Giles Chapman writes and talks about the motor car, its industry, its history and its culture. He is the author of some 50 books on a huge spectrum of car-related subjects, including My Dad Had One Of Those (selling almost 200,000 copies), Chapman’s Car Compendium, Britain’s Toy Car Wars: Dinky vs Corgi vs Matchbox, and Gentleman Heroes: YU 3250, The First Blower Bentley & The Men Who Made it Happen. He was Editor In Chief for DK of The Car Book, The Classic Car Book and Drive: The Definitive History Of Motoring, acclaimed reference books that have all been published in multiple language editions worldwide. Early on in his career, he edited Classic & Sports Car, the world’s best-selling classic car magazine, and has contributed to countless other publications. He founded the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book Of The Year Awards, and indeed his own work has received several awards and nominations, including most recently the 2018 Pemberton Trophy from the Guild Of Motoring Writers. Books on cars seem to be perennially popular with readers, but with so many titles published on marques such as Porsche, Ferrari and Jaguar, he has tended to cover other subjects and themes likely to have a wide appeal. His latest book this year, Mini: 60 Years, for example, records the development of the groundbreaking original Mini and links it to the birth of the reimagined ‘MINI’ in a way that owners and enthusiasts old and new can relate to. He has produced several titles on cars and motoring for children, where complicated concepts have to made dead simple to be entertaining and informative. Lastly, with huge experience in magazine publishing, he’s also worked across many titles as a picture researcher under the Top Gear and, recently, Grand Tour banners, where he has to explore picture libraries and photographers’ work for not just the right car but also a stirring or evocative composition.
List of published books
Mini: 60 Years, Motorbooks/Quarto, 2019
The Range Rover Story, History Press, 2019
The Jaguar Story, History Press, 2019
Drive: The Definitive History Of Motoring, DK, 2018
Gentleman Heroes: YU 3250, The First Blower Bentley And The Men Who Made It Happen, Speed Age, 2018
The Story Of The Car, Wren & Rook (Hachette), 2017
Classic Car: The Definitive Visual History, DK, 2016
The Classic Car Book, DK, 2016
The Reliant Robin: Britain’s Most Bizarre Car, History Press, 2016
Britain’s Toy Car Wars: Dinky vs Corgi vs Matchbox, History Press, 2016
Car Emblems, Chartwell, 2015
Cars We Loved In the 1950s, History Press, 2015
How To Make Money At Car Boot Sales, Robinson, 2015
Cars We Loved In The 1980s, History Press, 2014
Cars We Loved In The 1960s, History Press, 2014
Racing Driver: How To Drive Racing Cars Step By Step, Thames & Hudson, 2014
Cars We Loved In The 1970s, History Press, 2013
The Land Rover Story, History Press, 2013
The Ford Capri Story, History Press, 2012
The VW Beetle Story, History Press, 2012
The Mini Story, History Press, 2011
The Ford Transit Story, History Press, 2011
The VW Camper Story, History Press, 2011
The Car Book, Dorling Kindersley, 2011
TV Cars (paperback edition), Haynes, 2011
I-Spy Every Vehicle On The Road, Michelin, 2011
100 Cars Britain Can Be Proud Of, History Press, 2010
I-Spy Car Badges, Michelin, 2010
How To Design Cars Like A Pro, MBI, 2010 (contributor)
I-Spy Classic Cars, Michelin, 2009
My Dad’s Cortina, Haynes, 2009
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Automobiles, Dorling Kindersley, 2009
Haynes Classic Cutaways, Haynes Publishing, 2008
My Dad Wished He Had One Of Those, Hodder & Stoughton, 2008
Chapman’s Car Compendium, Merrell Publishers, 2007
My Dad Had One Of Those, BBC Books, 2007
The Worst Cars Ever Sold, Sutton, 2006
TV Cars, Haynes Publishing, 2006
Car Badges, Merrell Publishers, 2005 (3 foreign editions)
SUV: The World’s Greatest Sport Utility Vehicles, Merrell Publishers, 2005
Fast Cars, Sutton, 2003
Mad Cars, Sutton, 2002
Car Design Yearbook, 2002-04, Merrell (consultant editor)
The Worst Cars Ever Sold In Britain, Sutton, 2001
Moving Objects: 30 Years of Vehicle Design at the Royal College of Art, Eye-Q, 1999
Cars That Time Forgot, Paragon, 1997