Book recommendations

Book recommendations

Author
Discussion

HardtopManual

Original Poster:

2,600 posts

178 months

Tuesday 3rd December 2024
quotequote all
With next year's race ticket secured, but the race feeling like a lifetime away, I find myself with a need to read. Does anyone have any recommendations for good books about, or connected to, Le Mans? Thanks

Den Den

332 posts

31 months

Tuesday 3rd December 2024
quotequote all
Got this on the shelf, written in period. Looking online an original copy is worth a few quid though


spikep

483 posts

294 months

Tuesday 3rd December 2024
quotequote all
You will be amazed about how many female drivers took part in the early years.

Paul Dishman

4,926 posts

249 months

Tuesday 3rd December 2024
quotequote all
https://www.evropublishing.com/collections/best-se...

This complements the Richard Williams book, it has a French flavour, originally published by the ACO in French but now available in English.

Worth a look on Speedyhen for the best prices too

ellroy

7,387 posts

237 months

Tuesday 3rd December 2024
quotequote all
Brian Redman:

Daring Drivers, Deadly Tracks.

The best book on racing in the glory days of sports cars I’ve ever read.

Frankly superb.

Buy it. Thank me later.

Lovey1

500 posts

193 months

Tuesday 3rd December 2024
quotequote all
spikep said:
You will be amazed about how many female drivers took part in the early years.
This. concise review of each year but still inciteful and a great read. i thoroughly enjoyed

rlw

3,439 posts

249 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
Le Mans '55 is a sobering read...

isynge

6 posts

197 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
There are a few suggestions...
Vic Elford "A Racing Life" - excellent and frank account of someone who really should have won Le Mans at least once
John Horsman "Racing in the Rain" - insight into Gulf and Mirage and some really profound bits about how racing really works
and a little more light heartedly
Malcolm Cracknell "Taking the World by Storm", novel by founder of DailySportscar - loosely related to Lister and Le Mans in the late 1990s it's a fun read, slightly absurd, but you'll be all the better for it.
Happy to go and mine my motor racing shelves a bit more but hopefully this is an okay starter for 10.

fast tony

27 posts

26 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
Touch Wood by Duncan Hamilton, years ago I managed to borrow a copy from the library on recommendation of another race fan, a little later I bought myself a reprint version, read it again, then down the line lent it to someone (can’t remember who) bought another reprint, read it again, lent it again and it got passed along and is now “lost” , unless it got to you 🤣 have a look on line for a copy at under a tenner

Coops24

35 posts

37 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
Racing in the Dark by Peter Grimsdale. All about the Bentley Boys at Le Mans. Absolute page turner.

LawrieC

591 posts

116 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
Le Mans. Anders Ditlev Clausager. to 1982
Le Mans 24 Hours. Brian Laban 2001
Brooklands books series eg the Porsche & Peugeots years 1992-1999

Look at Duke marketing. Books are expensive. Their MP4 downloads and anything you can find on Netflix could be your best bet

Some Gump

12,932 posts

198 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
My old man had a book about hr Porsche 917, it's development, etc. It was ace. Full of a combo of the tech / upgrade side, and driver stories about the early days when it was simply scary / lethal.

I've tried to google it and i _think_ it might be Porsche 917: the winning formula because the cover is closest to my memory, but it also doesn't feel quite right. At seeming going rate of 65 quid it might be too much of a gamble, but the book i read was really interesting -especially if (like me) you've done a bit of motorsport and have tried to tune a chassis / develop a car (and can see just how much better the pros are vs us club guys!!)

Paul Dishman

4,926 posts

249 months

Saturday 7th December 2024
quotequote all
fast tony said:
Touch Wood by Duncan Hamilton, years ago I managed to borrow a copy from the library on recommendation of another race fan, a little later I bought myself a reprint version, read it again, then down the line lent it to someone (can’t remember who) bought another reprint, read it again, lent it again and it got passed along and is now “lost” , unless it got to you ?? have a look on line for a copy at under a tenner
Great call, Touch Wood is one of the best motor racing books ever published.

Truckosaurus

12,419 posts

296 months

Tuesday 10th December 2024
quotequote all
The Brooklands Books collections of contemporary reports and articles are interesting (and also for other classic races eg. Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, etc)

eg. https://amzn.eu/d/8oFw5Q3

Oldwolf

979 posts

205 months

Tuesday 10th December 2024
quotequote all
I enjoyed the Morgan at Le Mans story


nutsyH

584 posts

210 months

Tuesday 10th December 2024
quotequote all
Some Gump said:
My old man had a book about hr Porsche 917, it's development, etc. It was ace. Full of a combo of the tech / upgrade side, and driver stories about the early days when it was simply scary / lethal.

I've tried to google it and i _think_ it might be Porsche 917: the winning formula because the cover is closest to my memory, but it also doesn't feel quite right. At seeming going rate of 65 quid it might be too much of a gamble, but the book i read was really interesting -especially if (like me) you've done a bit of motorsport and have tried to tune a chassis / develop a car (and can see just how much better the pros are vs us club guys!!)
Ian Wagstaff - Porsche 917 - The autobiography of 917-023

nutsyH

584 posts

210 months

Wednesday 11th December 2024
quotequote all
The British at Le Mans - Ian Wagstaffe