THE MG ENTHUSIAST'S BOOKSHELF

As is usutl at this time of the year, we present our annual look at books on MG that have passed across the editorial desk and this year has seen another bumper crop. Some good, some bad, some which maybe shouldn't have been published at all! We suggest you leave this page open if you want to see any of these under your MG tree in December! All the books reviewed are available from BritBooks or one of our other major advertising supporters. Incidentally as a piece of trivia, how many books do you think have been published over the years about MG cars or in which the MG played a significant role? Over 350! Now to our reviews:

MG SPORTS CARS by John Heilig, Motorbooks International

Claimed to be a "full color gallery of MG's sports cars" the photographic quality and reproduction in this modestly priced, 96 page volume is stunning. There is a liberal sprinkling of MGBs and Midgets towards the end of the book but many of the words have been seen in print, in one form or another so many times before. John, a long-time car club member, waxes enthusiastic about the marque as a whole although originality is not one of the strong points of some of the featured cars. There is liberal use of shots from salesroom brochures and while both the RV8 and the MGF command considerable pictorial attention, photographs of the factory V8 are noticeably absent. Recommended for the seriously afflicted, or as a good introduction to the MG life for the younger viewer. (6 out of 10)

HOW TO GIVE YOUR MGB V8 POWER by Roger Williams, Veloce Publishing

With a background in aircraft engineering, Roger is well qualified to inform you how to get the most bang for the buck by installing the venerable Buick V8 into an MGB. We have already seen many such conversions but the increase in power also causes us to consider other facets of conversions such as brakes, drivetrain and suspension. All of these items, plus many others are thoroughly considered and explained by Roger, and we rate this a good read even if you're not into "Pender's Spurious V8s"! Recommended. 128 pages. (8 out of 10)

HOW TO POWER TUNE MGB FOUR CYLINDER ENGINES by Peter Burgess, Veloce Publishing

Peter used to live just down the road from me when I lived in England, and he has been race preparing MGBs for the longest time. Over the years he has proved that he is one of the best at getting the maximum out of the venerable B-series engine, and here he distills the knowledge gained the hard way for the benefit of those who might wish to go "Safety Fast!". Lots of diagrams and black and white photographs make even the most technical topic covered in the book, easy to assimilate, although it helps if you are really into MGB performance! 112 pages. Recommended. (8 out of 10)

And now a couple of new books from Iconografix about which we have mixed feelings! They are entitled PHOTO ARCHIVE, MG 1945-1964 and MG 1965-1980 and have been compiled by David A. Knowles, who, you may recall, authored the excellent book 25 Years of the MG V8. However, both these volumes (which aren't cheap at 25 bucks each!) are in black and white only and consist mainly of well known publicity shots issued by MG and various subsequent owners of the marque. The first volume contains very little of interest to the MGB nothing that hasn't been seen before. Volume two while having one or two of the more rare shots, again consists mainly of factory publicity photographs, while David's V8 interest comes to the fore with no less than 30 pages of various V8 photographs! Picture captions in both books are brief and both volumes run 126 pages. For the aficionado who has to have every book ever published on MGs! (Both 6 out of 10)

MG TECH TALK by Norman Nock

We've been meaning to review this mine of information for some time and if you want to treat yourself, then send for this and read, learn, and digest over the winter months! Norman (one of our Register Technical Coordinators) has never been one to be backward in coming forward and offering sound technical advice and diagnosis from experience gained in over fifty years working with British cars. This is real nitty-gritty, down to earth stuff. A lot of it is basic but some of it is quite technical. However, it is stuff that every MG owner should know! An interesting feature is the reproduction of the various MG Service Bulletins and Recall Notices issued by the factory. The format of the book (spiral bound) makes it easy to lay on the workbench while working on your MG, and if you take it to bed for an easy read, none of the features are too long! Excellent value for money and it can be obtained direct from Norman at British Car Specialists. (9 out of 10)

And now modesty dictates that your reviewer step aside due to a possible conflict of interest! Lloyd Decker of the Kansas City MG Club reviews ASPECTS OF ABINGDON by Marcham Rhoade

"If you have ever wondered about the production methods and activities at Abingdon, where your car was born, this personal little book should answer, most, or all of your questions. For me, it even offered answers to questions I hadn't thought to ask! You feel as if you had been given a guided tour of the plant by the time you reach the last page.

There are lots of photos complementing this labor of love, most of them new to me and some are offered in print for the first time in this book. As production methods remained almost unchanged at Abingdon from 1930 to 1980 the material offers valuable information pertinent to all cars produced at Abingdon. A very enjoyable read which I recommend to your MG bookshelf."

The NAMGBR web pages are hosted at this site
More book reviews from Safety Fast - The MG Car Club journal

Back to the News content

Made in England