Official book collectors thread

I was under the impression that Girardo & Co were promoting their 550 Prodrive book at Salon Retromobile.
Promoting as in: showing a printed book???

 

Sounds like EB110 ...

 

Yes, but they were already telling it was not the final version.
Regarding new additions to justify postponing to June, it's probably a better pitch than "we take a few more months to secure more buyers before we finance the actual printing".

 

The Girardo website has been saying for months:

"The renowned Ferrari historian Keith Bluemel has authored the book, drawing on first-hand accounts from all the key characters involved throughout the 550 Maranello Prodrive programme and who were instrumental in making it such a success."

And now, he went to Retromobile and met hitherto unknown key players???

 

Smells funny, doesn’t it? I wonder if there could be some disagreement among the parties about who gets credit and/or blame, resulting in some hasty editing. Or, it could be something worthwhile like more pictures, etc.

 

Well, wait and see my friends... As I have a month-old digital copy of the book, we'll be able to compare it with the final version... (I have been told it's not a final one so...)

 

Research never ends and a book is obsolete the minute the text is signed off and printed. THAT is one reason why so many agonize about actually finishing a book and sending text and photos -the final PDF- to the printer.

There comes a point when you have to stop.

Of the books I have been hired to do one took twelve years and another is now approaching that time span...but to cut a long story short you just have to wait because essentially you are not the one in control, no matter how much you would love to be, so I now no longer bang my head against the wall, I keep busy with other things: with age comes -slightly- improved patience.

 

.... if one waits for the latest and fastest computer, one will never own one.

Obsolesce in everything (including books) keeps us buying and updating more and more of the bloody things.

 

I agree, that does sound a bit usual unless they just wanted to use Retromobile as a platform to launch the book amongst car enthusiasts and then go back to still working on the book.

Seems an expensive way to go about it as they had bound and seemingly finished copies on display there.

 

You've expressed the author's dilemma perfectly Marc.

 

The German Sportfahrer Verlag has announced a new book for December:

Millanta on Ferrari – 1947–1952 – Limited Edition (550 copies)
by Alessandro Silva
360 pages - ca 400 photos
EUR 395,-
https://www.sportfahrer-zentrale.com/de/millanta-on-ferrari-1947-1952-le

There will be also a Collector's Edition for EUR 695,-
https://www.sportfahrer-zentrale.com/de/millanta-on-ferrari-1947-1952-ce
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Well I received Inside Track yesterday.It was nice of the UPS guy to forewarn me of the weight of the package after he had thrown it into my hands! Must be 12 kilos.

What a stunning pair of books, plenty of unique photographs to go back and forth to.Hill was a very talented photographer with the ability to catch the right moment, all with a fairly simple camera albeit a Leica.Not just Ferrari covered but other makes throughout, a true petroheads heaven.

100 per cent recommended, the best 300 quid or whatever I have spent in a long time

 

That looks really like a fantastic book, but I keep asking myself, why they don't publish a standard edition for, say, 150 euros oder 180 euros? It has become impossible to buy all the interesting books these days when you pay 630 euros for 550 Prodrive and 395 euros for Millanta and then I don't know how much for the new Palawan book on the Aston Martin GT Project cars, which I expect to be highly priced even for Palawan standards.

Of course, I myself bought many expensive limited editions, but each of these offered something very special like interesting additions or a world-class leather-binding. But there has always been the choice to take a moderately-priced standard edition. Now, it seems to have become general practice to publish books exclusively at heavy prices without any additional value added.

But maybe, I am old-fashioned ...

 

I really hope this is not just a quick and dirty re-hash of the 1985 published book "Ferrari Automobili 1947-1953", by Corrado Millanta, Luigi Orsini and Franco Zagari, published by Editoriale Olimpia, with 510 pages.
Same photos again?

Marcel Massini

 

Rule 1: always buy the least expensive version. Rule 2: never forget Rule 1. Rule 3: in case you MUST have: sell a kidney, re-mortgage the house, look for another job.

On a more serious note, yes you're quite right. The thing is that publishers tend to take less risk these days and limit their print-runs. So, fewer buyers will hopefully cover the costs and bring a profit. Some 25 years ago German publisher Könemann did fantastic books in large quantities for low prices. Unfortunately they made some severe miscalculations and went bankrupt. A publisher needs to sell a lot to make a profit, but niche products that appeal to you and me will never sell in high quantities.

 

Words from the publisher on this topic: "No there is no connection to any former book. We have full access to the archives and made our own selection. Author Alessandro Silva is specialised on motorsport in the 30s and 40s and brings in his experience and knowledge. Of course there might be photos that have been published before, but for sure not in the quality we are looking at."

 

Rule 4: Just ignore cheap efforts to turn publishing into gold digging

 

+1000
This looks like a really interesting book filling a gap in my library (I missed out on "Ferrari Automobili 1947-1953") and I am quite willing to pay 150 or 180 euro for it - but NOT 400 euro.

 

Well, basically all of the pix they show in the preview on their website for this book are well known to me and come straight from the other book. That's why I am scratching my head.

Marcel Massini

 

It seems that "Ferrari Automobili 1947-1953" is about the same price at the moment at AbeBooks
Perhaps the new book is priced with this in mind?

 

The old book is quite fantastic, great photography, but I guess most of us don't read Italian, and maybe Silva can add some valuable insights.

 

Received it today; at the discounted price (which ends up at about 400 euros in France, less than half the initial price), it looks indeed like very good value for money...
Thanks to Brexit, the process of importing from the UK is not as easy as before - the VAT has to be paid in the EU country (no matter some VAT was already paid in the UK), and paying it directly when ordering on ebay did not prevent the courier company (UPS) to request its payment, with some additional fees for having paid it in advance... ebay should pay me back within 20 days, I'll see how it works

 

The Kidston Muria book price increases I feel made publishers think they were underpricing plus the sudden increase in cost ( paper, transport, energy, staff ) in 2020 plus inflation. I noted the R C Publishing excellent Stratos Group 5 book limited edition was about euro 150 so not all crazy but if they can shift the books they will carry on. Look at the Phil Hill book being discounted heavily due to over pricing. I feel of all these the 550 Prodrive is the most overpriced. Porter Press have increased prices to crazy levels and the print runs greatly increased. Millanta has a smallish print run in its favour and I expect the Project Cars book will also be around the 300 level. Agree overall that prices are a little too high for the standard editions.

 

I just ordered Inside Track from Cotswoldroadandrace yesterday. Looking for a copy of the 3rd volume Biography.

 

Kindly disagree, that honor goes to the "Cavallino Covers limited edition"