Innes Ireland, Mercian Manuals Ltd, 2005
ISBN No 1-903088-25-9 £29.95
large format, 27cm x 23cm, 230 pages 15 in colour
Mercian Manuals have produced some interesting reprints of late and “All Arms and Elbows” is the latest addition to their catalogue. A fairly large and heavy book, 23cmx27cmx2cm, it consists of three parts, photographs of Innes in competition, a facsimile printing of the first edition including all the photographs, and a collection of photographs of Innes mainly from the decade or so before his death in 1993.
The book starts off with an unsigned biographical note “Who was Innes Ireland” which is not dissimilar to the biography on this website! It does contain a few errors, however, Innes certainly did not drive for three years alongside Stirling Moss at BRP and I am not aware that he was ever an editor at Motor Sport. On a more personal note I believe his daughters' first name is Frances not Francis. This factual but rather clumsily written biography is followed by a one page appreciation of Innes by his widow Jean Ireland.
There are 13 pages of competition photographs, three of which are in colour. Some of these pictures are familiar but there are a couple of gems, the young Innes in his Bentley in particular. What a shame that the lovely Targa Florio shot actually shows Masten Gregory and not the subject of the book. This is followed by a page detailing Innes’s World Championship Formula One record which, of course, misses most of Ireland's most famous victories. Perhaps the publishers should have copied the much fuller record to be found here! The 12 pages of family photographs at the end of the book are charming enough and somewhat poignant when you realise that some were shot when the cancer that killed Innes had taken hold. I would have liked to have seen a photograph of Innes as a boy, or with his parents, or with his son Jamie. There are certainly no photographs of first wife Norma or second wife Edie.
If money is not a consideration I would advise any new reader of “All Arms and Elbows” to get hold of a copy of the first edition. This new edition is much better than the second edition, however, and at under £30, will place in the hands of the reader a book that has itself become part of the history of motor sport.