Lancia Motor Club

Just been talking to Angela Cherrett (vintage Alfa section) and she mentions the coming Geoff Goldberg book about Virgilio. Having seen a proof copy she waxes eloquent, as they say.  She was told publication in the spring.

Does anyone know any more, especially where those of us in Europe will be able to purchase as the publisher seems to be American.  Chaters?  Amazon?  Through the Club?

Geoff is a member of the LMC and posts on here under "GG". I'm sure if you PM him he'll let you know.

It'll certainly be worth the wait!

Neil

Geoff has contacted me and has requested that for the time being interested parties are directed to either his website where there is a brief description of the book under "publications" or to David Bull.

http://lanciainfo.com/Lancia_Info/De_Virgilio_book.html

There are also some other very interesting publications already available:

http://lanciainfo.com/Lancia_Info/Publications.html

Acting on your second reply I have emailed the publishers.  Partly as I have no idea what to PM someone means!  Sounds rather nasty.

I will post again as and when I have a reply.  I have particularly asked for a better idea of publication date and where one can order within Europe.

PM means sending someone a Private Message so you can communicate off the forum. If you click on a members name it'll bring up their details and you can find the link to send them your question.

Guy

Just received this reply from the publisher.  Any more news I will post.  I will ask who their UK distributor is.

Hi Mic.

We will add you to our contact list so we can let you know when the book becomes available. Sales throughout Europe will be handled through our UK distributor so you should be able to purchase a copy through the UK rather than the US.

Best regards,

Tracy Moore
David Bull Publishing

And here is the latest news from the publisher.

"Our distributor sells to Chaters so you should have no problem."

Thanks for the interest. The book is in very very last stages of proofing, so its done and ready. Probably 3-4 months out until available. No promises, but its been a long haul. I hope you will find it interesting. Some of the material was presented at the Sliding Pillar rally in Belgium last year, so you might ask  someone who was there about it.

Its got a lot of unpublished material, and rather the inside story. We might be able (if there is enough club interest) to do a package deal with someone for better pricing.

Geoff

Lovely to hear Geoff...looking forward to it.

P

I am most definitely interested !!!!!!

If a list is being compiled please add my name to it!!!!

                                         Andy

Having been fortunate enough to see some of the content of this book, its a must for me. Please add me to the list (if there is one) for a package deal.
Chris

Likewise.

David

And me!

Being overseas I order regularly through Amazon and they have just told me there is a delay on this book and I should have delivery between 7 and 9 July.

Another delay it seems.

New info from Amazon saying there is another I can now expect delivery 6-8 August.

For those who want to order directly:

http://www.bullpublishing.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=172

More info at:

http://blog.lanciainfo.com/?p=2032

In another thread I have asked if there is an interest in a bulk order from/through the Club?

Not sure who/how this can be organised but this lovely book will be available to view at this year's AGM as Giovanni De Virgilio is bringing a copy over and making a presentation at the AGM on Saturday 5th July morning.

It looks a really nice book Geoff!!

How many would we need for a bulk order - 10, 50 100 ?

Thanks for the interest and hopefully the book will meet expectations. It has been a long time in preparation, as some of you well know!

For a bulk order, I recommend approaching Tracy Moore at David Bull Publishing. We have discussed the matter, and they are aware of the interest. An email or phone call to them will reach her directly.

I definitely intend to have a copy of this book so pleased consider me if a bulk order is an option.

                             Andy

Likewise.

David

And me.

Brian
8227 8)

After seeing the book itself on Saturday at the AGM, it's a must!

Brian
8227 8)

What is the easiest way to get purchase a copy of this book - is the LMC seeling it for example?
Chris

I speak from abroad and am a regular user of Amazon which is where I placed my order last May.  May I also suggest dear old Chaters where I have bought books for the last ***** years.  I am told my order should be with me end of first week of August.  Now if only I had ordered 'Lancia in the U.K.' when it was first mooted I would be very content. Ah well.

I have agreed to approach to publisher and - if there is a discount to be had - coordinate a club order.

David

Hello David,
One copy for me please, signed by the author if opossible.
Thanks
Chris

A copy for me as well please David.

Brian
8227 8)

Thanks for your efforts David. One copy if possible. Payment in advance from me of course.

The publisher's description:

http://www.bullpublishing.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=172#FullDescription

For those who buy on quantity:

Format: Hardcover, 10 ¾” by 11 ½”, 332 pages
Photos: 240 black-and-white and 39 color photos; 231 illus

Anyone familiar with Geoff's website will know the quality to expect:

http://lanciainfo.com/Lancia_Info/Home.html

...and here's his view on Lancia quality/qualities:

http://lanciainfo.com/Lancia_Info/Build_quality.html

To tie it all up here's the other thread:

http://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7078.0

If anyone wants to express an interest in private I'd be grateful (if possible) for a proper EMAIL rather than a forum "private message".  To see if any given person here has provided an email address here click on their forum name.  Mine is David_Laver@Hotmail.com

David

I just heard back with something definite from the publisher:

Our UK distributor has already been in contact with Peter Stokes and Chris Hopkins and let them know about the offer which is the following . . . We are offering a club discount of 30% discount off the retail price of the book (£65.00) so your cost in the UK would be £45.50 per copy plus whatever the cost of shipping will be. The minimum order quantity is 20 copies shipping to one address (we cannot drop ship to individuals and offer the discount). Payment terms would be net 30 days.

One thought is to distribute via the committee meeting and pub meets.  Any thoughts or ideas here?   I also intend to contact Peter Stokes and Chris Hopkins to work out "the offer" before putting something in Viva.

David

Pretty good discount that! makes it an even better buy.

Copies would have to be paid for in advance, it's good idea to distribute via the Committee,  local meets  then can arrange for 1 Member to pick up from nearest Committee member to distribute at next meet, members who don't normally attend the local meet would need to attend to pick up their copy, or make other arrangements to collect from local member holding the collected copies.
I think Tim is our nearest Committee member for our Herts and Beds Meet, Tim attends the Essex meeting as do a couple of of our members, so that shouldn't prove to be a problem for us.
No doubt other local meets could arrange something similar.

Brian
8227 8)

Hi David

Yes, the forum admins received a mail this morning, just not had time to post it up today. As you say open to suggestions as to who to coordinate and where to have them sent. As to sending out maybe whoever was involved with the shipping of 'the Book' may be able to offer advice on keeping the cost down?

Peter

Hi David/Chris
                   £45 seems a bargain. Please add me to the list,          Ben Courage

I'm still happy to coordinate this.  The "what's in it for me" is an excuse to drop in on some pub meets, perhaps also an excuse to visit Gaydon.

Amazon list it at £65 with free delivery so we've got to be careful not to wipe that discount out in postage and packing.  Something else to watch for is that the implication is that we'd need to add the initial shipping charge to the one address.  I'll check if that's for a box from the US or the UK distributer, and if its the UK if someone could collect in person.

Of course it would be cheaper to use the post than all of us driving to and fro pub meets. I'm assuming here that I'm not alone in needing such an excuse, both for pub meets (or race meetings or shows) or to drop in on a committee meeting.  Let the book distribution be a catalyst.

David

David, please add me to the list you are compiling.

You are absolutely right that post is probably the cheapest way to distribute the book, but where is the fun in that??? We are all in this for fun and there is such added value in attending an area meeting or, as you suggest a Committee meeting. Or, a meeting could be set up just for the book, a bit like the Hay Festival, but smaller, more informal and somewhat more focussed!!!!! More like a group of blokes meeting at a pub to chat about a book. So, apart from the book bit, not really like the Hay Festival at all!!!!

                              Andy

Anyway, please count me in !!!!

Would they offer a tiered discount if say, 30, 40 etc ordered or even throw in free postage instead, would take a lot of grief out of getting them A to B to C and maybe even D!


P

Hi David

Just to clarify, Chris said that the price was 30% discount off the list price and free delivery to a single address for the 20+ books, so the only additional shipping cost is what it costs us to distribute.

Peter

Count me in for a copy. Ryanair fare is probably cheaper than postage , David !

David,

please count me in also for your book order. I am in London so I am sure we can arrange a convenient handover.

Cesare

+1 copy here please.

I pre-ordered on Amazon a while ago but, strangely, their site doesn't seem to have any record of the order.

We're over half way to a batch already - and that's still only counting Andy the once :)

David

Anyone here got access to an Aurelia email list?  Who is it that organises the annual lunch?

David

Ade. He took orders for the book, but I have heard nothing since.
Regards, John

+ 1.

When this is extended to the 80% who don't use the forum via VL, we should be looking at multiples of 20 surely?


P

and  another +1 copy here please

Also +1 here as well.

Peter

One for me please.

Don

And one for me please!

Adrian

Ade has been in contact with me today.  We have enough to say that this WILL happen.

David

News from the publisher:

The batch of books will ship (default to me) from the UK wholesaler. This will be at an additional cost so the final price will be a little more (as yet unknown) than the figure above.  There is no option for anyone to collect the batch in person from the warehouse.

No signed copies available.

David

Just to clarify, I attend committee meetings as Press Officer but am not a committee member. However am happy to help in distribution of this book having put my name down in anticipation.

Tim

Also +1 here as well.

Hello - author here…

Its nice to see the interest and hope the book meets your expectations. Don't want to be over-zealous about the book, but as a long-time LMC member, it seems one should be responsive to questions from fellow Lancista.

Glad to see the publisher has offered a discount to the club. We worked to keep the price down, and "an angel" in the US allowed us to keep the high production values for a reasonable list price. So the discounts are modest, and shipping can be a sizable cost.

FWIW, the Australian club (based on a presentation at last year's SPR) had commitments for 25, and ordered 50.

Geoff

Hi David

Had a call from Chris today re the shipping and he confirmed that the shipment to us (single drop to designated location) would be free as originally laid out in Chris's email. Apparently the person you had the info off is US based and they work to slightly different rules on the bulk shipping.

Peter

Oh no it isn't - oh yes it is - oh no it isn't - oh yes it isn't.

We'll get there...

Let's face it, we will all buy this book whether the carriage is included or not .....

I am now more interested in when will it arrive and how big a beanfeast will there be at the handing out ceremony?  Also there is the question as to whether or not I will have a Lancia on the road in which to attend. As you know, I am working on that, please keep your fingers crossed on my behalf!

                                      Andy

Please add my name to the list, as the list Ade had seems to have fizzled out.
 Regards, John

As it happens I got the list from Ade just today.  My next steps are a note in Viva and to work out how we're going to handle the money side.

David

Can I be added to the list if it's not too late?

David,

In case I need to remind you, I should already be on your list and thanks for doing this. Meanwhile, here are two photos of the great man taken in 1993. At one time Geoff might have included one of these in the book, but I think he found better options.

Colin

The good news - you are not too late and for others plenty of time yet.

The bad news - this will take a while to work through.

Lovely photos - and all the more meaningful following the talk at the AGM.

I would very much like to be on the list if still possible.

Another delay it seems.  Monday 4th August p.m. just received email from Amazon to say another delay and no delivery forecast as yet.  Anyone else heard similar news or with an idea of availability?  Geoff?  The publishers sent an email a week or so ago but this did not, I think, mention delivery, just the book being published with a price in US $.

Well the book was presented to the Club by Giovanni De Virgilio at the AGM and is now in the care of our Librarian. Giovanni said it was the first copy to reach Italy so may have been areproduction copy but it was very well produced so copies must be out there awaiting distribution. Anyway all things are worth waiting for!

Please add me to the list as well. Ed

Frustration here too. The books were supposed to be shipped from the printer in China June 16, to the US and England for distribution.

They left June 26, and the US ones cleared customs and were delivered to the distributor just last week. I think the ones for England are there, in processing. If you are getting from the distributor, that is the most speedy. If Chaters or Amazon, they have to shipped from the distributor to them…..

Giovanni's copy was an advance copy, air shipped to the family in Italy. It is the same as the shipped books.

I would get in touch with the distributor and ask when he plans to ship. He is the source.

If you can't wait to order through the club, Chaters is your best bet. The books are sent to them via the English distributor (Orca), who has begun to ship.

I have a longstanding order for this book with Amazon and whilst the delivery date has slipped back from late July.....the price has also reduced for some reason!
And on Monday this week, there were used copies 'in stock in the UK' listed  with more than one bookshop through Amazon at < £50. How?
Today I have heard from Amazon that my copy will arrive on Friday Aug 20th just in time for my birthday (it is a present from the current Mrs G). I cant wait having seen an early proof nearly 2 years ago.
Chris

Amazon is really flaky when books are first announced - they list them "for sale" as soon as you file an ISBN number, and then they "push back the date", while you are busy trying to publish the book. They are not reliable until the book is truly printed, in stock, and in the pipeline. Sorry, but that's what they do.

The book is now shipping by the UK distributors. Hortons has them (seen at Pebble) and Chaters should by now.

I hope the book shops appreciate me giving them a sporting chance.  Has been a blurr with the kids off but am getting a bit of time to think about stuff like this again.

David

I put my name down on Ade's informal "list" and would like a copy - but probably not two! So can we avoid duplication?

Got my birthday present yesterday via Amazon and at an excellent price.
Its just wonderful with so many unpublished photos and so much technical information, particylarly on Aurelias. And to know it is approved by the man himself and his family makes it even better. I suspect its one of those (rare ) books with very few errors.
Well done Geoff!
Chris

I too received my package from Amazon yesterday.
The book is great, and of high quality.

The same cannot be said of Amazon's packaging, which is absolutely lousy. >:(

I ordered 5 copies, many months ago, just after the book was available on Amazon, for myself and swiss friends.
The package was sent from an Amazon warehouse (fulfilment center!), somewhere in Kentucky.
The photos will tell you all : no reinforcement, minimum cardboard, no bubble foil, even the packaging tape is not reinforced, and arrived broken. Somewhere along the way someone put the broken package into a mailbag.

So my suggestion: refrain from multiple orders for this book on Amazon. They just dont know how to pack securely heavy parcels.

PS: The customer service however works - reply was immediate, polite, and helpful. We shall see what happens now.
 

I must say that this is not typical of Amazon but perhaps their packers had a problem with the weight of all those books in one parcel.  They should have divided into at least two boxes or even three considering the weight of just one book.  I use Amazon a lot for books and other things and have never had any packaging problem whether an item comes to Portugal from U.K., Germany or France.

But as for the book itself  Wow!    Normally in a book like this I would go through photos before starting the text but there are so many photos and documents best to start at the beginning (a very good place to start, as the song says) and take it slowly.  Not a book to read in bed I think, unless you have strong stomach muscles or a nice reading table attached to your bed.

More than worth the wait.  Thanks, Geoff.

The first thought was to close the list, forget Viva to avoid another couple of months delay, and get this done.

However...

...the "club price" is £45.50, Amazon is showing £42.25 with "new and used" from £38.56.

David

Thanks for good thoughts, and hope you enjoy reading the book. There is a lot to take in. One of the joys of working with David Bull is that there was never a consideration of cutting pages or content, something not common in publishers today. The only downside of this is the heft of the book, sorry about that!

As to shipping, I use Amazon a lot here in the US, but have recently found their standards slipping. Two art books just arrived, sliding loose in a box, no protection at all. In the old days (!) they used to shrink wrap them to a board and put in protection. Seems no longer.

The book is big, and heavy - 6 lbs. If mishandled, the cover will show scuffing. Purchase through careful handlers, people who take care with shipping, is recommended. Its likely to be a long term acquisition, and worth doing right. 

I am looking forward to people's thoughts and comments as they work through the book, and hope that it helps raise discussions a notch or two! 

No brainer !

If Amazon can save us £2.25, let's just agree to that and also it saves David lots of hassle .... I suspect post will be free or very nearly so.

Having only just received my copy of 'The Book' (which I am thoroughly enjoying), it may be a good idea to get this moving !!

Totally agree, save David the hassle. So just placed my order with Amazon, being a prime user postage is free.

With all due respect to those who have placed orders, I would urge some caution in using Amazon. We are not seeing care taken in the packaging from them. This is a big heavy book and they don't seem to be packing it with protection. Consider the club, or order from Chaters. While the discount of Amazon might seem attractive at first, there is little satisfaction in a damaged book.

I wish to save David the hassle so have placed with Amazon too. If damaged they will have to deal with it. I hope to report in the next day or so.......

Tim

Much as I dislike Amazon (for paying only a tiny amount of tax in the UK) I also have just placed my order with them. Also to say that I have always found their packaging to be first class. Thanks for your efforts David.

Colin

I've done the same - ordered from Amazon, who are offering free postage - and will take it up with them if there's any damage.

Whoever's managing the LMC 'group buy', could you please remove my name from the list. Sorry I've lost track of who had taken this task on.

Hi David

Given the number of folk who have bought from Amazon, suggest you decide if you want to proceed with a group buy, it may be sensible to start again with the list to avoid confusion?

Peter

Hi All,

David, I emailed you and asked to be put on your list. (Not sure if you received my email.) I'd still be more than happy to buy through you if you do persevere with this.

And for general information for all: The Guardian looks like it might be the next cheapest UK option if you wish to avoid using Amazon on grounds of poor packaging, or immoral tax practices, or exploitation of their labour force. See http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781935007258 (http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781935007258) Postage appears to be free.

Chris

Got my copy today from Amazon, for all of you who buy from them, it wasn’t the usual tight corrugated card, but in a box with packing, with no damage to the book.  I must say first glance it really does look impressive and the kind of book I like.

Me too. Haven't opened as a surprise (?!) birthday present to me for later this month..... Seems well packed. David please remove me from your list. Ta.

I regret to say that the "forum bulk order" isn't going to happen...

It is to the credit of the book that it has been adopted by the mainstream book trade and is available from a large number of suppliers at prices that just don't make our enterprise worthwhile.  My "wake up" a week or so back was realising that the list was starting to shrink rather than grow.  From the forum we didn't have quite enough, with the "Aurelia Lunch" list (a lot of overlaps) we had just enough but as more and more withdrew it ceased to be viable and I'd now say is well beyond hope.

Happy hunting!!

David

Just ordered my own copy.  I went with Book Depository who have been excellent in the past.  A little more than Amazon (but via the Amazon platform).  I'll report on the quality of the packing as and when it arrives.

Something else I "woke up to" was that the ones dropping out tended to be people I actually knew.  It occurred to me that it was no more likely they'd drop out than the others, just more likely that they'd tell me.

Don't forget Geoff's other "books" on the self publishing platform Blurb:

http://www.blurb.co.uk/user/geoffreyg

On my wish list but have yet to see copies.

David

Received my copy from Amazon this afternoon and in excellent condition. A really great book!
Regards, John

Thanks for your efforts David. I shall order a copy in the near future from one of the suppliers.

Me too David, thank you.

Brian
8227 8)

David (and Ade)

Thanks for volunteering to source this book for us all.

I have now gone with the general tendency and ordered from Amazon, it will arrive on Wednesday.

Can't wait!

Nevertheless, much appreciate your initiative: please cancel my verbal and email commitments.

Tiny

Indeed David, thank you for your efforts.

One source I won't be buying from....


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LANCIA-AND-DE-VIRGILIO-AT-THE-CENTRE-/191286661727?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item2c8992d25f


P

More competitors in same vein above......

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lancia-and-De-Virgilio-At-the-Centre-by-Geoffrey-Goldberg-9781935007258-/331305463256?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d23582dd8

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lancia-And-De-Virgilio-At-The-Centre-Goldberg-Geoffrey-/161398867131?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item25941f44bb


P

I have just taken delivery of my copy of the book, which came from Amazon using the courier Hermes. The Amazon packaging was badly damaged but had been repaired by Hermes. I examined the book before signing for it and to my relief it is unblemished.

After only a quick look through it, I have to say it is a delight! Thank you Geoff for creating such a beautiful book. Your use and choice of photos and illustrations are superb, with such sensitivity to the period.

Colin

In my enviable position, I have read the Club's Library copy I took away from the AGM and what a superb book it is. Such detail and beautiful drawings, pictures and history.  I was going to send a report to VL but Jack has already beaten me to it.  It was a delight to read and a great record of such an influential man and his family. Well done Geoff, I hope you are justifiably proud.

Gladly, people are finally getting their copies, and distribution woes are working themselves out. And fears of damage seem to have put to rest. All good. Thanks to all for good thoughts and glad to share this work with you all.

The book is (as you might gather) the product of many years of effort. Many who saw it in its very rough stages quashed their doubts and contributed to it. Without their help, such a detailed history could not have been written. Its a sign of the times, that information will be lost if we don't get it down.

Continued discussion about the book is always welcome - if people have questions, feel free to ask. Also, don't be shy - contributions to the Lanciainfo.com blog are always never turned away!

Geoff

Geoff, a masterpiece, something of which you may be justifiably proud. Thank you, mainly to you, but also to all those others responsible for bringing it to press.

David, thank you for volunteering to take on the bulk buy/distribution task, even though it came to nought.

Finally Amazon. My copy arrived, wholly intact in a large box with plenty of packing, so no complaints there!!

                     Andy

Following the last post, can David confirm whether or not he is going ahead with the bulk order proposed earlier?

I apologise if I am dim, but I don't think this has been made explicit.

Ciao a tutti

cesare

Hi Cesare

The answer is no for sure, David from above says

"I regret to say that the "forum bulk order" isn't going to happen..."

Also he says

"Just ordered my own copy........ from Book Depository"

So would make no sense if he was still going ahead with the bulk order.

David, apologies if I have misinterpreted, but I think not!

Peter

Hi Cesare
I got my copy from Amazon. Free next day delivery with Prime and very well packed in large sturdy carton.
The book is excellent.
Justin

Thank you Peter. That is the only reasonable interpretation of David's first posting of 29th August, and I think I must have read only the second.

Thank you Justin for the recommendation.

Cesare

There will be no bulk order. 

Happy hunting!!

David

I have now received the replacement order from Amazon - I am afraid to report that they still do not know how to pack multiple, heavy books.

The photos say all!

Maybe Amazon UK is better on packaging, but I will never, ever, try it - I have been burned, and learnt my lesson!

Now I also have to repackage, and ship back to Kentucky, USA, the first 5 copies, which otherwise will be charged to me - and to get reimbursement from Amazon of the shipping costs....

Shall report the results...

Do not discount your specialist bookshop, as an alternative to Amazon, and other e-commerce facilities.

Since many years ago, when I was still a young boy in school in Paris, I have bought car books from a shop now called Librairie Passion Automobile, still located after 40 years at 83 rue de Rennes, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, not far from St Germain des Prés.

Having a business meeting in Paris, I found time to visit the shop, and found "Lancia and De Virgilio" prominently displayed on one of the 2 tables. I then spoke to the guy managing the shop, who told me that the book had just arrived. He found the book fascinating from only a quick look through it, and a welcome change from yet another book on the Ford Mustang, or Harley Davidson motorbikes.

I must say that browsing through new books available on a table, and discussing with a competent shop manager is a completely different experience than browsing the internet, and much more enjoyable !

There are some lovely books just on that single table. The one about the advertising signs on the old buildings - it's good that these have been recorded. Only recently near me a big old barn has been demolished that had a huge faded BYRRH advert on it. Luckily I'd photographed it. Was puzzles me is that all over France the signs have faded at the same rate, as though the original painter whizzed around France and did the whole lot in a day.

Exactly!

And would you have searched for those books on the web?

Or would you buy them on impulse, when you see them?

I ordered my copy yesterday from www.Hive.co.uk (http://www.Hive.co.uk) for £41.88, including delivery to a local independent bookshop that will benefit in at least some small financial way and from which I can collect on foot. When I ordered, the website indicated that they were awaiting stock but I received an email before the end of the day saying my book had been dispatched. I'll let the world know via this forum if anything goes wrong but I'm feeling optimistic that the book will arrive in pristine condition.

Got my copy earlier this week, no problem with the packaging from booktopia.com.au!
I have to say that this is a brilliant book. I’m only about 60 pages in but the story is so well told and the photos and drawings are outstanding. It might even be up there with Bill Jamieson’s ‘Capolavoro’ as not only a great Lancia book but a great motoring book. Well done Geoff and all the others involved.
Noel

Do I gather that the packaging problems are with books ordered through amazon.com rather than co.uk?

I live in Portugal and use Amazon a lot and I have never ever had problems with orders that were made on co.uk but that may actually be shipped from U.K. or sometimes Germany or even Spain once or twice.  In fact their packaging has been superb, sometimes parcels with half a dozen or more books.  Lesson here may be not to use .com site if you are outside USA.

Yes, my problems were:

1. ordering at amazon.com : it gets shipped from the US, from Kentucky in fact
2. making a multiple order : because of friends, and possible presents, I ordered 5 copies at once.

They clearly have instructions to do the simplest packaging, and do not think of what can happen on the way. Putting 5 copies of a heavy book in the same oversized box, with only those plastic air-filled sausages and no wrapping whatsoever is a recipe for disaster!

Any well trained bookshop employee would know what to do - not the people of amazon.com however!

I learned my lesson - the hard way!

To change the subject, I have written enough about packaging !

The content of Geoffrey's book is worth discussing, and especially the appearance in the story of Fiat, and Fessia, has made me take out again another brilliant book:
40 Years of Design with Fiat, by Dante Giacosa.

In that book, numerous mentions of Fessia, and his personality, are available - no wonder De Virgilio got into problems with him.
Interesting also to read there that Dante Giacosa was asked when designing the Fiat 1400 and its derivatives to think about a V6 engine, but because of the difficulties of balancing, decided instead to go for the easier V8 layout (that was then only used in a sportscar, the 2 liter 8V).
And in that chapter he never mentions Lancia, the Aurelia and its V6 engine, although he must have been very aware of it.

Excellent from Geoff, worth more than the sixty five quid UK price tag I think. A few nice books out lately, just as I thought I had concluded my modest collection.

Review http://www.velocetoday.com/lancia-and-de-virgilio-at-the-center/

Currently available on amazon for a cracking price.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lancia-Virgilio-Centre-Geoffrey-Goldberg/dp/1935007254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438508044&sr=8-1&keywords=Lancia+and+De+Virgilio


P

That's what I paid for my copy through 'Hive'

Brian
8227 8)

From David Bull Publishing:

"I'm very pleased to announce that the Society of Automotive Historians has given its 2015 Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot Award for best publication to Geoffrey Goldberg's Lancia and De Virgilio: At the Center. The SAH presents the award for the book that best advances the understanding of the history of the automobile in the English language during the previous year.  Lancia and De Virgilio shared this year's award with J. Saoutchik Maître Carrossier, published by Dalton Watson Fine Books.

Books from David Bull Publishing have won many awards over the years, but Lancia and De Virgilio is the first to be recognized by the SAH -- perhaps because it sheds new light on an innovative automaker....But Lancia and De Virgilio is about much more than cars.  The book also stands as a unique cultural history that captures the vibrant spirit of Italian business, family life, and society during the country's post-war renaissance.  It follows an approach that is both technical and romantic, highly detailed but also popular and accessible.

Meanwhile, further praise for Lancia and De Virgilio appears in the November issue of Classic & Sports Car magazine. Martin Buckley devotes his entire Backfire column to the book, noting that "Goldberg's text is scholarly but also straightforward and readable (with extensive reference notes at the end of each chapter -- always a classy touch). He takes a broader view of the social and industrial background to De Virgilio's working life and to the nature of Lancia as a company, rather than the usual narrow appraisal of the vehicles -- a trap into which too many books fall."

Thank you for posting that review.  Well worth the read.

+ 1, many congratulations to Geoffery, great to see his dedication, hard work and innovation in this area being recognised.





P

Geoff was our guest speaker at the recent Australian Lancia Register Castlemaine Rally. He was most enjoyable company and his talk was terrific. He came on the tour after the rally and even had a drive of my Aprilia, although I think he misunderstood our kmh speed limit signs for mph!

Some photos of the event can be found on my website and the ALR page as well.

http://narrywoolan.com.au/lancia-aprilia/castlemaine-23/castlemaine-23-photo-collection.html
http://narrywoolan.com.au/lancia-aprilia/alr-mountain-to-surf-tour/alr-mountain-to-surf-photo-collection.html
http://alr.org.au/

Noel

Is there a difference?  ;)

Great photos, thanks for posting. Very good fun and glad to meet in person!