Back on Track: Racing In The 1940s
This book is a deeply researched single-volume motor racing history book: 1,080 pages in good English, a thousand of period photos, a hundred of track layouts. “Back on Track: Racing in the 1940s” may be the ultimate reference book on period motor racing.
The full list of drivers mentioned fills 27 pages.
Browse through the 18 pages of cars listed from AFM/BMW F2/49 (Germany) to Volpini-Fiat (Italy). The races of each car are published together with the reference to the chapter dealing with the event. And, for the top-tier cars, even the serial number in each race is listed.
In short, this monumental work, whose cover title is an unassuming:Back on Track: Racing in the 1940s, is the final and total reference on the 1945-1949 circuit racing. And its value goes beyond those early years after WW2 because many of the protagonists remained under the spotlights after the opening of the Driver’s World Championship in 1950.
All the above just to sample a taste of the wealth of data, information, and results in a book that pushes the envelope of the concept of “reference”.
The book is available in numbered copies of the first printing of 300 items. Size is 9.8 x11.4“ (25×29 cm), weight is 10.6 lbs (4.8 kg), hardbound in a sturdy slipcase showing the same photo of the cover: a bird’s-eye view of the grid of the 1946 Turin Grand Prix.
Alessandro Silva: “Back on Track – Racing in the 1940s”
A Gallery from the book, “Back on Track – Racing in the 1940s”
Below is a book review by Doug Nye
Book arrived promptly and safely last week. I thought I knew quite a bit about 1940s motor racing. Hah - forget that! Alessandro Silva's book is a master work on the period. I am super impressed. It is 1,079 pages of completely fascinating delight - jam-packed with information, insight, revelation and novelty...and the entire piece beautifully illustrated with some fascinating photographs - many of which I have never seen before - and revealing circuit maps. In particular the driver portraits and personality pictures are immensely impressive - and many of them in fact incredibly rare, wonderfully researched by the author and his friends - including a number of TNF regulars.
I have some minor quibbles about the book's production, text design is rather clumsy and unappealing, proof reading has fallen short in perhaps too many cases, and the chosen cover photograph is simply not sharp enough in focus to have been a wise choice for that purpose. The paper borders on being flimsy and therefore vulnerable to damage - though how thick a 1,000-page book might be with better paper is a totally justifiable limiting factor. Above all this economy surely minimises the price, and even including delivery costs the end-result price per platinum-plated page (in content terms) make this an absolutely terrific, wonderful, unmissable bargain!
So just don't prevaricate if 1940s racing is an interest - just dig deep and buy! I can promise you should certainly not regret it...
This is another of those volumes whose intrinsic and historic value will endure loooooonnnnng after the purchase price has been forgotten.
Well done Alessandro - and friends. Simply Superb.
DCN
Publisher: Fondazione Negri
Status: Current
Number of pages: 1080
Binding: HBD