GP and F1 Book question

Depends on what specific period you are searching for. There are many, many excellent books that cover GP racing from all different eras.

 

^^^^ This, but if you are feeling like treating yourself, then 'the great challenge' series have wonderful period photos - and you can pick and choose your era. I think they are still available direct.

Here's the link.

Rainer W. Schlegelmilch - Formula One Photography

Cheers.

Mark

 

This guy....a long time photog, also has other titles, his book on 'Monaco' is also fantastic.
I think he has one striclty on the Ferrari team also.

I will have to recap some titles for you from my library

 

Specific years? Autocourse would be a good source, but I don't know how far back they go.

 

When I first read your question I thought you wanted early F1, as in the 50s. If it is later, the often mentioned photographer Ranier Schegelmilch's (Sometimes listed as by Hartmut Lehbrink who did the text) Grand Prix: Fascination Formula 1 is hard to beat, the biggest bargain in F1 books in my lifetime. I think it has something like 1300 color pics from the late 60s (a few before) to the 80s. Artsy pics, detailed component pics, driver pics, bodywork pics, engine pics... Amazon shows used ones starting at $12.

 

Or Automobile Year. Began in 1953/1954

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_Year

 

Autocourse start in 1951, quarterly publication. Very good source.

 

I'm not too sure from the original post what level of detail is sought or what period of coverage.

The best book on Grand Prix racing in the 1930s is Racing the Silver Arrows by the late Chris Nixon. Racing Silver Arrows: C NIXON: 9780850456585: Amazon.com: Books

For post-war Grand Prix racing then probably something like Autocourse's 60 Years book. Autocourse 60 Years of World Championship Grand Prix Motor Racing: Alan Henry, Bernard Cahier, Paul-Henri Cahier: 9781905334568: Amazon.com: Books

I don't know of a good overview book of pre-1930s Grand Prix racing (if that is required). Of course, there are a vast number of books covering a single season (e.g. the Autocourse annuals as already mentioned above - although a full set would cost a considerable sum) or picture books (like the Schlegelmilch books also mentioned above which are all excellent) but I recommend the above two for a mixture of text and pictures and telling you about the racing and something of the stories behind it.

Jonathan

 

This book looks amazing..

 

This is THE Book. if you want to know anything about F-1 History from the late 1800's to early 1990's this is THE BOOK.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-History-Grand-Motor-Racing/dp/1854105000


Is is extreemly accurate, and well written. Its concise yet give some flavor as well.

Adriano Cimirosti has done a fantastic job. I wish there was an update to current days on this book.

Autocurse is also an excellent resource- and you can find them from the 50's on. You can get the digital editions at Autocourse.com as the early books are very rare and expensive. I have a collection of every Autcourse from 1969 to 2004.

at some point in the mid 2000's they kind of stopped being as well written... so i get the digital editions.

Happy reading ... & your welcome.

 

His books are really just picture books... the narrative is not very well researched, and the text is full of detail errors... the pics are great... but not a good resource of what happened. I have all of the books... bought the Monaco book Ollie discount store in New Castle PA. for $6.00...

 

Really? Would you recommend the book at least for the pictures?

 

Yea - its got great pictures but not much accurate info about F-1.
Cimmarosti's book has both... but it has ALL the history of F-1 from details to broad strokes ... it covers the pre 1950 GP world and the founding of the FIA - CSI etc... and how Modern F-1 originated.

 

If you really want just one book, Cimarosti is the best option.

 

I see. Is there any link available for Cimarosti's book?

Thank you.

 

See post #11 above!

FWIW, respecting Tom's opinion as I do, I just ordered a "good used" copy via that kink. I hadn't heard of it before, but the recommendations above sold me on it!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Thanks for the support!!! .... I think & hope you will like the book. I find it a very entertaining and informative read... but I'm a racing nerd, being brought up on Racing as a kid, I knew more about F-1 Matra's at age 6 than i did about Football... actually I still know more about F-1 Matra's than i do about football!!!

I have two copies of the book now - becuase my first copy is so dogeared!

 

It is not an "entertaining" read in terms of anecdotes and stories, if you look for it - but it isn't dull either, it's simply an excellent history book. And, in complete difference to most other sources, it is almost completely accurate - if Cimarosti wrote something, you generally can believe him, there is no need to check multiple sources to get the right picture. And, believe me, it is a rare achievement in books about Grand Prix history.

 

I should define my ideal of entertaining... more like a walk in the past.... I agree the book is so accurate, and covers almost every key event in F-1 racing since the beginning of the car.

 

That Cimarosti book does look interesting. As some other choices I didn't see mentioned yet, Doug Nye / Autocourse did a couple of volumes covering 1945-65 and then 1966-85. I also have an older GP car 54/66 book by Setright.
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Yes - I agree. I have all those as well, but they are more about the technical aspects of the race cars... still really interesting, but they dont go into what happend in the same detail ... but if you want to know the v degree of the V-16 BRM - those are the books to read... or how the Vanwall was done... or Gurney Weslake chassis and engine was done...

 

Many good replies and I have most of the books mentioned. I'd add that the Formula One in Camera series by Paul Parker, the 1 1/2 Grand Prix Racing by Mark Whitelock, the Mercedes Benz Grand Prix Racing 1934 - 1955 photos by George C Monkhouse (and one of the favorites in my collection in addition to Chris Nixon's Racing the SILVER ARROWS), any of the Automobile Year annuals (my collection of those go from 1966 thru 1973), The Cruel Sport and Real Racers by Robert Daley, Races Faces Places photos by Michael Cooper, F1 Retro 1970 by Mark Hughes, from the Klemantaski collection Real Racers and Klemantaski Master Motorsports Photographer and Formula 1 portraits of the '60s photos by Schlegelmilch.

 

"The Grand Prix Car" Volumes #1 &#2 by Laurence Pomeroy. You probably should be happy with a 3rd edition from 1960 You can check on Google as to what the 3rd edition has that the previous two editions don't have. There are some well used but complete 3rd editions on the market for reasonable prices.. But these two volumes are the grand daddy of them all. I saw my first ones in 1955? It wasn't until August 14, 2014 that I added these to my Ferrari literature collection of over 1200 titles.Even though this collection emphasizes the years 1946-1966 and only has only a small section devoted to the open wheel machines I came to realize what was missing was these two volumes. Enjoy tong's crew

 

For photos I love Jesse Alexander's "At Speed" which is a very large format hardback book. They are quite expensive these days and the one I have is near mint with dust jacket. It's a special treat those rare times when I flip through it.