bestbooties:
I would like to think if my book ever makes it into print…
It better, I’m looking forward to it. 
It’s not just truck drivers who read these types of books, I get just as much feedback on mine from people who have never even so much as sat in a truck, including a surprising number of female readers, as I do from drivers and other people connected with the industry.
bestbooties:
[quote=After reading the intro,I began to think I’d wasted my money as some of the descriptions of desert driving ,(getting your trailer sideways like a speedway 'bike!),and using that awfull expression,juggernaut,was getting me down early on.
However,now I’m about a third of the way through it and it’s tolerable at the moment,but we’ve only reached Stanly Bull.
I’ve been working on my book for two years,and this is the first time I’ve seen this one,only heard a lot of negative comments,but I was surprised to see it’s written in the same manner as mine,the geography,history and political situations encountered on a trip with some stories of events on the way.
I don’t think it’s wrong to be in the form of a travelogue,I expect it to be read by people other than truck drivers and the reviews I get at present on some of my draughts are very posative.
There are not a lot of photos and they are all in black and white.There are many more photos in,“Baghdad Trucker”,and in colour,a lot of them are mine.
I can tell this guy is a jounalist as many of his descriptions are well padded,if I hadn’t known before,I could tell you who he was travelling with!.
I’ll see how it goes on the further we get.
I read baghdad trucker and enjoyed it. The guy had an intresting life full stop not just the truck driving part. I know what you mean about the bit about driving sideways and another bit in the desert about jumping a ditch i have done a lot of off road driving in artics and you dont jump over anything. But on the whole i have found it intresting. Would like to read your book ive seen your pictures on toprun and there looks to be plenty of tales to tell.
This “getting the trailer like a speedway bike” - was he travelling with Bob Kilby?
Didn’t this come out years ago? i seem to remeber my old man having a hard back of it. My uncles use to run to saudi years back for radclives and thats were he got the book given to him. could be wrong but its just something that sticks in my head from being a nipper.
Just read rest of post £150 for original, DOH my old man does have it…he’ll be ■■■■■■ off when i tell him that…lol
I recently read this and found it interesting but a bit heavy in places.After finishing it i watched Destination Doha very enjoyable 
akaday:
Didn’t this come out years ago? i seem to remeber my old man having a hard back of it. My uncles use to run to saudi years back for radclives and thats were he got the book given to him. could be wrong but its just something that sticks in my head from being a nipper.
akaday,
Yes you are quite correct,its a reprint of the original,I’ve read it nothing special,rather more a travelogue really,you can tell it wasnt written by a driver anyway!
Rgds,
David 
5thwheel:
akaday:
Didn’t this come out years ago? i seem to remeber my old man having a hard back of it. My uncles use to run to saudi years back for radclives and thats were he got the book given to him. could be wrong but its just something that sticks in my head from being a nipper.akaday,
Yes you are quite correct,its a reprint of the original,I’ve read it nothing special,rather more a travelogue really,you can tell it wasnt written by a driver.
David
Cheers, will give it a read.
Just bought a 1982 (hardback) Copy from Amazon,
Excellent condition---------------------------------------£3 inc postage
2 yrs ago I sold a dog-eared paperback on ebay for £79. Cost about £1.90. It puts Clacton-on-Sea on the map.
Evening Gentlemen, Bestbootie I hope that your recollections make it into print! Most of the books I have seen are poor journalistic interpretations of the truth! Ashleys book is probably the best to date, and maybe the best researched, some are just farcical !!! I spent many a frought hour chasing ■■■■ Chapman, Carl Burgess, and my old adversaries Vic Wild not forgetting Monsieur Markham for monies, oh happy happy days. How was it that Stoke on Trent became the “Middle East Capital” of the UK?? Like Kent became the Italian capital? I Look with amusement at the Comart, Thor, BRit European pictures, and remember the vehicles, the deals, and the payment terms!!! All you chaps did was drive them, and I (now an old boy) envy you!!! Good Luck, DO get your memories into print for posterity, it is important, so little is really known of this period, and of what you all achieved. Cheerio, Bon Nuit,( as they say in Bilston ) but not in Normacot!!!.
There is another book from around that time mid 80’ s called Danger heavy goods or Juggernaut depending on which country you bought it. One not sure which also had some black and white pictures in. It was about a Whittle driver going from Blackpool to Saudi ( not sure if any of the characters are still driving or alive) and though written by a journalist was far more true to life than cola cowboys which I did enjoy especialy as a few years later I did get to run down to Kayseri in Turkey and saw it with my own eyes.