[Books] Best Books - Your Recommendations

[Jan-Bart]

I've recently finished:
Colin Chapman, wayward genius (Lawrence): excellent
Graham Hill, master of motor sport (Tipler): better than expected, currently discounted too.

Currently reading "the Jim Russell Story"

[gfm]

Anybody read 'Bernie's Game'? (I can't bring myself to buy it)

[Crash Test]

Apart from the CAMS Manual, the last couple were 'The Rise and Fall of Peter Brock' (for the 32nd time) and 'Mario Andretti World Champion', written just after he took the title.

[ss_collins]

I like the bob judd novels, ands the mike breslin ones.

slate me now.

I'm resisting a self plug. d'oh - hey does that mean I have a randy dutch bird chasing me???

[DNQ]

Originally posted by AussieV8
I'm just reading "To Hell and Back" an autobiography of Niki Lauda.

I've read that, good read.

Currently reading "Art and Technicalities of a Formula One Driver" by Lauda.

Read Murray Walkers book before that, and James Hunt semi-autobiography before that.

I've got Mike Hawthorns 1958 autobiography waiting to be read when I've finished with Mr Lauda's book.

I've also read all the captions in Rainer Schlegelmilch's McLaren photo journal

[f1manoz]

My last motor racing book I read was Muray Walkers autobiography and 'Life At the Limit' by Sid Watkins.

I just finished 'Germany Turns Eastwards', about how German scholars during the Nazi regime used history and ethnicity as an excuse for their march eastwards in 1939 and 1941.

I am now reading a novel titled 'Flash Point', mixed around Middle Eastern politics.

Next up is AJP Taylors controversial 'The Origins of the Second World War' followed by 'Rommel: On the Trail of the Rat'.

[racer69]

I've read "Alan Jones - Driving Ambition", written just after he had clinched the 1980 World Drivers Championship. A good read, detailing his 1980 year and his career preceeding it. Kind of a shame they didn't hold off the book until the end of 1981, maybe we would have gotten some inside thought on why he retired when he did.

Also "25 years of the BMC/BL Competitions Department" is a great read, detailing them running the Mini's, Austin 1800s and Triumph TR7's etc...

Not sure if it counts but i read the program for the 1983 James Hardie (Bathurst) 1000 this afternoon

[Crash Test]

Also, I picked up by Bathurst Annual 22 last week.... and 20 pages were missing!

[racer69]

I've got The Great Race 10 (1990), in which about 5 or 6 of the pages are repeated after eachother!

[Crash Test]

Luckily, i got it from work, was able to check the rest of the shipment, and whip it back to Chevron...

[Aysedasi]

I forget to mention Murray's book (which I've just finished).

And of course, the superb "Mario Andretti - The Complete Record" by Mike O'Leary (which you will all want to rush out and buy immediately - as it has some of yours truly's photographs in it.........)

[alesi95]

Ive started reading "Flat Out" by Colin Dryden. Which I got free with my order from the sorely missed "F1 Speed Retail Ltd". It's like Jilly Cooper with wheels.......

.....It's unknown if I'll finish it.

[D-Type]

If you want to read about when motor sport was still fun I recommend
"Touch Wood" by Duncan Hamilton
"All arms and elbows" by Innes Ireland

They both had me laughing

[ss_collins]

all arms and elbows is great.

I guess I don't get the randy dutch girl then

[Aysedasi]

I thought I'd check the shelves for some of my favourite reads from the past:-

Le Mans - Ian Bamsey
Le Mans - Anders Ditlev Clausager
Le Mans 24 Hours - Brian Laban
The Certain Sound - 30 Years of Motor Racing - John Wyer
Grand Prix Greats - Nigel Roebuck
Ayrton Senna - A Personal Tribute - Keith Sutton
The Death of Ayrton Senna - Richard Williams
Ayrton Senna - As Time Goes By - Christopher Hilton
Theme Lotus - 1956-1986 - Doug Nye
Colin Chapman - The Man and His Cars - Jabby Crombac


Oh and on the non-racing front - I've been an addict of Michael Moorcock since I was about 16. I've got about 50 of his books.....

[paul-collins]

ayse maybe this should be moved to AE and stickied?

[paul-collins]

I've recently finished the Laban Le Mans book, and the Mario Andretti biography - "A Driving Passion." Other favourites are Pete Lyon's two Can-Am books.

I'm currently reading "Americans at Le Mans" (author escapes me) and I've just picked up Donohue's "Unfair Advantage."

I really, really want Wimpffen's "Time and Two Seats." But I'm going to have to save up for it.

[ensign14]

Some good reads:

'Cooper Cars' - Doug Nye
'March: 4 guys and a telephone' - Mike Lawrence
'My Cars My Career' - Moss & Nye
'Bernie's Game' - Terry Lovell
'American Zoom' - Peter Golenbock (NASCAR)
'Endurance Racing' - Ian Briggs (Group C)
'Racers Apart' - David Tremayne
'Daytona' - Ed Hinton
'It Was Fun' - Tony Rudd
'Mon Ami Mate' - Chris Nixon (Hawthorn/Collins, also the 2 Hawthorn autobiogs)
'Theme Lotus' - Doug Nye
'Villeneuve' - Gerald Donaldson (Gilles, not Jacques - either of them)
'Race Without End' - Maurice Hamilton (Jordan's 1993 season)
'King Of The Boards' by Gary Doyle (Jimmy Murphy)
'French Sportscar Revolution' - Anthony Blight (1930s)
The Smokey Yunick Trilogy (broad minds only)

But the very best read you will come across are the 3 books by William Court - Power & Glory volumes 1 & 2 and Grand Prix Requiem. The man writes with such erudition, elegance and charm, and there are some great photos in both as well as the pre-war era given the attention it deserves.

For reference:

'A Record Of Grand Prix And Voiturette Racing' - Sheldon & others (mug your granny & get them. All of them)
'Time & 2 Seats' - Janos Wimpffen
'A Record of Motor Racing' - Gerald Rose
'Indianapolis 500' - Jack C Fox

For those who have dosh:
'Great Challenge' - Rainer Schlegelmilch
'Klemantaski' by himself
'Legendary Alfa Romeo' - Simon Moore (a snip from Chaters a £199, 3 vols on the 8C)

[pirenzo]

I can't remember the last time i read a whole book (except for school), but i have plenty that i like to scan though occasionally. Among them is Le Mans 24hrs by Brian Laban. I like that one a lot. I've also got a Ferrari F1 book by Rainer W. Schlegmilch (spelling??) with loadsa nice Ferrari pics in. I got others too, but i don't have time to list them

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by paul-collins


I really, really want Wimpffen's "Time and Two Seats." But I'm going to have to save up for it.

Ah yes - I was told about that one by Paul Truswell of Radio Le Mans fame who much enthuses about it. I can't remember now how much it costs, but I know I envisaged a visit to the bank manager (again), if I ever thought of buying it. Looks superb though......

[paul-collins]

He'll sell it to you direct, he quoted me $195 USD. It's self-published.

Eventually I will get it. Unless I get a copy for my father instead. Either way is fine with me.

(You can google search it, but just be aware that one page will suggest a price of $150, and Janos has told me that's an error.)

[Aysedasi]

Even at the error price, with a trip to Le Mans coming up, it's way beyond my reach, sadly.....

[Asp]

I've got Muzza's book - twice - both signed (don't quite know how I pulled that one off); but that's a post-exam treat to read it!
At the minute I'm reading Perry McCarthy - Flat Out - Flat Broke , quite possibly the funniest motorsport book I've ever read!

[Aysedasi]

Yes Asp, I must get hold of a copy of that. Always had a bit of a soft spot for Perry, after all the problems he's had. Always struck me that, without a sense of humour, he would have gone under years ago!

[Aysedasi]

Agreed Paul.