It is bizarre because I enjoy writing, but I rarely ever read and reading is something that I normally hate to do. For whatever reason, I decided to go to my local library in search of a Formula One book. This being Canada, there were not very many Formula One selections in my area. I ended up having to order this book from another library and have it shipped to my library, but the two week wait was worth it.
The book is entitled, Real Racers: Formula One in the 1950s and 1960s, and features images Klemantaski Collection. Seeing as this book is a picture book (not the child kind), I didn’t expect to see myself reading much; this was not the case however. The book is written quite well; featuring quotes from some renowned drivers from the 50s and 60s, such as Jackie Stewart, Frank Williams, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees and more. These quotes really grant the reader a great idea of what it was like to race at that point in time and they provide us with background and facts that are not very well known.
The captions for the photos are also astounding. They present readers with information about the photograph they are linked to, but they also offer some pretty detailed background about the driver or event or whatever it may be. The photo captions go into get some depth and have a lot of precise details. A few users from some book review sites have stated that the book may have some inaccurate facts; however, I didn’t notice any large inaccuracy or mistaken information. Therefore these errors must be so minor that they aren’t recognizable to the average Formula One fan. I can neither confirm nor deny that all of the facts in this book are correct and it is for that reason that I would recommend confirming any facts with an alternate source before using this book for research purposes.
Of course, since this book is filled of pictures, I will need to talk about them in my review. These photos are absolutely stunning; featuring some exceptional footage. There are pictures that just make you say “wow”. There are pictures that are heartwarming. And of course some of the pictures and be quite chilling and can make you question why anyone would like to race in that era. Because of the time these photos were taken, the majority of them are in black and white; however, there are the few that are coloured. The coloured images are the ones that are guaranteed to blow your mind.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the sport. It is a straightforward read and prior knowledge of the sport enriches the experience, but is not required in order to understand this book. The book tells a marvelous story: the story of an era of drivers that no fame, no riches, only a lengthy list of friends that were killed in action. This is the tale of the Real Racers: Formula One in the 1950s and 1960s.
