Description
Racing Through Europe: The Motor Sport Photography of Brian Joscelyne
Outside of his day job running the family firm, Brian Kent Joscelyne has been many things in his long life: a car mechanic, a racing team manager and owner, a longstanding magazine editor and contributor, a stalwart of the Aston Martin Owners Club and amateur racing driver who had success both in historic and contemporary events. But the arena in which he truly excelled was motor racing photography. What is not so well-known is the breadth of competitive events he attended with his trusty Pentax, from the late fifties through to the seventies.
As you go through the amazing images, Brian’s ability to pack a frame with interesting subject matter, extraordinary light and depth of colour will become apparent. Brian Joscelyne was not a professional photographer; he was, however, an extraordinary enthusiast. In the course of preparing for this book, the true scale of Brian’s photo archive was revealed, a breath-taking 15,000 colour slides, most of which have never been seen.
Racing Through Europe is a vividly designed 444-page book with 475 rare photographs, all in colour. While every picture tells a story – a huge number of which are both significant and reveal unique moments within the sport – the captions, written by world-renowned authority David Tremayne, tell their own complementary tale adding to the readers’ enjoyment and knowledge. Covering 25 European circuits, these pictures depict three decades of motor racing history, capturing all its facets from the front to the back of the grid.
Nick Mason writes in the foreword: “In my other life in the music industry I’ve seen how often the very best photographers have the knack of melting into the background to get those great candid shots; and Brian has exactly this quality.”
About the author
David Tremayne is an award-winning author of more than 50 motorsport books. His writing, which embraces the sport’s past as well as the present, combines a unique blend of soul and passion, together with a deep respect and understanding of racing and encyclopaedic knowledge of its history and the people who generated its legends.
On the motorsport photography of Brian Joscelyne, he observes: “It was a work of detection, and sometimes of trips down memory lane, and every time one reached an apparent impasse that momentarily none of us here at Palawan could circumvent, one thought kept sustaining us. While Brian might not wish to tell anyone about himself, his unique story was one that really did deserve to be told.”
About the designer
The book was designed by renowned historic racing and classic car enthusiast Julian Balme, whose last book for Palawan, The Bristol Aeroplane Company, Car Division won Publication of the Year at last year’s Historic Motoring Awards. His legacy as a designer not only includes four other Palawan titles, but before that, countless record sleeves for acts as diverse as The Clash, Adam Ant, Tears For Fears, Iggy Pop and many others. His love of the visual arts has also led to him producing numerous books for art galleries.
Having commissioned two distinct covers, we found we could not commit to just one, so we decided to make them both available. Therefore, the standard edition will be available in two different front covers. Please specify which book cover you would prefer when placing your order. Please also note that all book numbers with the Ferrari cover will be odd, and all book numbers with the Circuit graphic cover will be even.
Following its great tradition of publishing critically acclaimed books on motor racing photography, such as Ferrari in Camera, Sixties Motor Racing, 1946 And All That, this is arguably one of Palawan’s best yet. Available in two luxury editions, Standard and Leather.
Now in stock.
REVIEWS
“There is no denying this book is expensive, but it is lavishly produced to a particularly high standard. No aspect is lacking – the content, of course, is superb, but the design and layout (by Julian Balme), print and paper quality and level of reproduction are all superlative.” Automobile, December 2020
“As Nick Mason notes in the foreword, Brian often took photographs of a group of cars rather than individual ones, thus providing a much better sense of the atmosphere and a record of who is driving which car. For me this is something that I particularly enjoy when looking at period photographs; the opportunity not only to see some really great cars, but also to see the drivers chatting with the mechanics, the spectators leaning forward to get a better view and the trucks parked in the paddock.” David Lewington, AM Quarterly, Autumn 2020
“While there is a fair amount of on-track action, it’s the pit scenes and candid portraits that really stand out, and you sense that this kind of work was Brian’s true ‘happy place’. The man himself may now be gone, but this beautiful tribute will ensure he is not forgotten.” Octane, February 2021
“Where most photographers focused on the track, Joscelyne was inspired by scenes away from the action. A frustrated Lance Reventlow at Monaco, a timing crew clowning around with signals at Mulsanne Corner, or colourful support vehicles in the campsite: all were vividly captured by his Pentax loaded with Kodachrome.” Classic and Sports Car, February 2021
“Joscelyne’s vibrant images underline a passion for the people, the cars and the dangerous circuits they raced on.” Historic Motor Racing News, February 2021