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I began collecting car books
in the mid-1950s when the family ventured out
of our small town for shopping. As a child these
trips to the cities of Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia,
brought me into contact with department stores
where they actually had enough books to have an
automotive section. Back then the number of car
books was very limited due to the lack of enthusiasts.
The shelves often produced Floyd Clymer titles,
especially the series of Motor Scrapbooks
dealing with antiques; the Fawcett and Trend series
catering to sports cars, hot rods, the latest
models and custom cars; and books that are now
classics by Ken Purdy, Ralph Stein and Hank Bowman.
Prior to 1960, twenty or thirty
books constituted an impressive collection.
For most enthusiasts mail orders ads in popular
magazines like "Road & Track", "Motor
Trend" and "Hot Rod" led to the
best selection and quickest way to receive exactly
what would interest us. Autobooks and Petersen
Publishing out of California, Floyd Clymer Publications
in Washington, D.C., and Robert Bentley in Massachusetts
were sources that were gold mines for "car
nuts" in the 1950s and 1960s.
After my college and Army days in the 1960s my
finances and book collection grew as the selection
of makes and topics expanded. The hobby was growing
and it was a very exciting time in a world of
collecting old cars and restoring them. Suddenly
those with old car knowledge and experience became
authors and enthusiasts began lining their book
shelves with publications on their favorite makes
and subjects.
Some were more into history, while others sought
instruction on restoration. Many just wanted to
learn about the latest models. While bookstores
tried to accommodate general interest car books,
it was the mail order book dealer "Classic
Motorbooks" (Thomas E. Warth, Esq. in Wisconsin)
which, in the late 1960s, became the leading supplier
of every title available - many from overseas.
Dealers knowledgeable in out-of-print books, such
as Kenneth Ball in England, led the way at about
the same time.
With the growth of the old car hobby in the 1980s,
culminating in the high prices paid for collectible
cars in the late 1980s and early 1990s (and re-occurring
now!), prices for books escalated, too. In 1991,
the Car Book Value Guide by Thomas E. Warth,
Esq., sent book collectors for a loop. Suddenly
books had a fixed value (really?) that could be
used in buying and selling.
Like any good thing, too much can effect the price.
So many authors and so many books. Beautiful color
photographs, indepth discussions. Right now someone,
somewhere is writing a book on, for example, Ferrari.
And there are already so many Ferrari books that
it is hard to imagine that there is anything left
to say. But what an opportunity to have it all
if you love Ferraris. Most of them are very reasonably
priced and the collector is the real winner.
The following is a good selection of books which
may be of interest to you:
For additional books which may
be of interest click here:
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