Observers Cars

by Stuart Bladon (Penguin Books, £3.50)

In its thirtieth edition, this compact guide has a new shorter name to replace The New Observer’s Book of Automobiles. But it remains probably the handiest pocket reference to cars on the British market — some 181 of them, including a selection of USA models and a handful of show specials. They have a page and a picture apiece, with a run-down of mechanical and equipment details, plus a brief assessment from the author, which makes it more readable than many listings. Useful and good value. GC