Stirling Moss – The Authorised Biography
By Robert Edwards
As a long time fan of Stirling Moss, I have collected quite a few books dedicated to him and his cars – All But My Life, by Ken Purdy; Stirling Moss: Racing with the Maestro by Karl Ludvigsen; and My Cars, My Career, by Moss and Doug Nye to name a few. So, when Stirling Moss: The Authorised Biography, by Robert Edwards, came on the scene recently, I was skeptical of any truly new material that would warrant another book. I was pleasantly surprised.
This book deals with most every aspect of Stirling’s life, not just his racing career and the wonderful cars he commanded. In essence, it addresses the whole man. Edwards delves into the interesting details of his life, like being picked on in school over his Jewish background and the competitive drive his parents instilled in him at such an early age in sports, games or any other endeavor he took part in. The book reveals how Moss came to believe that if he was going to do something, he’d have more fun winning at it, than just participating.
The book follows a traditional chronological order of his life and racing career. Taking you from the first motor cars he would race or own (many of which I had no idea he drove) to the final career-ending crash in an F1 Lotus, in 1962.
One of the factors that makes this book unique was Edwards’ access to the wonderful scrapbook collection that Moss started in the early ’50s and, like his diary, continued until the end of his career.
Some of the photos are ones we have seen in other works, but many more are new. Edwards keeps all of the photos in a black and white format throughout the sections covering Moss’ professional racing career, (seemingly setting a mood for the era in which he raced). Later in the book, color photos trace his more recent careers as radio personality, author, speaker, diplomat and vintage racer.
All in all, a highly recommenable “keeper” for any collection. Available from Classic Motorbooks, (800) 826-6600, for $45.00 (US).
