- Hardcover: 144 pages
- Publisher: Halsgrove (15 Mar 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1841148725
- ISBN-13: 978-1841148724
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 21.8 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 748,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Aintree has been a race venue for a very long
time and will continue to thrill its visitors for
many years to come.This collection of images,
sometimes serious sometimes amusing but always
fascinating, will help readers to relive some of
those precious moments experienced in the
company of friends, family and colleagues. Setting
out to capture the spirit of the event, spread over
a three day period, the author conveys some of
the atmosphere and excitement of Aintree during
a Grand National meeting from a spectator's
perspective.The result is a book which will be
valued equally by both occasional and regular
visitors to this three-day meeting, regardless of
how much or how little they know about the
sport of kings.
From punters pouring off the trains into Aintree
station which handles 30,000 passengers a day
during the meeting, to sombre reflection over
Red Rum's grave, and from the tipster to the
tipsy,Andy Stansfield's lens picks out with
unerring accuracy those little cameos which make
a day memorable. Ladies Day in particular
provides a fascinating diversion from equine
matters as glamour and glitz compete with
colour clashes and costume jewellery.
Then there's Grand National day itself, with
Aintree's inescapable and colourful past echoed
in the names of fences, stands and complementary
facilities which make up the huge complex
bordering the historic track. If you are as amused
by people watching as you are by the racing,
you'll find this book contains a treasure trove of
human interest images as well as capturing the
spirit of Aintree.
time and will continue to thrill its visitors for
many years to come.This collection of images,
sometimes serious sometimes amusing but always
fascinating, will help readers to relive some of
those precious moments experienced in the
company of friends, family and colleagues. Setting
out to capture the spirit of the event, spread over
a three day period, the author conveys some of
the atmosphere and excitement of Aintree during
a Grand National meeting from a spectator's
perspective.The result is a book which will be
valued equally by both occasional and regular
visitors to this three-day meeting, regardless of
how much or how little they know about the
sport of kings.
From punters pouring off the trains into Aintree
station which handles 30,000 passengers a day
during the meeting, to sombre reflection over
Red Rum's grave, and from the tipster to the
tipsy,Andy Stansfield's lens picks out with
unerring accuracy those little cameos which make
a day memorable. Ladies Day in particular
provides a fascinating diversion from equine
matters as glamour and glitz compete with
colour clashes and costume jewellery.
Then there's Grand National day itself, with
Aintree's inescapable and colourful past echoed
in the names of fences, stands and complementary
facilities which make up the huge complex
bordering the historic track. If you are as amused
by people watching as you are by the racing,
you'll find this book contains a treasure trove of
human interest images as well as capturing the
spirit of Aintree.
About the Author
Andy Stansfield is a Lancashire-based
photographer and author who
specialises in travel, outdoor leisure
and events. He has written and
illustrated numerous titles for
Halsgrove as well as a number of
photography books.
photographer and author who
specialises in travel, outdoor leisure
and events. He has written and
illustrated numerous titles for
Halsgrove as well as a number of
photography books.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Plenty of horseracing books have been published about races, racecourses, horses, trainers and jockeys, but the spectators who pay to see the races are rarely the focus of a book. This is one of those rare exceptions, though there are a few horses just in case anybody needs reminding that this book is set at Aintree.
To start the book, there is a single page of introduction explaining basically that this is a fun book, and that no Grand National runners featured because of a licensing agreement with Aintree racecourse. Does this mean they didn't want to pay the licensing? I don't know, but given the nature of the book, the inclusion of named horses (Red Rum excepted; his statue and grave both feature) would not have improved it. The photographer-author is clearly an expert at photographing events, but probably isn't a racing man. Fair enough, because he wasn't distracted by the racing itself.
The next page contains a diagrammatic map showing the course with the position of the fences, all numbered as they are jumped in the big race, surround by the stands and other main features. Facing that page is a comments page discussing six of the fences (Water jump, Chair, Valentine`s, Becher`s brook, Foinavon, Canal turn), five of which are jumped twice during the Grand National. Turn over and there's a page titled fascinating facts. Eleven are presented although the false start in 1993 is not among them. Except for a couple of pages at the back, the rest of the book is a picture gallery, with captions that help to keep readers entertained.
The pictures capture the atmosphere of the Aintree racing festival in so many aspects while leaving the racing itself to other writers and other books. Nevertheless, there are some pictures that show the contrasting faces in the crowd as the horses cross the line. You are not told anything about which race was finishing, but you can tell from those faces who won and who lost.
The photographer says in his introduction that (and I quote) Ladies Day in particular provided a fascinating diversion from equine matters. He clearly enjoyed himself that day. I can only imagine how many pictures he took but did not use in the book. For my part, I wondered how many of those dolly birds were genuine racing fans, who would be seen watching average horses at lesser racecourses. Probably very few, but if they enjoyed themselves that day, maybe they'll return to Aintree another year. The three on the front cover feature in two pictures inside the book, one being a full page version of the cover shot, while the other, also a full page shot, features them with two companions.
Paying respect to the supposed purpose of it all, the book shows pictures illustrating the preparation as well as other pictures taken before the crowds arrive. There are also some pictures of horses in running. But the picture gallery ends, seemingly inevitably, with a picture of five smiling dolly birds.
The book closes with a page showing Aintree attendance statistics for the period 1984 to 2009 in ascending order, followed by a page listing the winners of the Grand National for the period 1979 to 2009 in descending order.
This is a different type of horseracing book. Look elsewhere for serious racing information, but if you want to convince a doubting partner that a day at the races can be fun, show them this book. It might persuade them to give it a try.
To start the book, there is a single page of introduction explaining basically that this is a fun book, and that no Grand National runners featured because of a licensing agreement with Aintree racecourse. Does this mean they didn't want to pay the licensing? I don't know, but given the nature of the book, the inclusion of named horses (Red Rum excepted; his statue and grave both feature) would not have improved it. The photographer-author is clearly an expert at photographing events, but probably isn't a racing man. Fair enough, because he wasn't distracted by the racing itself.
The next page contains a diagrammatic map showing the course with the position of the fences, all numbered as they are jumped in the big race, surround by the stands and other main features. Facing that page is a comments page discussing six of the fences (Water jump, Chair, Valentine`s, Becher`s brook, Foinavon, Canal turn), five of which are jumped twice during the Grand National. Turn over and there's a page titled fascinating facts. Eleven are presented although the false start in 1993 is not among them. Except for a couple of pages at the back, the rest of the book is a picture gallery, with captions that help to keep readers entertained.
The pictures capture the atmosphere of the Aintree racing festival in so many aspects while leaving the racing itself to other writers and other books. Nevertheless, there are some pictures that show the contrasting faces in the crowd as the horses cross the line. You are not told anything about which race was finishing, but you can tell from those faces who won and who lost.
The photographer says in his introduction that (and I quote) Ladies Day in particular provided a fascinating diversion from equine matters. He clearly enjoyed himself that day. I can only imagine how many pictures he took but did not use in the book. For my part, I wondered how many of those dolly birds were genuine racing fans, who would be seen watching average horses at lesser racecourses. Probably very few, but if they enjoyed themselves that day, maybe they'll return to Aintree another year. The three on the front cover feature in two pictures inside the book, one being a full page version of the cover shot, while the other, also a full page shot, features them with two companions.
Paying respect to the supposed purpose of it all, the book shows pictures illustrating the preparation as well as other pictures taken before the crowds arrive. There are also some pictures of horses in running. But the picture gallery ends, seemingly inevitably, with a picture of five smiling dolly birds.
The book closes with a page showing Aintree attendance statistics for the period 1984 to 2009 in ascending order, followed by a page listing the winners of the Grand National for the period 1979 to 2009 in descending order.
This is a different type of horseracing book. Look elsewhere for serious racing information, but if you want to convince a doubting partner that a day at the races can be fun, show them this book. It might persuade them to give it a try.
Good solid book, but the information and pictures are a bit random to be honest.
Not really what i expected, could have done with a bit more about the National itself, and not what is going on around it.
Not really what i expected, could have done with a bit more about the National itself, and not what is going on around it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Race-day pictures feature more dolly birds than horses
8 Aug 2011
Plenty of horseracing books have been published about races, racecourses, horses, trainers and jockeys, but the spectators who pay to see the races are rarely the focus of a book. This is one of those rare exceptions, though there are a few horses just in case anybody needs reminding that this book is set at Aintree.
To start the book, there is a single page of introduction explaining basically that this is a fun book, and that no Grand National runners featured because of a licensing agreement with Aintree racecourse. Does this mean they didn't want to pay the licensing? I don't know, but given the nature of the book, the inclusion of named horses (Red Rum excepted; his statue and grave both feature) would not have improved it. The photographer-author is clearly an expert at photographing events, but probably isn't a racing man. Fair enough, because he wasn't distracted by the racing itself.
The next page contains a diagrammatic map showing the course with the position of the fences, all numbered as they are jumped in the big race, surround by the stands and other main features. Facing that page is a comments page discussing six of the fences (Water jump, Chair, Valentine`s, Becher`s brook, Foinavon, Canal turn), five of which are jumped twice during the Grand National. Turn over and there's a page titled fascinating facts. Eleven are presented although the false start in 1993 is not among them. Except for a couple of pages at the back, the rest of the book is a picture gallery, with captions that help to keep readers entertained.
The pictures capture the atmosphere of the Aintree racing festival in so many aspects while leaving the racing itself to other writers and other books. Nevertheless, there are some pictures that show the contrasting faces in the crowd as the horses cross the line. You are not told anything about which race was finishing, but you can tell from those faces who won and who lost.
The photographer says in his introduction that (and I quote) Ladies Day in particular provided a fascinating diversion from equine matters. He clearly enjoyed himself that day. I can only imagine how many pictures he took but did not use in the book. For my part, I wondered how many of those dolly birds were genuine racing fans, who would be seen watching average horses at lesser racecourses. Probably very few, but if they enjoyed themselves that day, maybe they'll return to Aintree another year. The three on the front cover feature in two pictures inside the book, one being a full page version of the cover shot, while the other, also a full page shot, features them with two companions.
Paying respect to the supposed purpose of it all, the book shows pictures illustrating the preparation as well as other pictures taken before the crowds arrive. There are also some pictures of horses in running. But the picture gallery ends, seemingly inevitably, with a picture of five smiling dolly birds.
The book closes with a page showing Aintree attendance statistics for the period 1984 to 2009 in ascending order, followed by a page listing the winners of the Grand National for the period 1979 to 2009 in descending order.
This is a different type of horseracing book. Look elsewhere for serious racing information, but if you want to convince a doubting partner that a day at the races can be fun, show them this book. It might persuade them to give it a try.
To start the book, there is a single page of introduction explaining basically that this is a fun book, and that no Grand National runners featured because of a licensing agreement with Aintree racecourse. Does this mean they didn't want to pay the licensing? I don't know, but given the nature of the book, the inclusion of named horses (Red Rum excepted; his statue and grave both feature) would not have improved it. The photographer-author is clearly an expert at photographing events, but probably isn't a racing man. Fair enough, because he wasn't distracted by the racing itself.
The next page contains a diagrammatic map showing the course with the position of the fences, all numbered as they are jumped in the big race, surround by the stands and other main features. Facing that page is a comments page discussing six of the fences (Water jump, Chair, Valentine`s, Becher`s brook, Foinavon, Canal turn), five of which are jumped twice during the Grand National. Turn over and there's a page titled fascinating facts. Eleven are presented although the false start in 1993 is not among them. Except for a couple of pages at the back, the rest of the book is a picture gallery, with captions that help to keep readers entertained.
The pictures capture the atmosphere of the Aintree racing festival in so many aspects while leaving the racing itself to other writers and other books. Nevertheless, there are some pictures that show the contrasting faces in the crowd as the horses cross the line. You are not told anything about which race was finishing, but you can tell from those faces who won and who lost.
The photographer says in his introduction that (and I quote) Ladies Day in particular provided a fascinating diversion from equine matters. He clearly enjoyed himself that day. I can only imagine how many pictures he took but did not use in the book. For my part, I wondered how many of those dolly birds were genuine racing fans, who would be seen watching average horses at lesser racecourses. Probably very few, but if they enjoyed themselves that day, maybe they'll return to Aintree another year. The three on the front cover feature in two pictures inside the book, one being a full page version of the cover shot, while the other, also a full page shot, features them with two companions.
Paying respect to the supposed purpose of it all, the book shows pictures illustrating the preparation as well as other pictures taken before the crowds arrive. There are also some pictures of horses in running. But the picture gallery ends, seemingly inevitably, with a picture of five smiling dolly birds.
The book closes with a page showing Aintree attendance statistics for the period 1984 to 2009 in ascending order, followed by a page listing the winners of the Grand National for the period 1979 to 2009 in descending order.
This is a different type of horseracing book. Look elsewhere for serious racing information, but if you want to convince a doubting partner that a day at the races can be fun, show them this book. It might persuade them to give it a try.
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