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MIKE HAWTHORN GOLDEN BOY NOW PRINTED and on sale November 15th 2008 from Paul Skilleter Books - an important new publication
on Britain's First F1 World Champion, Mike Hawthorn, to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of his death!
You can place an order HERE now! 25% OFF OFFER!
NEW! On sale now Anders Clausager's JAGUAR XK140/150 book 'In Detail' on this world famous series of Jaguar cars is now available
ECURIE ECOSSE - David Murray and the legendary Scottish motor racing team
Paul Skilleter is pleased to announce that this new book by Eric Dymock is now available! This is a large format (225 x 297mm), 250pp publication with over 500 illustrations.
AVAILABLE FOR ORDER AND DESPATCH NOW! See Ecurie Ecosse book
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A MAJOR NEW PUBLICATION: 'The Forerunners of JAGUAR in Australasia and S.E. Asia' by John Clucas and Terry McGrath 456 pages - Almost 1000 cars - More than 1000 never previously published photos - Only 500 copies printed 
BOOK DETAILS
As its title implies, this new large-format, high-quality book tells the story of Swallow, SS and SS Jaguar products in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia (Hong Kong, India and Singapore). Compiled by Terry McGrath and John Clucas over a 25-year period, and published by the authors, it is a monumental work that is entirely unique in its size, scope and depth. Long-awaited by Swallow and SS enthusiasts in all countries, the book is the second in the series (and is in the same size and format) which began with the acclaimed Jaguar XK in Australia by John Elmgreen and Terry McGrath - long out of print and which now fetches many hundreds of pounds secondhand.
Supplied with dust-jacket and bound in black Wibalin (cloth-type finish) with silver-gilt embossed titling on cover and spine, in slip-case. Price is UK£150. (LEATHER BOUND VERSION IS NOW SOLD OUT!!) Interested? Please contact Paul Skilleter Books, PJ Publishing Ltd, PO Box 191, Lymington, Hants SO42 7GD, UK. Tel: 01590 624601, fax 624669, or to order please use our Order Form which contains full details and postage rates for various destinations A REVIEW from Paul Skilleter "Speaking to hundreds of Swallow, SS and early Jaguar owners from the 1940s, 50s and 60s, their three fondest memories of SS ownership were found to be (in order of priority) the top speed (always above 100mph), the major successes in courting the ladies, and the special improvisations carried out when wheel splines stripped." That's just one theme which emerges from the pages of this extraordinary book on the forerunners of Jaguar, and it sums up well not only the character of these early Lyons products but also their owners'. But there's much more than anecdotes in this massive tome of 450 big pages and over 1,000 illustrations, because thanks to research dating back some 30 years, hard facts and statistics abound too. 
The book begins at the beginning, with documentation on the relatively few Swallows entering the regions covered - Australia,
New Zealand and South East Asia. The S.S. 1 and 2 come next, followed by SS Jaguar and finally the post-war push-rod engined range,
the so-called 'Mk IV' and the Mk V.
As the story unfolds, we learn how import tariffs made it very expensive for such as Swallows and S.S.s to be imported into
Australia, resulting in some local bodies being made for rolling chassis. However, the book tells how, from small beginnings,
a network of S.S. and later Jaguar importers and retailers was established, often with stories of their own to tell
(indeed, the book's foreword is provided by Jack Bryson, whose father was one of the marque's earliest distributors in Australia).
The years of research included trawling through many hundreds of old magazines and newspaper archives. One jewel the authors found was extensive coverage of S.S. in, of all things, a fashionable ladies' magazine called Table Talk - the new marque clearly appealed to the fairer sex. In fact, the numerous magazine and newspaper clippings reproduced add a wonderful period flavour to the book, and give a telling period perspective on the products from Coventry. 
Researching the archives of car registration departments proved immensely rewarding too, even if the Freedom of Information
Act had to be invoked to persuade certain local authorities to give up their treasures! This information was then tallied
with that obtained from hundreds of hours examining Jaguar's original sales records - and wherever possible, with interviews
with previous and current owners of the cars. For the rarer models such as the S.S.1. S.S. 90 and SS 100, all this is
encapsulated in individual car histories which tell the life story of each vehicle - often in great detail. Competition
activities provide a rich vein of interest too, the S.S. 1 tourer and 100 models having been particularly favoured by
motor sport enthusiasts over the years.
Finally, there is much general information on Swallow and S.S. that will not be found elsewhere either, including illustrated sections on such as identity (chassis) plates, lubrication plates, grilles and badges. Appendices include such as production figures, registers of surviving cars, current owners where known, and sections on the JDHT and the authors themselves. Together with its amazing variety of pictures and vast amounts of information, this book exceeds even the McGrath/Elmgreen XK book in scope and appeal. 'Monumental' is the description that springs to mind, and The Forerunners of Jaguar without doubt stands as both a monument to William Lyons' early products in these overseas territories and to the authors' almost fanatical zeal in compiling it. It may be a hackneyed phrase, but no serious student of Swallow, S.S. or Jaguar should be without a copy. Some Extracts from the book NB - You need Adobe Reader(free download) to look at these sample pages: Chapter 1, p4 Chapter3, Histories Swallows, SSIs, SSIIs, SS Airlines, SS Tourers, SS100s SS Jaguar Saloons, Mk IV DHCs, Mark V DHCs Competition Results (sample) Interested? Please contact Paul Skilleter Books, PJ Publishing Ltd, PO Box 191, Lymington, Hants SO42 7GD, UK. Tel: 01590 624601, fax 624669, or to order please use our Order Form which contains full details and postage rates for various destinations The Authors also have this Australian based site: http://www.topspin.com.au/forerunnersofjaguar |
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Order Form The place to set up a printable order form on this site (Cards/Cheque) - links below also offer a PayPal option |
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Enquiries Send us your queries regarding the site and/or its offers |
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Ecurie Ecosse The full story of the legendary Scottish racing team by Paul Skilleter is now available! |
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XK140/150 In Detail This book by the JDHT’s chief archivist provides a host of new facts on the original XK’s successors and is now available! |
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Mike Hawthorn Our new book about Mike Hawthorn now IN STOCK for ordering! |
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Jaguar XK The full story of the Jaguar XK by Nigel Thorley is now available! |
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Norman Dewis Norman's story by Paul Skilleter is now available |
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Cat out of the Bag! Peter Wilson's book on Jaguar's Competition Dept available late January 2008 |
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Jaguar Connoisseur A new Series coming soon from Paul Skilleter |
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NEW Swallow/SS Book
by John Clucas and Terry McGrath - 456 pages - Only 500 copies printed |
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1950s XK Rallying
Evocative black and white images for sale from the pinnacle of Jaguar rallying - from the Photo Junior negative archives |
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Jaguar World Monthly THE Jaguar Magazine from Kelsey Publishing |
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Mike Hawthorn Tribute A major tribute site for the 1958 World Champion driver! |
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Tony Bailey Pics Jaguar and other Motorsport Images |
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Goodwood Revival 2006 80 pics from the 2006 event of Nigel Webb's Jaguar C- and D-Types from Tony Bailey |
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Jaguar Automobilia Collector Lots of information here from Ian Cooling and the Jaguar Automobilia Collector Auction |
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Sideways in a D-Type! See Win Percy drive XKD505 at Goodwood [60mins+ DVD/Tape] |
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Jaguar Model Club Jaguar models site from Gary Oxley. There's a magazine and lots of info here |
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Trade-Air Ltd 24/7 AOG Spares Support for the UK, Europe Middle East and USA Commercial and VIP Airlines |
Peter Wilson and life at Jaguar’s competition department in the 1960s
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