Assembling even a basic library for the purpose of beginning to examine the history of automobile racing can be a challenge. There is the usual problem of what type of motor racing one wishes to examine along with which era. There is also the question of just what level and depth that one wishes to delve into the past. Most here are probably more interested in Formula One or "Grand Prix" racing than any other form of motor sport. There are literally countless books on the subject, the vast majority evoking a sense of sadness that trees died so that those books could be published. The same, of course, can be said for each and every other form of automobile racing.

If one is something of a beginner, then putting a few general or reference books on the shelf is a good place to start. A good place to start is Peter Higham's The International Motor Racing Guide, Second Edition (David Bull, 2003). This is a good general reference book, covering a multitude of racing series, having the utility of being a place to turn to when a general question pops up. One can still find inexpensive copies of G.N. Georgano's The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport (Viking, 1971) in second-hand bookstores. For those interested in NASCAR, there is the [b[NASCAR Encyclopedia[/b] (Motorbooks Internationa, 2003) edited by Peter Golenbock and Greg Fielden. It has its uses, but it does not include the results of each and every Grand National or Wintson/Nextel/Sprint Cup event. It is always a source of puzzlement that American Automobile Racing: An Illustrated History (Penguin, 1977) by Al Bochroch has never been updated or otherwise replicated.

A useful set of books for those interested in Grand Prix racing in the form of the Championnat du Monde des Conducteurs, is the Grand Prix! (Haynes) series of books by Mike Lang covering 1950-1965 (1981), 1966-1973 (1982), 1974-1980 (1983), and 1981-1984 (1992). Some of these volumes have been combined, I believe. In various guises, The Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing (Crest Books, 1990/ Hallweg, 1986) by Adriano Cimarosti and edited by David McKinney, has appeared and well worth adding to the bookshelf.

The topic of racing biographies is one that usually rather disappointing. Few biographies on racing subjects are both good reading and of use to the researcher. Many biographies on those in racing are works of love and devotion by the authors. Most are painful to read and best recycled in the hope that the paper will be used for a more worthy role. That said, there are several racing biographies that I happen to like. One is Archie and the Listers (Patrick Stephens, 1995) by Robert Edwards. Mike Argetsinger has written biographies of two American drivers, Walt Hansgen: His Life and the History of Post-War American Road Racing (David Bull, 2006) and Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed (David Bull, 2009), that I like. It Was Fun! (Patrick Stephens, 1993) by Tony Rudd (and Doug Nye) is an enjoyable book in many respects. There are others, of course, such as Nuvolari (Breedon Books, 2003) by Chris Hilton, but these will do for a start.

When it comes to book on the various marques, it gets a bit interesting. I have found that Ford: The Dust and the Glory, A Racing History (Macmillan, 1968) by Leo Levine has been a valuable source over the years, although the follow-on volume left much to be desired. I will admit to having a soft spot for Cooper Cars (Osprey, Third Edition 1991) by Doug Nye. It is a splendid book to simply sit and read, one of those books I find being pulled from the shelf to use -- I am on my second copy. Although David McKinney beat me to it, of the many books on the Maserati 250F, his, Maserati 250F (Crowood Press, 2003) is by far the best.

There are many more suggestions, but this is at least a start.