John Lamm's Automotive Library Is for Sale

Photo credit: Bring A Trailer
Photo credit: Bring A Trailer

John Lamm's 37 years writing and photographing for Road & Track helped define the magazine's look and voice. He developed that expertise through constant reading, amassing a library of 643 specialist publications. Today, that entire collection is for sale.

Lamm's library, currently listed on Bring A Trailer, contains 84 individual books on Ferrari alone. It also contains 64 books of archived Road & Track road tests, 199 issues of the magazine Automobiles Classiques, and a wide variety of other books covering individual cars, manufacturers, tracks, and categories of racing. It is, in other words, a fairly complete archive of decades of automotive history.

In addition to the value of the books themselves, the collection represents the scope of Lamm's decades-long career. Some books are signed by Phil Hill, a friend of Lamm's and America's lone Formula 1 World Champion. Others are signed by Carroll Shelby. Many include original highlights and notes made while working on individual projects. These were both the tools of reference for years of in-depth writing and the pieces picked up along the way.

The complete library contains a wide variety of rare, valuable, and highly specific books, a concentrated collection of rare knowledge too obscure to find online. Its bigger value may be in what it represents. Without Lamm, Road & Track would not be the Road & Track we know. These books tell the story of how he built and maintained his expertise on, and his creative view of, the automotive world.

The auction ends on the 24th of May, a week from today. Whether the buyer is interested in Lamm's history in the automotive world or the books themselves, they will end up with a very interesting collection.

Bring a Trailer is also owned by Road & Track's parent company, Hearst Autos.

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