.jpg "Watch Joe Saward's interview about the book")
The Grand Prix Saboteurs
The GP drivers who became secret agents during World War II
Joe spent 18 years researching the amazing story of successful Grand Prix drivers from the 1920s and 1930s who worked together as members of a British resistance network in occupied France during World War II.
Much of the information was still classified at the time, but Joe gradually pieced together what became an astonishing story and The Grand Prix Saboteurs was eventually published in 2006 and won the Guild of Motor Writers Book of the Year award.
"A cracking story. A tale of derring-do and chivalry on the race track of yore, of romance against the glamorous backdrops of 1920s Paris and Monaco and of heroism and tragedy behind the lines in WWII. The Grand Prix Saboteurs is history, but it reads like a series of screenplays crammed with compelling characters."
- The Daily Telegraph
"I could not put the book down, and having now finished it, I wish it had gone on longer."
- The International Herald Tribune
"Probably the best sports book published so far this year. It is a compelling book that will appeal not just to racing enthusiasts but to sports fans in general."
- The Birmingham Post
"It may sound like fiction, but the dramatic story related in this book is one of the most remarkable in motor racing history."
- Autosport
The Man who Caught Crippen
The amazing but true life of Captain Henry Kendall
Henry Kendall went to sea as a cabin boy at the age of 15. By the time he was 32, he was the captain of an Atlantic liner, and in 1910 shot to fame went he sent a celebrated wireless transmission from the SS Montrose, as she headed out in the Atlantic ocean: "Have strong suspicions that Crippen, London cellar murder and apprentice, are among saloon passengers."
The message sparked off an extraordinary chase as Inspecteur Walter Dew from Scotland Yard raced by train to Liverpool, boarded a fast ship to Canada, aiming to arrive before the Montrose, to arrest Dr Crippen.
The world watched the drama unfold as the power of wireless communication in law enforcement was proved for the first time.
Four years later, Kendall was the commander of the RMS Empress of Ireland when she was hit and sunk by a Norwegian coal freighter in the St Lawrence estuary. There were 1,012 lives lost but, by a quirk of fate, Kendall survived.
During his life, Kendall survived attempted murder, shipwrecks, torpedoes, icebergs, scorpion bites, cannibals, sharks, fevers, flying bombs and even a marauding leopard.
Fascinating F1 Facts (Vol. 1 and 2)
The books are the perfect gift for motor racing fans.
They explore some of the amazing stories behind the drivers, teams and team owners, cars, tracks and races and are slim enough to fit into a briefcase or a handbag.
The short stories are between 500 to 1,000 words (there are 200 of them) so you can pick up a book and put it down without losing the thread. It is great holiday reading, an interesting document to have on your bookshelves or coffee table.
"A treasure trove of anecdotes and insight."
- F1 Racing
"Playful, punchy and often poignant . Covers an enormous amount of ground, a pricess acquisition."
- Motorsport Magazine
"The breadth of the subject matter is splendid and far-reaching. Fascinating F1 Facts are just that - fascinating. The subjects are so disparate that they cannot fail to entertain and at the same time educate."
- David Tremayne, F1 Hall of Fame journalist
The World Atlas of Motor Racing
Panorama of the greatest motor racing circuits in the world
A guide to the major motor racing circuits of the world in 1989 such as the Grand Prix and sportscar race tracks.
It covers 50 North American, 100 European, 30 Asian, and 5 African circuits.