Legends A Chequered History

From the first international motor race in 1895, to today's high-tech supercars, author and illustrator Simon Read takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of Grand Prix Racing. The major breakthroughs, events and personalities are discussed alongside more than 500 illustrations, ranging from ink sketches and watercolours to technical explanations of key principles. ‘Legends’ is packed with sketches, diagrams and paintings, both newly created for this book and archive material from a lifetime spent drawing and painting racing cars. This is a book for the enthusiast, those who stand in awe at the show, the machinery, the drivers, the wizards who put it all together and the great glamorous, colourful spectacle that is Grand Prix racing.

In the forty-year period between 1951 and 1991, Canadian sports car competition underwent a massive change, transforming itself from an amateur recreational pastime to a commercialized profession and from an individual sport to a spectacle for mass consumption. The Chequered Past is the story of the struggle over power and purpose within the Canadian auto sport that led to this transformation. The first comprehensive history of sports car racing and rallying in Canada, The Chequered Past traces the efforts of the national governing body - the Canadian Auto Sport Clubs (CASC) - to bring its sports car competition up to a 'world class' level, and to manage the consequences of those efforts in the second half of the twentieth century. David Charters traces the social origins of the sport and the major trends that shaped it: professionalism, technological change, rising costs, and the influence of commercial sponsors. Charters argues that while early enthusiasts set the sport on a course toward professionalism that would eventually produce world-class Canadian events and racers, that course would also ultimately change the purpose of the sport: from personal recreation to mass entertainment. As technological innovations drove up the costs of competing at the top ranks, racers were forced to rely on sponsors, who commercialized and ultimately gained control of the sport. The end result, Charters argues, was the marginalization of the amateur competitor and of the CASC itself. Based on extensive research into the CASC's records and dozens of interviews with former competitors and officials, The Chequered Past opens a window into the rich but virtually unknown history of the auto sport, and claims for it a place in Canadian sports history.

Wonderfully written and beautifully presented , The Outlaws of Medieval Legend brings the popular heroes of the Middle-Ages to life. Featuring both famous - Robin Hood and William Wallace - and now forgotten rogues such as Gamelyn and Fulke Fitzwarin, this book explains the popularity of these semi-mythical figures, and how their stories appealed to the common people of the Middle Ages. Long unavailable, and now featuring a new introduction from the author, this is the perfect book for anyone with a fondness for medieval history and folklore.

An illustrated, readable companion and indispensable guide to Roman London, both visible and beneath your feet.

THIS IS THE story of the communities and people of Harris in history and legend. One of the largest and most famous of all the islands of Scotland, astonishingly little has been written about the varied and eventful life of Harris, perhaps because the island has been so self contained. Including much material on the now deserted islands around Harris, including new information on St Kilda, Bill Lawson's book is the first modern account of Harris and those who have shaped its history over thousands of years.

`No Arthurian critic will be able to ignore this book which gathers together so much diverse material and skilfully brings out unexpected links between versions widely separated in time and country of origin. MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW `No Arthurian critic will be able to ignore this book which gathers together so much diverse material and skilfully brings out unexpected links between versions widely separated in time and country of origin.' MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW Cei is one of the most puzzling figures in the development of the Arthurian legend: a hero beyond compare in the early Welsh sources, his appearances in later Arthurian literature are frequently associated with comic defeatin combat, objectionable outspokenness, and sometimes with more serious misdeeds. This study assesses Cei from his native Welsh context to his role in the romances of Chrétien de Troyes and later developments, in which the authorlooks at the portrayal of Cei in a selection of medievalContinental, Welsh and English works, before moving closer to the present day and the rich heritage of English ballad and Gaelic folktale; the ending offers something of a surprise. This account of the long and varied career of one of Arthur's closest associates shows how a sympathetic approach to Cei can shed new light on some particularly controversial aspects of Arthurian studies.

This book is an enlarged edition of my book "Kirat Itihas" written and Published in 1948 in Kalimpong. Its second edition was published in 1952 in Darjeeling. In compiling this book I have consulted the books of every authority, I have knowledge of, who has written on Kirat people ad their civilization. The European authors like Col. Krikpatric, F. Hamilton, D. Hodgson, Father Guiseppe and Lieut. Col. E. Vansitart, who wrote about the Kirat people of Nepal in 18th and 19th century gave me much help. The Indian authors like late Pandit Rahul Sankrityayan, S.K. Chatterjee and Vagava Datta, who took much interest in publishing the ancient account of Kirat people of Nepal and India, gave me much idea about them. Last of all, my own collection of the old Kirat MSS in Shrijunga or Limbu script and Lapcha or Rong script became the base of this work. In this connection, I thank Mr. R.K. Sprigg, Professor of the school of Oriental and African Studies, London, who very kindly helped me in acquiring the micro film photo of the old Kirat MSS from the India Office Library, London. I also thank to all my friends who very kindly helped me in collecting materials for the composition of this book. Iman Singh Chemjong Specialist Kirat Language and Literature Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu,Nepal