100 Years of Motorcycles – Twentieth Century in Pictures by Ammonite Press |
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| Monday, 16 August 2010 10:00 | |||
 Sometimes being so involved in a subject does not allow you to see it as others do, which is not always good as you get blinkered. Motorcycle books are normally written and compiled by enthusiasts’ and as a result any pictures used are also normally taken by motorcycle enthusiasts, or specialists.When you take that interest away and you get a professional photographer looking for a news angle from the image, you end up with a different shot to that taken by the specialist with an interest in the subject. Hence this new soft-back from Ammonite Press is very different to your normal book on motorcycles. Basically they have used images from the Press Association to tell the story of motorcycling throughout the twentieth century, allowing the image to tell the story backed up by a short caption. As a result of this approach it is also something of a social history, as well as one on the development and use of the motorcycle. Over 300 images, many not seen since they were originally printed in a newspaper or magazine of their day, start charting the motorcycles rise from basic transport through sport, business use and lastly as a leisure vehicle. Obviously there are some action racing shots, but thanks to the pictures origins, you get ordinary folk pictured with their mounts. Models, celebrities, demonstrations and even crashes are depicted, making it a fascinating read. Contained within the high quality glossy pages are evocative black and white images moving on through the early days of colour to the present day’s high definition prints. All though are pin sharp and help you realise just how the vast majority of the population get to see motorcycling through the lenses of news photographers. The smaller format of the book helps keep the cost to a vey reasonable £14.99 which is bargain as the content and quality of the images would easily do justice to large coffee table tome costing double that. However, as it is it is an excellent work that may well help you understand how others see us, or to use as tool to help convert somebody to motorcycling. ISBN 9781906672539 Available from all good bookshops or direct from www.thegmcgroup.com (01273 488005) Review by Ian Kerr
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