Official book collectors thread

I didn't keep my review copy. There are indeed a lot of photos, but they're not very well presented and the texts are very brief – and as the book is bilingual, they're even shorter...

I found it rather uninteresting, both as a reference book on the GTO and as a photo book, and I find it very expensive considering the quality of the publication. But I imagine someone had to pay for all those Bernard Cahier photos...

The Porter Press book and Doug Nye's one on the 1964 GTOs are twice as expensive, but you learn ten times more from them (actually much more, because you don't learn much from this one), so in the end, they are probably much better value for money if you are interested in GTOs.

 

Thank you very much, Yan-Alexandre! So, as I have both, the Porter Press book and GTO/64, I am well served and don't need another GTO book

 

You don' need another one... for now ! Mine is almost ready

 

As a side note regarding GTO books, I think the Keith Bluemel / Jess Pourret book (published in 1998, Bay View books in English, ETAI in French) is a good short introduction (obviously not as extensive as the "Ultimate GTO" and "GTO 64" books).

 

Speaking of Keith and Porter Press has anyone received their copy of this new release yet and if so any feedback?

https://porterpress.co.uk/collections/ferrari-books/products/ferrari-275-p-0816

 

Thread hijack! Any information on Eau Rouge Publishing’s Mangusta book? We now return to our regular programming.

 

Thank you for asking. As you may know I finished the work, lots of research and interviews, gathering a huge trove of archive photos and driving, shooting four Mangustas several years ago but my publisher Doug Blair of Eau Rouge Publishing had to sell his family firm and get reorganized professionally. He recently contacted me to say he was getting ready to do the page layout which is great news. I will share more as it happens.

I know the cover, instead of being the studio shot of a black car, Doug's ex, will be an apple green one, absolutely gorgeous, which I shot in the hills above Vienna a few years ago.

 

I ordered and received an email late last week that they expect these books to be in the USA in late June. Hard to say when they will be released from customs though with everything that is currently going on in that regard.

 

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated!

 

Thanks Joe.
The distributors in the UK have theirs already so thought a few of you may have them already too.

Now we can return to regular programming

 

Like Marc, did you want to elaborate on some of the details of your upcoming book ?

 

Speaking of GTO books what has become of the GTO spotter’s guide that someone here was working on a couple of years ago?

 

I got mine (number 200) last week, it’s a larger landscape size than previous porterpress books and at first flick through has nice pictures and a decent layout. I’ve added it to my reading pile, but don’t expect a review soon, there are probably 300 books ahead of it! Yes I have a problem, but it’s a nice one to have…

 

I too share the problem of too many books and not enough free time to read them properly.
One day...

 

That's 's my book!

The writing is 95% complete, I just need to correct a few layout errors and update the information for the cars I've seen over the last year.

The beginning of the year was complicated for me, but I had time to do what is most difficult for me: managing the administrative side of setting up the company that will publish the book. I still have one more thing to take care of: shipping costs. Since I won't be sending the books out for several months, DHL won't give me a shipping quote, which is a bit annoying.

To be honest, I was hoping to launch the crowdfunding campaign this week, but yesterday I discovered that Kickstarter campaigns only last 60 days, not 90 as I thought. As it doesn't make much sense to end a campaign in the middle of August, I'll have to wait until 1 September to launch the funding, over a shorter period of 45 days. (which seems to be recommended). Normally, if all goes well, the book should be printed in early November and shipped out in time to arrive under the Christmas tree...

In the meantime, I'll use the extra time to finalise the book's presentation on Kickstarter so I can start promoting it and registering the first contacts from interested people. I also need to contact the press, and it's not a bad thing to have a few months for that, to allow time for magazines to be published...

I have no idea how many copies will be printed, it will depend on the crowdfunding, but I have set myself a minimum of 250 orders to start printing (in which case 500 books will be printed). In any case, the first 250 people to order the book will receive a numbered and signed copy at no extra cost (in order of order if possible) - I'm thinking of having a large stamp made in the shape of a 250 GTO chassis plate to stamp the title page, which I will fill in by hand for these 250 copies.

Finally, if it is a success, I hope to be able to produce other books on the same theme next year to create a collection on the greatest racing cars – Ferrari and others (perhaps one in two would be devoted to Ferrari). Let's keep our fingers crossed!

 

Good luck Yan, book work is like a long pregnancy!

Some are still born, others painful births, or with author divorces in the process and others come out like a charm...

I have been through each scenario;-)

Thankfully the only still born one was on one single car and when I realised the owner was a cold speculator who never drove it I walked out.

 

Thanks Marc ! Let's hope none of these scenarios happen here! - well except coming out like a charm...

 

Thank you for the update. That’s very impressive. I’ll look forward to the crowdfunding. Jesse Alexander published what I believe was his final book (Monaco) in that fashion. I cherish my copy, as I do all of his books. I was able to visit his gallery in NYC many years ago, but disappointed that he wasn’t there at the time….

 

We need to enter some sort of 12 step program.

 

Thanks for bringing up Jesse, Jack
I have a few of his books and your words made me Google him and find out a bit more about his Monaco book and his life.
This is an old article but a great snapshot of the man.

https://www.ocregister.com/2014/06/18/jesse-alexanders-iconic-photographs-freeze-historic-moments-of-speed/

Jesse Alexander (born 1929 in Santa Barbara, California, died December 15, 2021, in Santa Barbara, California) was an American photographer who covered motorsports, portraits, birds and travel. He also published several books.

One of his first photo expeditions was in 1953 to the Carrera Panamericana race in Mexico. Since 1954, he covered large European races such as 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, and the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio of Italy. While in Europe he also photographed culture celebrities for The New York Times, and was the European editor for Car and Driver magazine.

In 1974 Roland Coate Jr. designed a distinctive, massive concrete home for Alexander and his wife in Montecito, CA. The home, known as Mudhouse, was largely underground and subsequently purchased by comedian Steve Martin.

He exhibited at the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

 

It is the season for Le Mans books......just received my copy of this tome - OK Ferrari disappeared for a number of years covered these volumes, but the return of the 333 SP brought the soprano sound of the V12 back to La Sarthe - happy days. Looking forward to a glass or two of red and a spell of À la recherche du temps perdu....



We are thrilled to announce that "Twice Around the Clock - The Yanks at Le Mans" is now available for purchase! Please https://online.flipb....com/uhzw/rvqg/) and US ordering information.

Books will ship in late July to US addresses. Shipping now to the UK/EU, available through Horton's Books (https://www.hortonsbooks.co.uk/).

Printed in a limited-edition run of 400 numbered sets, these are the fourth and fifth (spanning 1980-1999) volumes of seven, which will document the stories of the Yanks at Le Mans up to 2023, the 100th anniversary of the incomparable 24 Heures du Mans. And yes... we will be making the "blue” set, Volumes VI-VII (2000-2023), available late 2026/early 2027.