An Illustrated History (the new one!)

[geo]

Looking at the postings of Claude, Geoff et al I do have to wonder
how practicable a proposition this would be and have a couple of
thoughts that may or may not be particular to me.

I enjoy the look and feel of a well-produced book and have to admit
that I hate the few print-on-demand types I have - I prefer to leave
them as pdf files and read them on screen. 'Vanity publishing'
appeals to quite a few people, but as someone who has had to read a
number of these volumes, I can attest to the poor quality of most
aspects of the resultant product (knowledge of the subject matter is
the principal reason someone has taken the trouble to produce a book
in the first place and this is frequently the sole area that works
reasonably well).

Think of one of the Bristol books mentioned in one of the other
postings: it is highly informative on most aspects of the Bristol and
conveys a pleasing feel for the marque, but it also contains the same
facts being presented in multiple locations, incorrect captions to
some photographs, duplication of text and so on - and this is from a
respected publisher and has been professionally edited and proof-read.

From a more practical standpoint, who would negotiate and pay the
copyright clearances, decide upon the house style (and technical
style), do the design and layout, deal with the artwork and
photographs (including touch-ups) etc. Writing and publishing a book
involves far more than knocking out the text and then distributing it
- there are many aspects that are unlikely to create a quality effect
without the necessary professional skill and experience. Sure, we can
all write a book and, I daresay, we could all respray and reupholster
our cars . . .

If one went down the multi-author route, then who would be the main
editor and how would contributors feel about having their text hacked
to death? Would this editor be expected to cross-check all the
references and warn readers of those that seemed dubious?

I recall researching material for a book and having the benefit of
documentation from the Rootes family who co-operated; access to quite
a lot of government and private funding archives; and interviewing
many senior and not-so-senior employees including the car designers.
As one usually finds, all these authentic sources told very different
tales and tales that contained much contradiction. Someone has to
resolve these conflicts and it takes truly ages.

One also turns into a sleuth, I recall coming across an incorrect
usage of a German term, then finding it in another source -
eventually, I traced the same 'factual' material through about ten
sources, all of which had appropriated, incorrect as it turned out,
information from either the original source or from each other. Great
for perpetuating myths, but lousy if one wants to get it right.

Just a few spanners for the works?

George