"A History of the Monte Carlo Rally"

“A History of the Monte Carlo Rally,” by Michael Frostick. 95 pp. 10 in x 7 1/2 in. (Hamish Hamilton, Ltd., 90, Great Russell Street, London, W.C.1. 25s.)

There have been three or four accounts to date of competing in this rally that grips the imagination of so many Englishmen, but this is an attempt at the history of the Great Winter Marathon.

As such, it fails. The text is superficial enough as it is without printing the 1962 Regulations in full, to fill up 19 of the art pages. The pictures are a mixed bag, the majority badly reproduced, and/or captioned incorrectly. I always liked looking at Kitty Brunell, but of the six posed pictures of her with this book, in A.C., Talbot and Singer Junior cars, she can be admired clearly in three only, the others being black smears. Anyway, the author seems to have a vested interest in A.C.s, which figure in seven of the early pictures. The later pictures are better and Pat Moss in sleeveless evening dress (which we don’t think she wore on the Rally) gets a full page. But cartoons are mixed in with serious illustrations, a driving-test diagram of 1936 wastes another full page, and altogether this is a superficial work. Serious errors complete a pretty rotten job.

The results, from 1911 to 1963, down to sixth place, are worth something – but certainly not 25s. – W. B.