This Motoring

This Motoring (1931) by Stenson Cooke – Cassell

First Edition – Signed by the Author
ISBN: None
Condition: Good
Published: 1931
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when motoring was an adventure, roads were populated by horses, pedestrians and the occasional bewildered motorist, and owning an automobile was considered evidence of wealth, mechanical enthusiasm or a worrying disregard for personal safety.

Welcome to This Motoring, Stenson Cooke’s splendidly period examination of the automobile and its rapidly expanding place in British life, published by Cassell in 1931, when the motor car was still sufficiently novel to inspire wonder, argument and the occasional nervous breakdown.

Cooke was no casual observer of the motoring scene. As a prominent figure in the Automobile Association, he belonged to that pioneering generation which helped transform motoring from an eccentric pastime for wealthy enthusiasts into an increasingly ordinary feature of everyday existence.

And what an extraordinary period it was.

Britain’s roads were undergoing a remarkable transformation. Motor cars were becoming more accessible, roadside services were developing, and the once-familiar spectacle of a horse-drawn carriage was gradually giving way to machines that could travel at positively alarming speeds without requiring oats, stables or the attentions of a blacksmith.

Of course, progress brought complications. Mechanical breakdowns were commonplace, road surfaces could be distinctly adventurous, and the business of navigating unfamiliar territory required actual maps, road signs and occasionally asking a suspicious-looking farmer for directions.

There was no satellite navigation, no electronic engine management and certainly no cheerful dashboard display informing the driver that the vehicle required a software update before proceeding to Birmingham.

Against this wonderfully primitive background, Cooke offers a perspective on the developing culture of motoring at a time when the future of the automobile still seemed full of extraordinary possibilities.

And this particular copy has two especially desirable attributes: it is a first edition, and it is signed by Stenson Cooke himself.

That signature provides a tangible connection with one of the important personalities of early British motoring, making this rather more than another elderly volume rescued from the depths of a forgotten bookshelf.

Condition: Good. A respectable surviving copy from 1931, displaying the natural signs of age and previous ownership. Nearly a century old, yet still present and serviceable, rather like an exceptionally well-maintained Austin Seven.

Naturally, there is no ISBN. In 1931, books were identified through such revolutionary concepts as titles, authors and publishers, while motor cars were expected to function without computers explaining why they wouldn’t.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where vintage motoring literature is appreciated, mechanical simplicity is admired, and nobody charges extra for heated seats.

A fascinating collectible for enthusiasts of British motoring history, the Automobile Association, early automotive culture and signed first editions.

A reminder of an age when driving was still an adventure, motorists were pioneers, and reaching one’s destination without mechanical assistance was considered something of a triumph.

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