Official book collectors thread

It‘s solved for me, the new one is ok but i hope they improve the packing and that all the other collectors can put them
in perfect condition in their shelfs.

 

Enjoy the book of Karim Said!

 

I try, not so happy about it and less than expected but it‘s a nice book overall, too expensive and perhaps
it grows in me with time. This time i‘m a little bit a party pooper…

 

second one of the year, perfect packed…
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Does anyone have Ronald Stern's email address?
Thanks in advance.

 

I'm late ...

Or to put it another way, I've had a really bad year on a personal level which hasn't left me much free time outside of my regular job... (and I've had an order for another book, which I've had to prioritise)

Let's hope I can get it out before the summer, it's not insurmountable.

Since I last talked about it here, it's been proof-read by someone at Maranello, which has allowed me to fine-tune a few things... I've got a few quotes from a printer, but the most complicated thing for me is managing the administrative side of setting up a company, which is not my strong point.

I've also wasted a lot of time looking for an answer that I can't find to a question that's very specific to France where I live: this book was always intended to be part of a collection, and with this theme for the next books in the pipeline comes the problem of cigarette sponsors. Under French law, it is strictly forbidden to reproduce or distribute cigarette brand logos in any way, media, etc. There are absolutely no exceptions. And the fines are gigantic - enough to destroy any small or even medium-sized publishing business. It's something I have to deal with every day with the magazines I publish, editing all the archive photos of motorsport... I don't even know if this absurd law allows us to talk about the Camel Trophy...

There are publishers who pretend that the law doesn't exist, they simply erase the sponsors on the cover, but once the book is open the pages are full of them (we've had this happen many times with all the publications about Senna in 2024): I've spoken to them about it, they simply hope that no-one important comes across it. It's a solution, but it's a bit too risky for me to afford.

Another solution would be not to distribute a book affected by the problem in France. Frustrating for some customers. But I don't even know if having my company based in France authorises me to publish the book according to the law.

And as the ‘car books with cigarette adverts’ sector is a micro-niche, it's impossible to find publications by legal experts who can give me guidance. I've been digging into the subject for two years to no avail.

Of course, this shouldn't affect the book on the GTO, but I'm so uncomfortable with the administrative side of things that I don't want to set up a company and have to change everything the next time I write a book (and I've already got quite a few ideas for what to do next...).

 

I'd say the same thing Bloodline is a bloody brilliant book. So interesting, so different, and with a truly modern, beautiful and relevant graphic design - something that means a lot to me, ugly books don't make me want to open them.

Milanta is an absolutely gorgeous book, but not one I'll be flipping through very often.

This year the translation of Brock Yates' biography of Ferrari came out in France, which I had never read and loved (much more than Dal Monte's, which we also got in 2024).

Finally, in 2024 I put together an almost complete collection of L'Année Automobile (Automobile Year) between 1976 and 1996, which are fabulous books if you're interested in Formula 1 and the motor industry in general.

 

This is just insane I always thought that German bureaucracy would be bad and unforgiving, but this tops it all.

 

The "Loi Evin" forbids all advertising or propaganda for tobacco products... without defining anywhere what should be considered as advertising or propaganda.
Historical pictures hidden within a book are certainly not advertisements, but whether they could be considered as "propaganda" is unclear (and common sense is unfortunately not helpful against the law). Avoiding the "tobacco" picture on the cover makes sense, because the book is potentially publicly exposed; whether it's enough to comply is however completely unclear.
According to the language definitions, advertising or propaganda should imply the intention to influence the audience (to consume tobacco) - one may argue that's not the case of a historical book that shows cars wearing tobacco adverts. However, these tobacco adverts are forbidden (now and since 1991, actually) in France; so even if that's far fetched, I suppose the book could be considered as an accessory to the violation of the law.

 

This in the country of 'Gaulloises', 'Gitanes', a 'buraliste' (vendor of smokes, newspapers, and lottery tickets) on every street corner of any city and small town, and of course a bureaucracy that is more than happy to collect all the duties and taxes! But I still love France.

 

I still wonder how they dare show historic cars with Marlboro, Silk Cut or JPS colours at an event like Retromobile - because it's clearly not allowed. Even with long-gone cigarette brands...
I guess they don't know or think that because it's a historical event they're allowed to do it. But in fact, that's not the case at all.

 

It’s been a long time so I could be mistaken, but I seem to recall that when the ban came in the Brits really overreacted, changing logos on historic race cars, editing pictures in magazines, not depicting a JPS Lotus or a Marlboro McLaren on a magazine cover, etc., etc. The same with model cars. Absurd. After a time all that seemed to go away. The intent was clearly and obviously not to advertise, market or influence a viewer or reader so apparently the authorities wisely chose not to enforce certain forms of advertising that aren’t actual advertising. I’ve yet to hear of any prosecutions in any country over this matter.

It seems to me that enforcement of an advertising ban against a depiction of an historic vehicle in a book about historic vehicles would not apply unless the “advertiser” had somehow remunerated the publisher for displaying it. That has probably never happened and probably never will.

In the US they banned the depiction of smoking in tv shows but plenty of smoking goes on in many films and tv programs. Likewise, obvious print and film/tv advertising is also banned but not the depiction of a brand in an historical context. Everybody should just get over it. If any of these hypocritical governments really wanted to address the “tobacco problem” they’d ban the product itself. But they won’t. Because they want the tax revenue.

 

Again, very much enjoying this book, but whoever was in charge of calculating the current value of '30s, 40's and '50s dollar amounts was about 10x off.

George

 

Exactly. Idiotic governments and bureaucrats at all levels. Same here in France.

 

Somewhat off the topic of books but there is currently legislation going through the UK parliament which would ban smoking for anyone born after, I think, 2010. Assuming it becomes law and remains in place it would ultimately ban smoking altogether. Mind you, when they introduced prohibition in the US, I don't think they intended it to be repealed a few years later.

 

The idiots are the citizens who vote for such people.
See Germany, Belgium, France, etc.
OK, let's better move over to the P&R section.
What's today's new Ferrari book?

Marcel Massini

 

Not exactly a book, but an old issue from Sept. 1994 of the German classic car magazine "Motor Klassik", which I received two days ago. I bought it, because it features my much-loved Ferrari 275 GTB - and was written by someone well-known here

Very instructive reading as it offers so much detailed information on so few pages. Articles of that kind of quality can no longer be found in such magazines.

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I used to live in a place that had a wonderful international newsstand. @Nembo1777 will know the place. I used to buy Motor Klassik, Auto, Motor and Sport, and Sport Auto there….and I don’t even read German!

 

Bob's news, Fort Lauderdale;-) I would go every saturday afternoon, buy half a dozen mags from various countries then go to the top of Pier 66 or to the Chart house to have a drink and read them.

 

Absolutely agree, Bob's on Andrews Ave in Ft Lauderdale is legendary. Have been there so many times. This is the sort of newsstand I always liked. No chance to find anything similar in Europe.

Marcel Massini

 

06931, RHD, but in German ownership for 3 decades.

Marcel Massini

 

True, very hard. There was one like that in my native Stockholm, incredible selection, but last visit summer 2022 it was gone...sign of the times alas.

In Paris WHSmith rue de Rivoli was brilliant but now renamed Smith and son they have a much smaller selection.

 

I worked just down the street in the 70s and 80s. I’d stop in for a pack of Benson & Hedges and see if any new European magazines had come in. I was a regular for years. Sometimes I’d see noted local MDs and enthusiasts Harry Jones, Gary Gieske or David Lane from the hospital across the street. And Bob Cressman’s shop was just a couple of miles away.

 

Las Palmas newsstand in LA on Las Palmas & Hollywood Blvd. was a great place to get all the European, Asian magazines. Not sure if it’s still there. You’d always see some Hollywood stars perusing the magazines.

 

Been there