Book Reviews, May 1950, May 1950
“The Motor Year Book—1950,” by Laurence Pomeroy, M.S.A.E., and R. L. de Burgh Walkerley. (199 pages, 12s. 6d. Temple Press Ltd., Bowling Green Lane, E.C.1.)
This year’s edition of this annual work is greatly improved over last year’s and is beautifully produced. The illustrations are excellent, particularly the full-page photographs of modern racing and sports cars. The road-test summary is intriguing and the road-test and specification data panels will be of inestimable value throughout the year. Racing gets a very fair share of the 199 pages—a 1949 review, accounts of last year’s major races, maps of the principal European circuits, drivers’ records for 1949, and tabulated race results, together with a long survey of the 1949 racing cars. Marechal has been omitted from the obituaries.
A little optimism may or may not have crept into the road-test survey in describing the handling qualities of the Morris Minor as “only to be compared to those of a true Grand Prix car”—apart from personal opinions, surely a true comparison could only be made by cornering at identical speeds? We spotted a few minor errors which are worth mentioning, as all our readers should buy this splendid book and so will be able to insert corrections—simply that the 750 Club caters for Austin Seven users and no longer, as was the original intention, for owners of any cars under 750-c.c., while the V.S.C.C. regards vintage cars as those built before 1931, not before 1930. Also, the winner of the 1948 G.P. d’Europe was Trossi, not Wimille, while Peter Walker’s placing at Bo’ness and Rest and Be Thankful seem to have become reversed.—W. B.
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“The London Motor-Bus—1896-1949,” by R. W. Kidner. (The Oakwood Press, Tanglewood, South Godstone, Surrey; 44 pp. 4s. 6d.)
This little book has nothing whatsoever to do with sports cars, but so many of our readers enjoy delving into the history of transport, that we consider it is worth recommending. It describes the growth of London’s omnibus transport up to and including the L.P.T.B. absorption of 1933. Many good photographs are included and there are appendices giving the makes of chassis used for London’s ‘buses from 1896 to 1949 (the variety is truly surprising), listing the fleets owned by the various companies and giving the L.G.O.C./L.P.T.B. type codes from 1909 onwards.
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Floyd Clymer has issued his sixth “Motor Scrapbook.” This one deals with the period 1922-1925. It contains 220 pages and mainly reproduces contemporary advertisements. The price is two dollars, from 1268, So. Alvarado Street, Los Angeles 6, Calif.