LJKS

Setright was a big favourite of mine when he wrote a column for Bike in the
80s. I was reminded of him when a (much younger) colleague opined that Mark
Williams and Dan Walsh were the greatest motorcycling writers ever in the
world in space. I would love to read some of his stuff again, but all I
have been able to track down is a lot of stuff on general motoring and
aviation. Somewhere, his motorcycling journalism ought to be collected and
published - and if it isn't, it should be. Seems the obvious place to ask -
does anyone here know of any?

--
Rich
==============================

2001 Disco II ES auto
1971 S2a 88" petrol
2005 XT660R

Take out the obvious to email me.

 

I could send you a scan of one old Bike article
if you email me with a real address, as I can't see
how to "Take out the obvious" from .

 

Ah. Comes of changing spoofs (spooves?) without updating sig. YWHM.

Cheers

--
Rich
==============================

2001 Disco II ES auto
1971 S2a 88" petrol
2005 XT660R

Take out the obvious to email me.

 

Don't think there's a collective writings a la all those Clarkson books,
like Born to be Riled etc etc but LJKS wrote "A social history of the motor
car" which is a testimony to why he is the best vehicle "commentator" to
have put words together. Great book.
<nostalgic mode>
It would have been utterly wonderful if his contemporary and friend, Bob
Freeman (instigator of the concept of "The ABC of Engineering.... the
Accidentally Beautiful Consequence....."
http://www.bobfreeman.co.uk/Content/thoughts.htm ) could have provided the
illustrations! Sadly he died a couple of years ago as well but anyone who
can paint "aeroquip" braided pipework and distill the essence of magnificent
engineering into a work of art is someone special as well. Wonderful bloke
with so much talent and wit.
I wrote to "Car" a year or two ago and suggested/pleaded that they reproduce
his "Handlebar" and "Frontline" columns from that magazine in book format.
Mind you, I never heard anything but then again it's now run by ex Cars and
Car Conversions writers et al, class, but no style, not in the gentlemanly
manner of previous car staffers such as George Bishop whose car column was
always soaked in fine wine as he revelled in gourmet eats, people, places
and sometimes cars, often French ones.... having said that I think Russel
Bulgin is no more either.
Not that I think he was as good a writer but his enthusiasm shone through
and that counts for a lot, I think. As for the likes of Mark Williams and
Dan Walsh (welcome back..) they are undoubtedly good in a transitory amusing
but ultimately forgetable kind of way but LJKS was excellent, in the way the
word was meant to be used... that is, better than all the rest!
When asked "What is your greatest achievement?" in Classic and Sports Car,
Leonard John Kensell Setright responded, "I only ever did one clever thing
which was to arrange to have extraordinary parents. Everything else
followed by natural consequence."

Maybe we should all lobby Car Magazine......
Thanks for the reminder

Cheers
DP

 

You are presumably aware of "Motorcycles" by L J K Setright Weidenfeld &
Nicolson 1976 ISBN 0 297 77234 1 ?

<pats copy>




--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Car magazine is now published by EMAP, and they've totally fucked it up.
Sad, really. I was only talking about this yesterday with Timo.

 

Thank you

<pats credit card>

--
Rich
==============================

2001 Disco II ES auto
1971 S2a 88" petrol
2005 XT660R

Take out the obvious to email me.

 

There is an article on him in Wikipedia, which has a link to his obit in the
Torygraph - both worth a read if you're a fan. I like the story of the
editor who complained when he used one too many Latin words in a column.
The next week, the entire column was in Latin - with an English version the
following day, just in case.

--
Rich
==============================

2001 Disco II ES auto
1971 S2a 88" petrol
2005 XT660R

Take out the obvious to email me.

 

Thank you
<pats SWMBO, thanking her for use of her credit card>
Cheers
DP