Formula 1 1950-Today
Schlegelmilch/Lehbrink
$39.95

I got this book in the mail the other day, and I had a great time paging through almost 400 pages of pictures covering over 50 years of Formula 1 racing. Most of the images were taken by Rainer W Schlegelmilch throughout his career photographing everything Formula One. Hartmut Lehbrink wrote annual summations in a section spanning the fifty years of history, but the pictures are what make this book!

The book is organized into five sections covering the history, the drivers, the engineering, the helmets, and the people, but of course my favorite section was the engineering! I studied every detail of each photograph so see all the beautiful mechanics of these race cars. There really is no better craftsmanship in racing than what you see in F1.

Other interesting pictures shows how much these cars have evolved through the years. Look at how little protection Villeneuve had in 312 T4 Ferrari!

Of course another fun section to see is on the people track side! Ahh, and the girls!

I know I showed only Ferrari related pictures, but this book covers all the teams and manufacturers, so you'll see great contrast in the teams, drivers, and cars. The paper stock is not the best quality, so the reproductions are not the best, but the volume and variety of photography spanning all these years compensates for the lack of high quality printing. I think this would make a great addition to racing enthusiast's library.