Official book collectors thread

Very cool.
I see you there on the list.

 

Not Ferrari related, but hey, the TZ isn't a baby 250 GTO after all ?

Looks very impressive, 5 volumes, with complete registry. Their previous Alfa Romeo books being quite fatalistic, I recommend this ones with my eyes shut.

Price is 349 € and it's available here

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Product information "Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ"

Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ documentation and register by Martin Übelher and Patrick Dasse.

Sixty years ago, in November 1963, Alfa Romeo’s Giulia TZ celebrated its competition debut in the Tour de Corse. The "Tubolare Zagato" – a reference to the tube frame chassis as well as the body designer – was to become one of the most successful models in the long list of race winners from Alfa Romeo.

The book consists of five volumes, totaling 1500 pages.

The first two volumes document in painstaking detail the development of the Giulia TZ and the racing history of the works cars:

"Giulia TZ - Volume one"
300 pages, 329 black and white photos, 53 colour photos, and one contemporary document

"Giulia TZ - Volume two"
300 pages, 318 black and white photos and 73 colour photos.

Volumes 3, 4 and 5 contain a complete registry of all Giulia TZs ever built, as well as the corresponding changes of ownership, registration numbers and race participation up to the end of homologation in 1974, insofar these can be attributed to individual cars. Volume 5 also contains an appendix with various contemporary documents, including homologation forms as well as a technical bulletin covering race preparation.

"Giulia TZ - Volume three"
300 pages with 258 black and white photographs, 62 colour photographs and one contemporary document.

"Giulia TZ - Volume four"
300 pages, 214 black and white photos, 71 colour photos and four contemporary documents

"Giulia TZ - Volume five"
300 pages with 132 black and white photos, 40 colour photos and 133 contemporary documents.

Dr. Marco Fazio, former director of the factory archives (the "Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo – Centro Documentazione") allowed us to examine previously unreleased documents related to the Giulia TZ; their evaluation entailed several years of work. The majority of the photographs reproduced in the book have not been previously published.

Size: 29 x 24,8 cm

Weight: 8,2 kg

Language: English – German

Authors: Martin Übelher & Patrick Dasse

ISBN 978-3-87166-086-3

 

A recent review of the book by German journalist/author Juergen Lewandowski:

In 2019, Patrick G. Kelley also published a wonderful book with Dalton Watson with drawings of concept cars that had been created on the tables of talented designers since the 1930 - drawings full of imagination and inspired by the desire to put the future on paper today. The edition was 100 copies, which were also signed. It took a few years until I was able to buy a copy - and now Patrick G. Kelley has snapped it up a second time: his new volume is entitled Imagine too -
towards the Future. And after Volume 1 became a cult book, no fewer than around 700 drawings and explanatory photos with the protagonists are summarized here on 456 pages. One wonders where Kelley found and discovered these treasures - most of which have never been published before. He says: "The drawings are survivors that defined an important period in the American auto industry. They show the American style and the commercialism that was hidden behind the search for new forms." It was then that the idea that good design boosts sales and strengthens brand loyalty
began to take hold.
The book features more than 600 never- before-published drawings of concept vehicles from more than 130 designers - concepts for flying automobiles, concepts for sports cars and limousines. And the viewer is amazed at the creativity that can be admired here. The drawings are supplemented by photos of concept toys, model cars and sculptures - and you are left fascinated and excited by the imagination, creativity and craftsmanship of these designers. And think about which of the drawings you would like to frame and hang on your wall. One of the
greatest books of the year. From: Jürgen Lewandowski
<[email protected]>


High praise indeed.

 

What…No Bruce McCall?



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He’s missed……

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He’s a force unto himself. He doesn’t need to share a book with us lowlifes.
Everyone knows his work.

 

This publisher always makes amazing books. I hope this one is as good as the first T33 book, wich was only one volume. Still waiting for the next T33 book

 

Well, sorry to be grumpy, but I don't understand this book.
Being very interested in car design, I was very happy to receive it, despite the rather ugly cover, and then I opened it...
It's just a compilation of drawings that seem to be thrown together at random, without the slightest coherence or explanation. And some of them are really uninteresting things, as if they had to fill the space.

I can understand wanting to pay tribute to all these designers by publishing some of their work for posterity - and that these people are delighted to be published in a book - but for me this it is just a huge headless mishmash.

I have to admit that the American car and its subcultures is a subject that interests me less than others, being based in Europe, and that most of the designers who appear there are unknown to me. But in any case, this way of presenting their work doesn't really make me want to find out more.

 

Interesting POV. Agree the cover is something that I don't particularly like either but then no one asked me. I believe the point of the book was to publish as much American automotive design sketches as possible. Given this type of work is no longer created in this manner, it is a snapshot in time (1930's - 1980's) when artwork was created in the automotive design process. Most of the designers whose work is in the book are no longer with us, and the book as you point out is a means of capturing the work for posterity. No more no less. The work represents the history of the American automobile design history, and it is disappearing through time, neglect, and the passing of its creators. Could it have been presented in an alternative manner? Of course. But it is a very rare snapshot of a time in the American automobile where there were no limits on the imagination. The post war American auto industry had no boundaries, and the resulting style/design art portrays that.

The time frame of the work presented is strictly US based. The Europeans had a different means of working during the early parts that are represented. The Europeans came into their own design wise post WW2.

I'm pleased that someone had the wherewithal and the time to assemble all the work presented. No where else can one find this type of artwork created during a seminal period in the automotive industry. Like it or not it's automotive history. How it is presented is another matter for further discussion.

As an aside, the Detroit Institute of Arts, a world renowned institution, finally after 100 years of the automobile finally decided to assemble a show featuring the art of the automobile design process. It took 100 years for them to recognize the fact that that styling art was indeed an art form. So after 100 years, someone decided to assemble a collection of sketches, art work, and put into book form.

 

Meanwhile, any Ferrari-related news available?

 

Yes, like them a lot, too!

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I saw that exhibit in Detroit back in like 2016 or so. It was a fantastic experience seeing the hand crafted renderings in person.

 

One additional POV regarding the book under discussion, the current issue of Automobilia has this review from an Englishman's perspective.

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Well, let's just say this book isn't for me.
But as I write book reviews myself for the magazines I edit, I'd say I never read what my colleagues write, because we're rarely objective about it - besides, when was the last time you read a truly critical review in a classic car magazine? ;-)

One thing that bother me it this review is "it's beautifully prodiced". I would say... "average".
With all due respect to Dalton Watson, who have the courage to produce some books that are aimed at a very limited audience, and who have published some very good books, such as the Shelby Cobra Mk1 register or the Ferrari 333SP book, I find the graphics of their books really out of date. It's a bit amateurish, and unfortunately spoils some of the reading pleasure... I mean, they're not a small publisher doing small series, and their books are expensive enough that you'd expect better.

 

It looks like a fascinating book, but to me it's waaaaaay overpriced.

 

I have a copy of the first book "Imagine" and will more than likely buy this new book. I totally agree with your opinion regarding the production and book design of Dalton Watson books. They really are very dated and to be frank, pretty poorly designed. They would really benefit from employing a new book designer, because they have some wonderful subjects that are not being produced to their full potential.

 

Yup
Yup
And yup on all accounts.
I'm just happy someone decided to do anything with the subject matter. Hopefully if there are future releases on this topic, they will be of a higher standard.
Thanks for the commentary.

 

Interesting to hear those comments on Dalton Watson books because that was exactly my thoughts on the Lamborghini: At the cutting edge of design book (actually a two volume book in a slipcase) that I bought after reading very positive reviews in this thread. I did find it mildly amusing that a book on design (as is the Imagine book being discussed) should be not very well designed itself and certainly not at the cutting edge. As an aside, the same Lamborghini book could also have done with a bit more editing as there as several instances where one paragraph more-or-less repeats the previous paragraph. That said, even with those flaws, it is very good and I'm pleased I bought it even though it wasn't cheap.

 

There's a lot to say about the "author" of this book... Years ago, I bought his monograph on Gandini, also from Dalton Watson. I was very enthusiastic about this book.
But first I was disillusioned by the mediocre graphics. And then the texts, the texts, oh boy... This guy is more focused on telling his life story than any interesting information. And because he's completely in love with Gandini, he repeats everything the old man tells him without verifying any of the information. And of course, a lot of it is erroneous... I don't have the Lamborghini or any of the other Dalton designer monographs... And that's the way it's going to stay.

 

Yes, I was disappointed in the Gandini book as well. I don’t have the depth of knowledge to be critical of the fidelity to facts, but I found the layout, graphics, photo reproduction, etc., to be less than expected.

 

So true. In my mind, at least, Dalton Watson, the publisher, combined with Gautam Sen, the author, have become bywords for mediocrity. I bought, and was disappointed by, their Gandini and Tjaarda books. Since then, I have become reluctant to take a chance on any of the others.

 

It's sad because Italian designers like Gandini deserve books worthy of their talent, but it's an exacting piece of investigative work, almost like archaeology, because so many documents have been lost, and these guys, with their gigantic egos, are often great liars when it comes to taking credit for a car - and as many of them hate each other, it's even harder to sort out the real from the fake.
But hey, I may be a bit off topic there... Let's get back to Ferrari books, or our friend Buchpilot is going to get very angry - and rightly so! ;-)

 

People like Gandini are geniuses at what they do. Unfortunately, dealing with geniuses for essentially anything else has never been, and probably never will be, an easy task. Look at Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and plenty of the other more mainstream examples that one sees.

 

I agree with most of the above criticism, and didn't buy some DW titles for those reasons. If you look at a private effort like 'The Amazing Denzel Sports Car', you know a great book can be done with some TLC.

 

But to go slightly off the topic myself, I would like to mention in defence of Dalton Watson that they have published a series of pretty good Maserati books by Walter Bäumer.