Biography & Autobiography

The biography of motor racing mechanic Tony Robinson, who worked with some of the great names of the sport in the 1950s and '60s. Tony started as one of the mechanics for Stirling Moss in 1954: the year of Stirling's first serious assault on the world championship. After a semi-nomadic period touring Europe with privateer Bruce Halford, who also raced a Maserati 250F, Tony joined the British Racing Partnership – a Formula One and Two team part-owned by (Sir) Stirling's father, Alfred. Stirling was driving a BRP-entered Lotus on the day of the accident that effectively ended his racing career.
At BRP, Tony responded to the Lotus 25 by building what was the first monocoque F1 car following Colin Chapman's groundbreaker. He also designed a car for Indianapolis, before going on to work for Cooper. During his time in motor racing, Tony rubbed shoulders with such great names as Juan Manual Fangio and Mike Hawthorn; Stuart Lewis-Evans – whose manager was Bernie Ecclestone – was one of Tony's drivers, and McLaren's Ron Dennis worked for him during his time at Cooper.
This is the fascinating story of one of motorsport's most enduring characters.

The autobiography of Ted Macauley, award-winning newspaper reporter, columnist, and sports journalist. A story filled with the excitement of the sports that he covered, tales of enviable assignments, and featuring a host of celebrity friends and sporting superstars, including Mike Hailwood, George Best, Barry Sheene, and many more.
After spending a lifetime writing about the careers and achievements of others, Ted Macauley has now turned the focus on his own life, and the glamorous lifestyle he enjoyed as he travelled to exotic locations, and rubbed shoulders with sporting heroes and Hollywood stars alike.
With many original photos from Ted’s private collection to accompany the text, this autobiography is a fascinating glimpse into the life of a top sports journalist.

The names 'Keith Duckworth' and 'DFV' are practically synonymous, such is the reputation of the famous F1 racing engine which he designed.
Whilst there are books covering the technical aspects of the DFV engine, and other designs from Cosworth, the company which he founded with Mike Costin, there are many gaps in the story of Duckworth's career, before and after Cosworth. This book comprehensively fills those gaps, taking the reader into the world of Britain's finest 20th century engineers.
It was a world consisting of far more than motorsport, embracing an astonishing variety of mechanical devices, including aircraft, boats, and motorcycles – particularly Triumph, for whom he was a consultant during his retirement.
A man of strong convictions and high integrity, Keith Duckworth OBE cared passionately about his work, fitting almost every aspect of his life around it. From his northern industrial roots, the ups and downs of his personal life, his health problems, to his generous support of charities and business start-ups, this book recreates the story of one of motorsport's – and engineering's – most endearing and enduring characters.

Amazing and Extraordinary Facts: Royal Family Life unearths a wealth of curious truths about British royal domestic life, royal celebrations, royal etiquette, and how they have shaped history. Delve into the more personal lives of the Royal family, past and present. From difficult childhoods to fashion icons, from love matches to divorces, and from unrehearsed coronations to assassination attempts and untimely deaths. Curiosity about Britain’s rulers and their next of kin never seems to wane, and it is this compendium about the lives of the members of the Royal Family that makes this so utterly compelling.

In Red Baron: The Life and Death of an Ace, Peter Kilduff tells the story of this courageous and charismatic man: his comrades and enemies, the planes he flew, the battles he fought in, the political climate that caused his eventual disenchantment and the controversial circumstances of his death.

Containing previously unpublished photographs, drawings on new source material from former East German state archives and making fresh insights into existing sources, Red Baron is the most up-to-date reference on the life of a legend.

Tales from the Front Line - Trafalgar offers a unique insight into the most significant naval battle in history, told through the accounts of those who were actually there. Here you will find original accounts from the great military leaders of the time - including Nelson - as well as the experiences of the ordinary seamen and civilian witnesses. This title is drawn from a variety of contemporary sources including letters, diaries, newspapers and ships' logs.

A fascinating collection of first-hand accounts of life in the time of Jane Austen (1775-1817), showing how social standing and etiquette were prime considerations of the period, and revealing the stark contrast between 'upstairs' and 'downstairs' and the lives of men and women. With extracts from Jane Austen's novels, letters, biographies, memoirs and newspapers, including previously unpublished material held by The Jane Austen Society, British Library, Hampshire Record Office and Kent County Archives.

The fascinating biography of David Scott-Moncrieff, alias ‘Bunty’ – a colourful larger-than-life personality, enthusiastic car expert, charming entertainer, and passionate vintage car addict.
Bunty’s favourite marque was Rolls-Royce, and, for some time, he claimed to be the Number 1 in the Rolls-Royce second-hand car trade worldwide. Bunty also owned world-famous race cars, heaps of worn-out hearses (to be rebuilt), supercharged Mercedes classics, and even an antique Steamer. Here, you will meet them all, along with some of his many admirers who had the courage and pleasure to enter the passenger seat.
Halwart Schrader travelled to England to meet Bunty on many occasions, knew him well. and has written this long-awaited biography in full co-operation with Bunty’s son, Humphrey Scott-Moncrieff.

You'll know the name Noble. Ever since the M10 and M12 wowed the press in 1999, the marque has taken its place within the British sports car landscape alongside the likes of Lotus, TVR, and Morgan. But what do you know of the man behind the brand?

He didn't appear from nowhere. The Lee Noble Story is a biographical look at the rise, stumbles, and falls on the path to widespread recognition. From club motorsport racer to car designer and kit car manufacturer, and finally founder of his eponymous car company, Lee Noble has experienced epic highs and desperate lows. Specialist car manufacture is a notoriously precarious business, and you need a combination of talent and tenacity just to survive.

Yet no matter how fraught his career path has sometimes been, one thing has remained constant: every car to have originated from Noble's drawing board has been highly capable. Ultima, Midtec, Ascari, Noble ... all those names will resonate with those who have a fondness for specialist British sports cars. And while he may have departed from the company that bears his name, Noble's story is not over yet ...

Together with his colleagues at Citroën, Andre Lefebvre created the Traction Avant (1934), the TUB (1939) – Citroën's first front wheel drive utility van that was succeeded by the H and HY vans (1947) – the Deux Chevaux (1948), and, last but not least, the DS (1955).
From 1923 to 1931 Lefebvre also designed several highly original and outstanding competition cars and record-breaking automobiles for Voisin. He even drove some these cars in races and record attempts. It is obvious that during his 16 years with Gabriel Voisin he was very much influenced by the ideas of this illustrious aviation pioneer and car manufacturer.
The experience gained during that period gave him the self-confidence to persuade his successive bosses at Citroën that his unorthodox approach to automobile design was what the company needed; first he convinced André Citroën, later Pierre Michelin, then Pierre-Jules Boulanger, and finally Robert Puiseux and Pierre Bercot.
His oeuvre for Citroën alone earns him a place of honour among the great automobile designers of the past century. The fact that most present-day cars still carry the DNA of his design philosophy makes him stand out above other automotive pioneers and innovators. That is why it is amazing that so little is known about this fascinating and brilliant engineer.
This book was written in order to remedy that, and to pay tribute to André Lefebvre: the passionate pioneer who left car enthusiasts around the world such an important heritage.

Inside Pepys' London reveals a vivid picture of London at a critical point in history - poised to become a major centre of international commerce and culture. It provides accounts of all aspects of contemporary life, from the arts and entertainment, to politics and religion. Though no king or great general, thanks to his diary Samuel Pepys is one of the most interesting characters in history. His life encompassed happenings of huge historical and human impact - the execution of Charles I and the Great Fire of London to name but two. This book takes Pepys' diary, which he kept almost daily from 1660-1669, as its central resource, but also includes a range of other contemporary sources to provide a fascinating and vivid picture of the times.

This is a fascinating, evocative account of 19th-century London, so well known from Charles Dickens' much-loved novels. It draws on descriptions of life in the capital from original letters, diaries and newspapers, as well as Dickens' own social commentary, to paint a vivid portrait of a city undergoing massive social changes. No author has ever described the city of London as well as Dickens. His eye for detail and his gift for characterization moved and entertained readers throughout the world who might never have been to the city. Many of the cliches that crowd our imaginations when we think of London, or of the Victorians, can be traced back to his writings. A unique gazetteer section with a modern-day map allows the reader to discover where places and attractions mentioned in the text can be seen in today's London.