RE: John Harold Haynes OBE: RIP
Discussion
sgtBerbatov said:
There is something better about the older Haynes manuals than the new ones, something to do with the newer way they organise the book maybe?
RIP Mr.Haynes
I've found the newer manuals to be considerably less technical than the older ones & not much better than the owners handbook supplied with the car, but then there is a lot less home DIYable about a modern car compared to something from the 70's -80's for instance.RIP Mr.Haynes
I've just fetched Jeff Clew's book 'Haynes, The first 40 years' from my bookcase, it seems an appropriate time to read it again and remember what John Haynes did to further my interest in cars. I still use his manual for my Riley, one of three copies around the house and garage. He was a very friendly and genuine man who I had the pleasure of meeting a few times when I lived not far from Sparkford. RIP John - and thank you.
Sad that all everyone goes on about re Haynes is the workshop manuals (which I grant you is what they're famous for), but they've always published a great array of motoring histories, marque histories and general motoring titles since day one almost. They grabbed G T Foulis & Co in the 70s who had also published many great motoring and tuning related subjects.
I could say just look at the wonderful Andrew Whyte Jag books in the 80s (reprinted in the noughties) as one case in point of many.
John Haynes was a great chap who found a niche and filled it to the brim. Haynes published my first book, and my second, then I tried to follow in John's footsteps when I grabbed one of their Foulis titles. It had been out-of-print for some time and I asked if they would reprint it? They told me there was no market for it, so I asked how much they would want for the rights so I could publish it? They smiled at me and said 'nothing'. All I had to do they said was to contact the author and get him to ok it and the rights would be mine! I searched daily for almost a month through tel directories (that long ago!) until I found him. He jumped with joy at the chance. We updated it a tad, I redesigned it, got it off to a book printer, publishing it under my imprint - and we sold the lot!
I never looked back. I'm no Haynes, not anywhere even remotely near, my venture was on a much, much, much smaller scale with one intention - to fill gaps (some are still there). I made a list of these niche fillers I wanted to do. At the top was Elva. I never got that, and still smile today when I look back at how that book ended up when eventually, after many years it got published. A book, devoted to just that one marque, ending up weighing 3 kilos! Nuts!
When I started up I was told (to my face) that I was barking mad. I was told by 'experts' in the publishing arena at the time that the 'physical' book was dead. And the paperless office was imminent. Still cracks me up to this day!
I loved every minute of it, and still doing it almost 30 years on but now only when I feel like it, in a three-quarters or more, retired form.
I still have one gap-filling marque left on that list and the author says he'd almost finished it. Mind you, he's said that before!
I could say just look at the wonderful Andrew Whyte Jag books in the 80s (reprinted in the noughties) as one case in point of many.
John Haynes was a great chap who found a niche and filled it to the brim. Haynes published my first book, and my second, then I tried to follow in John's footsteps when I grabbed one of their Foulis titles. It had been out-of-print for some time and I asked if they would reprint it? They told me there was no market for it, so I asked how much they would want for the rights so I could publish it? They smiled at me and said 'nothing'. All I had to do they said was to contact the author and get him to ok it and the rights would be mine! I searched daily for almost a month through tel directories (that long ago!) until I found him. He jumped with joy at the chance. We updated it a tad, I redesigned it, got it off to a book printer, publishing it under my imprint - and we sold the lot!
I never looked back. I'm no Haynes, not anywhere even remotely near, my venture was on a much, much, much smaller scale with one intention - to fill gaps (some are still there). I made a list of these niche fillers I wanted to do. At the top was Elva. I never got that, and still smile today when I look back at how that book ended up when eventually, after many years it got published. A book, devoted to just that one marque, ending up weighing 3 kilos! Nuts!
When I started up I was told (to my face) that I was barking mad. I was told by 'experts' in the publishing arena at the time that the 'physical' book was dead. And the paperless office was imminent. Still cracks me up to this day!
I loved every minute of it, and still doing it almost 30 years on but now only when I feel like it, in a three-quarters or more, retired form.
I still have one gap-filling marque left on that list and the author says he'd almost finished it. Mind you, he's said that before!
Still have one for current vehicle, only use it for the odd value tyre pressures or capacities. Switched to the Saab Forums and YouTube a long time ago. Makes me wounder how many people fix their own cars these days, my colleagues looked at me as some kind of mechanical genius (which I am not) replacing a broken gear turret bearing one lunch time when I finally could not get into reverse.
RIP, and thanks 
Like so many others here, owned many of these (still got a few long after the cars have gone...) and oil and blood mark the pages.
Anyone else ever flick through the one that came with a car you were looking at buying, to see where the dirty pages were... to see why they were selling it??
Like so many others here, owned many of these (still got a few long after the cars have gone...) and oil and blood mark the pages.
Anyone else ever flick through the one that came with a car you were looking at buying, to see where the dirty pages were... to see why they were selling it??
Earl of Petrol said:
It’s really a guide and companion for a competent home mechanic. (How 60’s does that sound) not for converting idiots into automotive engineers. If you ain’t got it....,.
I’m not sure I agree with that. Sure there were some serious jobs covered but they also covered basic maintenance and servicing in a way that simple folk like me could follow.
Never met him, but sounds like a really nice chap.
Funny, I bought a couple of his books recently for my two kids cars that needed timing belts done - probably haven't bought one before that for nearly 30 years - but they always the next purchase after the car.
IIRC Autodata became a competitor - which was far less useful IMHO - and with their paperback style seemed less garage durable than the hardback from Haynes !
Went to the musuem a year or so ago and actually it had his Rolls Royce in it - a very impressive museum !
RIP Mr. Haynes
Funny, I bought a couple of his books recently for my two kids cars that needed timing belts done - probably haven't bought one before that for nearly 30 years - but they always the next purchase after the car.
IIRC Autodata became a competitor - which was far less useful IMHO - and with their paperback style seemed less garage durable than the hardback from Haynes !
Went to the musuem a year or so ago and actually it had his Rolls Royce in it - a very impressive museum !
RIP Mr. Haynes
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