hunt biography and Perry McCarthy's tragedy.

There is a Nigel Roebuck book i forget the name of, but i very much like Roebucks writing. and The Piranha Club is quite good.

Im currently reading the Gilles Villenuve biog
alesi95 is offline  
Quote
Old 22 Jun 2005, 16:56 (Ref:1337410)   #11
BuzzedHornet
Rookie
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 30
BuzzedHornet should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
My top 5 as of today...I'm sure this will change as I start reading more books recomended in this post. Great Topic John T.

The Unfair Advantage - Mark Donohue / Paul Van Valkenburgh
Cannonball!! - Brock Yates (I know it's not real motorsports but I love it)
Race Car Engineering and Mechanics - Paul Van Valkenburgh
Trans-Am - Dave Friedman
Can-Am - Peter Lyons
BuzzedHornet is offline  
Quote
Old 22 Jun 2005, 17:20 (Ref:1337435)   #12
John Turner
Race Official
Veteran
 
John Turner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
United Kingdom
Pontesbury, Shropshire
Posts: 13,203
John Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of Fame
Thanks Buzzedhornet and welcome! I have some of the books listed by others but must admit I'm also using them to give me some ideas about future reading material!
John Turner is offline  
Quote
Old 22 Jun 2005, 20:39 (Ref:1337640)   #13
TimD
Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
Veteran
 
TimD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
United Kingdom
Derbyshire Peak District, United Kingdom
Posts: 3,797
TimD should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridTimD should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridTimD should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
Lovely idea for a topic!

My favourites, in no especial order:

1. Touch Wood (Duncan Hamilton)
2. Archie and the Listers (Robert Edwards)
3. My Cars, My Career (Stirling Moss & Doug Nye
4. Mon Ami Mate (Chris Nixon)
5. Speed on Salt (George Eyston)
6. Napier First to Wear the Green (David Venables)
7. Brooklands (Bill Boddy)
8. Racing the Silver Arrows (Chris Nixon)
9. Vintage Specials (John Bateman)
10. Australia's Great Race (Bill Tuckey)
11. Only Here for the Beer (Gerry Marshall)
12. Down the Hatch (Tony Lanfranchi)
13. It Beats Working (Eoin Young)
14. Bentley The Vintage Years (Michael Hay)
15. Bentley From Cricklewood to Crewe (Michael Frostick)
16. Dino: The Little Ferrari (Doug Nye)
17. All Arms and Elbows (Innes Ireland)
18. Brooklands Giants (Bill Boddy)
19. Wheel Patter (Dudley Colley)
20. At the Wheel (Jim Clark)

All of this tells me two things;

First, I prefer a swashbuckling driver biog over a marque history as a rule and

Second, my goodness, Collectors Carbooks have done well out of me over the years!
TimD is offline  
Quote
Old 23 Jun 2005, 07:30 (Ref:1337993)   #14
Rob29
Veteran
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
United Kingdom
Lincolnshire,UK
Posts: 3,345
Rob29 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridRob29 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Have 197 volumes on motorsport.Too many to list here,but seem to agree with TimD above ;prefer driver biographies & circuit/race histories to marque histories-have only 3 of those 20 in 1st post!
Rob29 is offline  
__________________
Do it in the streets!
Quote
Old 23 Jun 2005, 08:34 (Ref:1338048)   #15
John Turner
Race Official
Veteran
 
John Turner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
United Kingdom
Pontesbury, Shropshire
Posts: 13,203
John Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of Fame
Great list Tim. Have you read either or both of the Blight books? Their titles tend not to convey the extent of the info. in them. They are mammoth tomes but superb history books with plenty of references to pre war motor racing and race reports/descriptions, especially in the second book on my list. I mention them again only because your list displays a strong interest in that period of motor racing!

Last edited by John Turner; 17 Feb 2006 at 09:55.
John Turner is offline  
Quote
Old 23 Jun 2005, 08:36 (Ref:1338049)   #16
TimD
Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
Veteran
 
TimD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
United Kingdom
Derbyshire Peak District, United Kingdom
Posts: 3,797
TimD should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridTimD should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridTimD should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
I do actually have a copy of "French Sportscar Revolution" but I must confess it's been in the "ooh, I really must settle down to that one" shelf since purchase.

Think I'd better crack on with that one actually!
TimD is offline  
Quote
Old 23 Jun 2005, 19:12 (Ref:1338596)   #17
richard_sykes
Racer
 
richard_sykes's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Wales
Wales, Uk
Posts: 262
richard_sykes should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Being 18 I don`t tend to be a huge fan of reading!

But I decided to learn a bit about working in F1 as that ulamatly is my goal.

In doing so I have bought and read the three Steve Matchett Books.

What this post is really about it Amazon.

They have thousands of these motorsport books!

Some of them cost 1p! Yes 3 pound postage but still!

Cheack it out.

Perry McCarthy book is amazing, he is a funny bloke considering!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...929400-2421437
richard_sykes is offline  
__________________
"I wonder what the fastest anybodys been in the Eurotunel train?"
Quote
Old 24 Jun 2005, 14:42 (Ref:1339261)   #18
adstubbs
Racer
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
United Kingdom
Glamorous Hemel Hempstead
Posts: 301
adstubbs should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
One of my faves is the McLaren F1 book, Driving Ambition - always leaves me slightly in awe of the single-minded approach they had to the project. Another good one is Into the Red, the one with the CD. The sound of the V16 BRM still gives me goosebumps, sounds great on headphones. Zanardi's autobiography is not always a pleasant read, but fills me with admiration for the way he came back from such a horrendous setback. Perry McCarthy's book on the other hand is just one of the funniest things I've ever read!
adstubbs is offline  
__________________
They call me the Hiphopapotamus, my lyrics are bottomless.......errrm.
Quote
Old 24 Jun 2005, 18:08 (Ref:1339384)   #19
John Turner
Race Official
Veteran
 
John Turner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
United Kingdom
Pontesbury, Shropshire
Posts: 13,203
John Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of FameJohn Turner will be entering the Motorsport Hall of Fame
Quote:
Originally Posted by adstubbs
Another good one is Into the Red, the one with the CD. The sound of the V16 BRM still gives me goosebumps, sounds great on headphones.
Yes, a great book with a great sound! Slightly off thread, but oh to see a V16 racing in historics and firing on all cylinders for the duration. My driver? How about Willie Green?
John Turner is offline  
Quote
Old 27 Jun 2005, 12:58 (Ref:1341088)   #20
Pete Fenelon
Racer
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location:
York
Posts: 419
Pete Fenelon should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
My top 20

No particular order.

The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport - Georgano/Bochroch et al
The Certain Sound - John Wyer
Four Guys And A Telephone - Mike Lawrence
Time and Two Seats - Janos Wimpffen
Autocourse History of the GP Car 1945-65 and 66-91 - Doug Nye
BRM - Doug Nye
Cooper Cars - Doug Nye
Colin Chapman: Wayward Genius - Mike Lawrence
Chevron: The Derek Bennett Story - David Gordon
Best Damn Garage In Town - Smokey Yunick
Portraits of the 60s - Rainer Schlegelmilch
Rally Cars - Reinhard Klein
Mon Ami Mate - Chris Nixon
Racing the Silver Arrows - Chris Nixon
It Was Fun - Tony Rudd
Quicksilver Century - Karl Ludvigsen
Villeneuve - Gerald Donaldson
Lotus 72 - Michael Oliver
Jenks: A Passion For Motor Sport - Denis Jenkinson
Power & Glory - William Court
Pete Fenelon is offline  
__________________
--
there's no room for enigmas in built-up areas
Quote
Old 27 Jun 2005, 13:13 (Ref:1341104)   #21
Pete Fenelon
Racer
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location:
York
Posts: 419
Pete Fenelon should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Turner
12) Unbeatable BMW - Jeremy Walton
I really wanted to like this more than I did - the 2nd edition is very 'bitty', and includes far too many pics taken at concours and historic events. BMW's involvement in IMSA GTP is covered in a mere 4 pages (then again the book's subtitle is "Eighty years of engineering and motorsport success"...) and the F2 results stop at the end of '78 - so the Honda challenge isn't documented properly. Naturally (!) there's no mention of BMW engines used in Group 6 and Group C.

It also really rushes the F1 engine story - the BMW turbo was the most fascinating and awesome piece of kit, and it's dashed off in a couple of chapters. There's more about it in Nye's Autocourse History of the GP Car!

As a book on BMW in touring car racing, it's great. As a balanced overall history of BMW in motorsport, I think it's very flawed.

The second edition feels like a rush job, it could've been so much better!
Pete Fenelon is offline  
__________________
--
there's no room for enigmas in built-up areas
Quote
Old 9 Jul 2005, 12:48 (Ref:1351088)   #22
Tom V
Racer
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Belgium
Belgium
Posts: 146
Tom V should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
In no particular order:

Endurance racing: 1982 - 1991 - Ian Briggs
Prototypes: the History of IMSA GTP series - Martin & Wells
CAN AM - Pete Lyons
Porsche 917: The winning formula - Peter Morgan
Porsche 956: The enduring champions - Peter Morgan
24 Heures de Spa: 50 éditions - J.P. Delsaux
Dynasty Pilette - Bernaerd Geeraerd
The complete history of GP motor racing - Adriano Cimarosti
March: The rise and fall of a motor racing legend - Mike Lawrence
Colin Chapman: Wayward genious - Mike Lawrence
The forgotten Races - Chris Ellard
Tom V is offline  
__________________
Porsche 917: greatest racing car ever
Quote
Old 10 Jul 2005, 07:41 (Ref:1351502)   #23
jna
Racer
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 188
jna should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Tom V

May I trouble you to post further information about the book "Endurance racing: 1982 - 1991 - Ian Briggs", for example who it was published by and the ISBN number. I expect that it is currently not in print, but as this is my favourite era for sportscars I would like to find a copy from somewhere.

Many thanks.

John
jna is offline  
Quote
Old 10 Jul 2005, 08:34 (Ref:1351512)   #24
ensign14
Veteran
 
ensign14's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
British Antarctic Territory
Deception Island
Posts: 3,809
ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!ensign14 is going for a new world record!
Basic gen on the Briggs book here. Am amazed at the price...
ensign14 is offline  
__________________
Birmingham City FC. Founded 1875. League Cup Winners 2011.
Quote
Old 10 Jul 2005, 09:40 (Ref:1351528)   #25
richard_sykes
Racer
 
richard_sykes's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Wales
Wales, Uk
Posts: 262
richard_sykes should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid


HOW MUCH!

They will keep there vaule though, like the Driving Ambition book.

Dave Richards has a new book out too.
richard_sykes is offline  
__________________
"I wonder what the fastest anybodys been in the Eurotunel train?"
Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
new books ss_collins Rallying & Rallycross 2 21 Oct 2002 22:35
[Books] Books WANHER Armchair Enthusiast 2 11 Aug 2001 13:42
[Books] Books elephino Armchair Enthusiast 2 24 May 2001 13:11


All times are GMT. The time now is 13:20.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Original Website Copyright © 1998-2003 Craig Antil. All Rights Reserved.
Ten-Tenths Motorsport Forums Copyright © 2004-2021 Royalridge Computing. All Rights Reserved.
Ten-Tenths Motorsport Forums Copyright © 2021-2022 Grant MacDonald. All Rights Reserved.