LightAuto
Books of Reference.
To those of us that are interested in the history
of the automobile, it soon becomes obvious that to gain an insight into
whatever aspect of this history some form of research is required. The
broader the subject the broader the research is required. There are various
ways to carry out research. If you are only interested in one make or model
of automobile then the manufacturers records are the best place to look.
Unfortunately many manufacturers have gone out of business a long time
ago.
If it were a period of time then an archive
such as the library of Motoring at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu,
England, would be a good place to start. Unfortunately the time and opportunity
to carry out research in this way is not possible for most of us. Also
to study those archives that are available would be a major undertaking.
Fortunately someone had already undertaken research into most aspects of
automobile history and recorded their findings in numerous magazines and
books. That is not to say that there is not room for more original research.
I find that the books are the most informative and have collected books
on all aspects of automobile history. These include encyclopaedia and collections
of data, as well as books on individual makers or models. Some of the most
interesting are the studies on a particular period in time or type of automobile.
Information can also be gleaned from biographies and studies on the automobile
industry. Fortunately we in Britain have had a distinguished band of automobile
journalists and historians that have carried out a great deal of research
into all aspects of automobile history. With their roots in motoring journalism
they have produced many books containing a vast amount of invaluable information
and data. Often this was gained at first hand as a result of their career
in journalism.
An enthusiast often writes the books that
have as the subject one maker or model of automobile and they mostly have
the contacts necessary to unearth all kinds new of information on their
chosen subject. This is usually their only book and is a labour of love.
Authors that specialise mostly write the
biographies and not on automobile subject. But the best book of biographies
I have had been written about automobile engineers by automobile historians.
There are many books on the affect of the automobile on society. These
are usually written by mainstream journalist's and often contain historical
errors. On the subject of errors, as many books are composed of information
from previously published sources and if an error gets into a publication
it can be repeated and become accepted as fact. Therefore great care is
required when researching in published sources to check as many different
sources as possible to spot these errors.
I derive great pleasure from researching
my library and gathering information on whatever subject I am interested
in at the time. I endeavour to interpret that information and in my own
words shed some light on that subject.
I convey my thanks the authors of my library
listed below whether living or dead for pleasure they have given me and
for the history they have recorded.
Penny Sparke, Reinhard Seiffert, Mike Lawrence,
Martin Lewis, Mick Baldwin, Michael Sedgwick, Mark Gillies, Anthony Howarth,
David Owen, John Reynolds, Michael Bowler, Paul Harris, Ruth Brandon, Jacques
Ickx, Antony Bird, Rudy Kousbroek, D.B.Tubbs, Jerrold Sloniger, Maurice
D. Hendry, Jose Manuel Rodriguez de la Vina, Griffith Borgeson, Peter Hull,
Angela Cherrett, Ronald Barker, LJK Setright, Philip Turner. David Burgess
Wise, Miroslav Gomola, Gavin Farmer, Jan Tulis, J.A.Gregoire K.B.Hopfinger,
Nick Geogano, Nick Baldwin, Anders Clausge, Jonathan Wood, Chris Rees,
Jonathan Mantle, Graham Robson, Vincent Curcio, Michael Ware, Michael Bowler,
Hugh Hashell, Rob de la Rive Box, Giulio Schmidt, Mark Konig, Sam Roberts,
Trevor Pyman, H.G.Conway, Ian H. Smith, Chris Harvey, F.Wilson McComb,
Alfred P. Sloan JR, Richard von Frankenberg, Brian Long, Saint Loup, Christopher
Balfour, Mark Chatterton, John Bolster, Jonathon Wood, Karel Rosenkranz,
Harold Perkin, Eric Dymock R.J.Wyatt Staton Abbey Ellison Hawks Marco Ruiz
Chris Horton A.B.Demaus & J.C.Tarring Peter Coxhead, Martin Foster,
C.F.Caunter, Sonia Seymour-Williams, Martin Adeney, John,Stanford,
William Boddy, Dave Randle, C. Clutton, J Stanford, Robin Fry, Garet
Garrett, John Tipler, Laurence Meredith, Charles Mortimer, Kyle Fortune,
Frank Oleski.
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