OK, what MG owner doesn't have an octagon emblazoned t-shirt, matchbox MGB or slowly rotting key fob somewhere in their household? I don't care how transient your MG ownership is, or has been, chances are you'll refuse to discard some old sales brochure or owners manual. Curious thing is, MG didn't make a big deal out of branded merchandise in Australia in recent years. It can't have been a case of snobbery either. Aston Martin and Bentley haven't been above selling watches, mugs, t-shirts and fleeces. Visits to the motor show in Sydney or Melbourne would end with my walking away from the MG stand seriously frustrated.
"The Complete Guide to MG Collectibles" increased the frustration when I first read it because there has been a serious amount of MG themed "stuff" made over the years. And this chap, Michael Ellmann-Brown, has it all. He tells of how his collection started from a key ring and grew into the accumulation of mind numbing vastness that it is today. Some of it is very rare and expensive such as a handmade model of a 1935 R-Type, others, not so rare, such as postcards and brochures. I think his urge to collect bordered on obsessive compulsiveness when he tells the tale of visiting an auction so that he can could bid, successfully too I might add, on one of the old MG factory telephones. No engraving or badges are present to prove its authenticity, you just have to believe. I found some of my collectibles in this beautifully illustrated book and irritated my partner no end with yelps of delight accompanied with "Jodie, Jodie, look, look..." at each discovery.
The photography is excellent and of a very high standard and the narrative entertaining, although scant. The publication quality is typical of Bay Books with excellent quality paper and strong binding. I can definitely recommend this book but be aware, it WILL be borrowed by fellow MG heads and you WILL annoy your significant other.
Bay View Books. 1997. (ISBN: 1870979877) ELLMANN-BROWN, MICHAEL.
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