Book Review

“Bouverie Street to Bowling Green Lane,” by A. C. Armstrong, A.I.A.E.
(Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd., 20s.)

A. C. Armstrong, Managing Editor of The Motor, offers in this book a history of 55 years of specialised publishing on the part of Temple Press, Ltd. Dealing with the introduction and development of such papers as The Motor, Cycling, The Cyclecar, The Motor Boat, The Motor Ship, The Aeroplane, The Commercial Motor, and many others, this work is of direct interest to those associated with, or interested in, motoring journalism.

The author of “Bouverie Street to Bowling Green Lane” emphasises the greatness of the more prominent writers and artists who have been with the Temple Press between 1891 and 1946. Of note are Lipscombe’s mechanical perspective sketches of car mechanism of 1904-5 and the first Atlantic-radioed pictures of Segrave taking the Land Speed Record in 1927.

We would have enjoyed more details of the author’s G.N. days, stories associated with obtaining scoops for The Motor, and greater space devoted to those colourful “Motor” personalities, the late Humphrey Symons and present Technical Editor Laurence Pomeroy. Only once does Armstrong refer to Motor Sport, and then only to remind his readers that George Lane, now a regular Motor contributor, “began with amateur sketches” in this paper! We cannot refrain from reminding Mr. Armstrong that one of The Motor, Technical Editors and both its present Sports Editors may be said to have served their apprenticeship in motoring journalism by contributing to Motor Sport.

Apart from these criticisms, we like ” Bouverie Street to Bowling Green Lane.”