Official book collectors thread

Irrespective, one way or the other, of Ken Purdy, I rate Horst Baumann's photography in The New Matadors very highly. To my way of thinking, he captures the dramatic aspect of it all extremely well. Apparently, I am not the only one who approves, as Delius Klasing recently did a follow up book. It is very much in the spirit of the original, just in color.

 

NART book, hardbound, book in good shape. slipcover scuffed. Here's a review from an Amazon ad:
"Most people with an interest in motor sport will be familiar with the acronym N.A.R.T., yet few people profess to know too much about the North American Racing Team.Starting in the the second half of the 1950s, NART existed for three decades, during which it experienced successes on the tracks of America and Europe. It also suffered financial difficulties, and arguments with track organizers. This book explains what NART was, how it was formed, and what it achieved over three decades of competition. It wasn't just sports cars that were entered into races, NART entered Formula One cars and Formula Junior cars as well. Never as financially stable as his rival team owners, Chinetti did deals with Ferrari to purchase the latest specification sports cars at the end of a season, in order to attract the best drivers to drive for NART. It was also an opportunity to lease the cars on a race-by-race basis, an arrangement that appealed to some of Chinetti's clientele. Whilst success on the track was significant, problems were never far away. Working on the cars with a limited number of staff, and not receiving spares from Ferrari on time, NART always appeared to be in a state of crisis. No matter ... despite the difficulties, the formula worked well for Luigi Chinetti, and the acronym N.A.R.T. has rightly become legendary."
Will deliver at a Starbuck anywhere from Los Angeles to Ontario along with your choice of a Ferrari race car print from an original painting 11"x 17" choose from at least ten prints, each signed by the artist. Those were sold by Pebble Beach for $75 ea. Cash only. We can meet up at Starbucks of your choicem or some Ferrari club cars 'n coffee.
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Well, a 100% positive eBay transaction for a change. The book was thoughtfully packed so no shipping damage, in better condition than I expected and arrived three days early. I wish it had a dust jacket but I could wait years for one in this condition and at this price.

 

After the positive words about Baumann and his photography, I instantly bought "Lichtjahre / Lightyears" - and I am totally shocked at the absolutely poor quality of the images. Almost no image in the book has been reproduced properly. Instead, the pictures are heavily blurred and foggy, and I feel pain looking at them. Actually, it's the worst motor book I ever bought. Just two samples of the catastrophic imagery:

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So, either this man Baumann didn't know what he was doing or Delius Klasing screwed up the whole thing. I don't know. But what I do know is that this book not only is "lightyears" away from Ferrari in Camera, Inside Track or Racing through Europe, but even is in another universe - a universe of darkness und despair ...

 

I've seen the book in a local bookstore, and had the same feeling: something went wrong somewhere. But I guess you (and I) don't get it: this is ART!

 

Ugh, I did not intend for my original comment to be taken as an endorsement of Delius Klasing's book. You are right that some idiot there has taken Baumann's excellent photography and gone "artsy fartsy" with it by giving it something of an impressionistic effect. I too would have preferred that the photos have been presented in the usual (sharply focused) manner. Perhaps you can return the book if you find it too off-putting?

 

If it was me it would be moments (not light years ) away from being returned.

Life is too short for both bad wine and bad motoring books.

These days with shelf space getting tighter for me, book prices increasing and so many new titles being released, I can't afford to buy or keep "shelf fillers" anymore.

 

So true! I've also become particularly intolerant of sellers who package books poorly. If I get it damaged, it goes back on their dime. Period.

 

I think there is a little misunderstanding here: Baumann is not a car photographer, but a photographic artist (and a pioneer), with an aesthetic of which blur was a part... You may not like it, that's understandable, but I have the impression that Delius Klasing's book is faithful to his work, and that you didn't know what you were buying... ;-) The standards of automotive history books do not apply in this case.

 

The way Delius Klasing advertised the book sounded quite differently ...

After the 288 GTO book with its mediocre text book, the 911 Dakar book with its heavy short-comings in layout, this is now the third book from Delius Klasing which just disappoints me. It will be my last one ...!

 

That 288 GTO book was very strange indeed. The text book was worth a read, but the quality was less than mediocre – that's a 10 € worth booklet.
And the photo book was one of the most uninteresting thing I have ever seen...

 

DK caters to a different audience, but I agree with you, these books are 'a criminal waste of trees'.

 

To be fair to DK, they also have done some very nice books. For instance, I remember their very nice book on Alpina from a few years ago.

 

All very true. To me, the sense of composition in Baumann's images is second to none. Whether or not he would agree with the way Delius Klasing has handled them is anyone's guess, as he was deceased well before the book even came out.

https://leica-camera.blog/2022/12/19/speaking-of-visionary-the-photographer-horst-h-baumann/

 

I bought the 288 book only because it is one of my favourite Ferrari models produced and not since Joe Sackey's book has there been much written about it.

I too was not a fan of the two book format and some of the photos, but I thought if I ever want to own this book then buying it now while prices are at retail is the time.

Have you seen the prices of the Porsche 918 Spyder book by the same publisher, DK now ?

Same format, similar print numbers and now since sold out the prices are crazy.

Admittedly there has been fewer pages written and even fewer good books about the 918 than the 288 over the years, but as I get older I try to avoid as many "If only I had bought it years ago..." moments as possible.

 

I don’t think, these prices of 800 or 900 euros are paid. Gilena has been offering a copy for just 199 euros for ages. I had a cooy, personally signed by 918 engineer Walliser and racing driver Lieb, which had a hammer price in Ladenburg of 180 euros.

 

That's why I was so upset with that 288 GTO book... I expected the same level of commitment, not a coffee table collector book...
I've got some DK books I like a lot, Audi Design was excellent for instance.

 

That's an interesting point, I'm always surprised by the price delta of some out of print books.

Auto bookstores tend to stick to a price relatively close to the original selling price, but I suppose there is a market for overpriced books.

I remember glancing at a Ferrari anniversary book in a car shop in Paris, which was selling for, say, €400. The store owner told me that the usual prices on the Internet were at least twice as high - I checked, he was right - but that he didn't want to speculate, because he didn't think it was fair, and that wasn't how he thought his business should work. I was very tempted to buy it just for its resale value, but ultimately respected the man's decisions - again, I think books are there to share knowledge, not to be an investment asset.

That said, as there is no knowledge at all in this book about the 288 GTO, I will be very happy to see its price increase :-D

 

With eBay, you can check the sold items by setting the right filters. That can give you an idea of real prices, with rare books I follow the difference can be up to 300% between the hopefuls and the actually sold items.

 

As I get older I try to avoid as many "if I had known beforehand the content, I would not have bought this book" moments as possible.

Going to a specialized book store and leafing through a book is essential in this. And no internet purchase for me unless there are representative sample pages.

 

So VERY true. As soon as a book goes out of print, the speculators often move in looking to make a profit. Whether or not they actually succeed is a completely separate matter.

 

That's a good point, nothing replaces real stores for me too.

 

I was looking on the net, just out of curiosity, for some vintage photographs from which it was possible to better understand the nuances of some grays from Glidden Salchi (in particular Grigio Notte 106.E.28, a passion of mine).

And I found these three pages that mainly concern Mauro Barbieri but also other craftsmen or rather masters of the so-called emilian Motor Valley (with whom I obviously have no affiliation).
I don't think they have already been indicated by anyone else but I think it could be an interesting read
https://www.internationalclassic.com/en/restauration-miura-mauro-barbieri/
https://www.internationalclassic.com/en/restauration-miura-mauro-barbieri_2/
https://www.internationalclassic.com/en/restauration-miura-mauro-barbieri-3/

I also found this short video on instagram which is always about Mauro Barbieri and the Ferrari colours.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CO3ZA_XKnqV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

On the same instagram profile I also found some interesting photos of the recent repainting in Celeste Gainsborough of a Ferrari 365 GTC (I think it could be chassis number 12421) previously painted in red.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqVWnFbItVg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I was also wondering if the book mentioned in Mr Massini's post has ever been published.

Have a good day everyone!

 

The Barbieri Color book has not been published yet.
It is a private print and there are a few prototypes only, at this time.
Such stuff often takes much longer than originally expected or planned.

Marcel Massini

 

The nice little book about Fritz and Rita Leirer and their Ferrari garage is out now, at least through German bookstores. Got my copy today.

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