Official book collectors thread

Just received the 288 GTO book and first impressions are it's ****.
Honestly so very disappointed.

I have a copy going very cheap...

Paul

 

Sackey’s book?

 

No...the new one...
Free to a good home

 

I’ve seen it some time ago and said to myself how is it possible that a publisher still produces this kind of rubbish in 2022.

 

I keep looking through this book (the 288 book) in the hope I can find terms of endearment and I cannot.
So very disappointing. And absolutely not worth the money.

Paul

 

Well, I think, as always, it depends on what you expect. As far as the photo book is concerned, I am absolutely delighted about the photography of the car in general and the many, many details. I cannot stop looking through these pictures. But I have to admit that the GTO (288) has been one of my favourite cars from Maranello for the last 38 years since her presentation.

As far as the little text book is concerned, which accompanies the picture book, I share your disappointment. I can only speak about the German text, which shows a terrible style of writing with many word repetitions and with numerous redundant remarks telling the same things three or four times in a row. No editor seems to have read Lewandowski's text. Moreover, there is really not much in it to learn (new) about the car's genesis. All been told before.

So, if you love the GTO and want to enjoy wonderful pictures, go for it. If you want substance about the development and technical features of the car, look elsewhere.

 

So the only option is to return to the German language book on the F40 by Schruf/MBV that also deals with the 288, or the old 288 GTO book (bilingual) by Lewandowski/Südwest. IMHO, Joe Sackey’s book was also disastrous.

 

Could someone identify exactly which book is being discussed? Thanks.

 

On a happier note, I recently bought a copy of ‘Niki Lauda, his competition history’ (EVRO), remaindered by Chaters for GBP15.- A truly outstanding book, well written and highly detailed.

 

The new book by Jürgen Lewandowski on the GTO (288), published by Delius Klasing.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thank you, Sven.

 

I had an inking that was going to be the case.
Even though Sven gave it a good review I still wasn't convinced (no disrespect intended at all Sven )
That format of a separate booklet with the text doesn't thrill me at all.
I love the 288 GTO - possibly my favourite Ferrari of all time- but I think the topic has been covered already without this glorified coffee table book.
Plus the format of two books contained within a display box is a painful book to access and store on a bookshelf.

I have the Automobilia GTO book, the Art and Car book, the Joe Sackey book, the Schruf book on the F40 and numerous books that make reference to the 288 GTO within it's pages.

With many other classic Ferrari books out there that I would still like to add to my library I think I'll pass on this one.

Great libraries consist of great books, not shelf fillers.

 

As said before: ‘most books on Ferrari are a criminal waste of trees’.

 

+1

 

I think we all agree here that what is missing is a GTO (288) book of the shape and quality of Konradsheim's Carrera RS book or the Dino Compendium.

As I wrote above, I am not that critical of the book for the reasons I mentioned, but if I had to choose just one, I would go for the Werner Schruf book on the F40/GTO Evoluzione.

 

Oops, I just ordered it last week. But, for $70 postpaid, hopefully, it won't be too bad...

I have also got a copy of another Delius Klasing title, Monaco Motor Racing: Edward Quinn, coming with the same order. Does anyone have any impressions regarding it?

 

Monaco Motor Racing does interest me as well. At 98 euros very expensive. So any comments are welcome!

 

I have both these books. Unlike Paul, I am happy with the 288 GTO book. I ordered it expecting a picture book and that's what it is. There are some nice pictures. The separate (bi-lingual) book with the text is really just a minor addition and if you bought it for that you would certainly be disappointed. I have only glanced at it so far and the text looks quite interesting as far as it goes but there really isn't very much of it.

Incidentally, if you are considering ordering a book without having seen it, if the publisher lists the photographer's name before the author of the text, then you know it is a picture book and not to expect much from the text.`

The Monaco Motor Racing book is also a picture book. More-or-less, pictures plus captions with a little introductory text for each chapter. The chapters cover Monaco events (some Monte Carlo rally as well as the Grand Prix from 1950 to 1965). Note that it comes in two editions. As far as I could tell the only difference is a slipcase although the price difference is silly if that is the case, so I ordered the cheaper edition. All the pictures are black and white except 2 or 3 colour. Track action but also a lot of the drivers out of their cars. Don't order it if that isn't what you want. I like it and am pleased I bought it, but I wouldn't say it was an essential purchase even if the subject matter interests you. I paid about 70 Euros and it is probably worth that to me.

 

Thank you for that! The Monaco Motor Racing book does sound promising. Years ago, Google bought the Life magazine photo archive and had a website with all of the images. Included in this were dozens of Edward Quinn images relating to the 1956 Monaco GP, which I thought were spectacular. They really captured the drama and the human element of the race. If this book is anything like that, I will be very pleased.

I must admit to being a little trepidatious with Delius Klasing books right now, after buying a copy of their Lichtjahre: Automobilsport title a few months ago. It features Horst Baumann's photography (the same individual behind the legendary New Matadors book from 1965), which is second to none for the 1950's and '60s period. Unfortunately, whoever designed the book has done their absolute best to ruin it all by having every image being blurred, presumably for an "artistic" effect. The problem is that it creates an effect not unlike looking at the book through someone else's eyeglasses. It literally gives you a headache within a few minutes...

 

Book pricing is so strange. It can vary considerably according to country, purchasing platform, vendor, when you are buying, etc. Especially with mass market titles, the difference can easily double what you pay. In the case of the two Delius Klasing titles we have been talking about, buying from Horton's, Chaters, or Motors Mania would have been more that twice (inclusive of postage) what the Abebooks platform and PBShop vendor were charging ($69.84, all inclusive). And, it's not like the issue is buying on one side of the Atlantic Ocean vs. the other, as books from PBShop ship from the UK.

Having said this, I may be singing a different tune when the books actually arrive, if they pack them in bubble envelopes and they are destroyed while in transit. That almost never happens with the "quality" booksellers, so there definitely IS a difference there...

 

Yes, I also have the Lichtjahre book. For some reason (which I assume was a design decision rather than a limitation of the source material) they seem to have reproduced the images with a low pixel count rather like newspapers used to do.

The Monaco Motor Racing book is not like that and most of the images are well reproduced. There are one or two that are a little blurry but I assume that is down to the original image and they've opted to include them anyway (the couple of colour images are not the highest quality but are interesting and I'm pleased they are included).

 

My copies of both titles came from Speedyhen (also in the UK) and I've never had a problem with their packaging (so far...). I was not aware of PBShop until now, but I see their prices for the two books are very slightly less than I paid so I will be interested to hear about the packaging when your copies arrive.

Some years ago, there was something in the UK called the Net Book Agreement which meant books always cost the same price wherever you purchased them. That had the benefit of keeping the small local bookshops in business. Now they are like anything else in that the vendor chooses how much margin to take. I have bought many books over the years from Hortons, Chaters etc., continue to do so and long may they continue to exist. However, if I can get a book at a considerable discount then I will do so. It leaves me more money to buy more books!

 

Even though Hortons can be slightly more expensive it is worth it for their bullet proof parcels!
Often cursing them for the time it takes to get into the present inside but the dozen or so books I have bought have always arrived immaculate.

 

I second that.

Both Hortons and Cotswold R&R pack their parcels to be almost bomb proof.

Never had an issue with either company when it comes to undamaged books coming from half way around the world.

 

Just received my copy (#566) - the book is currently on special offer at motors mania, at €300 instead of €399 I could not resist... At first glance it looks like a serious work.