I Know You Got Soul [Hardcover]

Jeremy Clarkson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2004

A Ferrari F40 has it, a Lexus hasn't. Concorde's got it, but not an Airbus. And while Titanic had it in spades, the Queen Mary 2 must have been in the wrong queue. Soul. Some machines matter to us while others are, well, just machines. In his own inimitable way, Jeremy Clarkson tells the gripping stories of the planes, trains and automobiles that inspire us; and of the geniuses and visionaries that built them. Lavishly illustrated, I Know You Got Soul is the perfect Christmas present for boys of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeremy Clarkson is the presenter of Top Gear. He writes for Top Gear Magazine and The Sunday Times

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Michael Joseph (October 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718147294
• ISBN-13: 978-0718147297
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My brain is full!, June 30, 2011

By 

Paul Lawrence "'EJL'" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Know You Got Soul (Paperback)

We've all had those moments in our life where we just can't read another 'serious' book or article and even the newspaper probably has depressing gunk in it. Well for the moments in your life where your brain is in a stupor and can honestly fit in no more there are books like this.

Is it well written? Well, it's OK.

Is it side splittingly funny? Deliberately overstated in parts to humorous effect sometimes.

Is it insightful? Sometimes.

So why have I given it four stars and why would I recommend this next time you are bored in an airport lobby or some similar situation? Well because by the very lightweight nature of the book it just works well in those situations. This fairly small book has British journalist and TV personality Jeremy Clarkson waxing (and waning) lyrical about cool stuff. That's it. Nothing grander than the fact that one day he and his editor sat down and thought that cool machines would a cool subject for a book that would make them a cool buck. There is no subterfuge here, it's not stuff the guy just had to get off his chest, it's just him blathering on in his overblown and somewhat comical style about the kinds of machines that have an 'X' factor. So we get him chatting away about B-52s, the Hoover Dam, the Spitfire, the Yamato, the space shuttle, the Flying Scotsman and the Millenium Falcon among others. Each machine gets a few pages of hyperbole and an explanation of why they were cool. And to tell the truth it is hard to argue with the stuff he thinks is worthy of the accolade of inclusion.

Look, now you know that it is you should know whether to pick this up next time you have a long haul flight, bus ride or the like to look forward to or when you just can't stomach another 'serious' book.

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit more fun and contemporary then "Cars", June 1, 2011

By 

A. Luptak (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Know You Got Soul (Paperback)

I have read all of the books here by Jeremy Clarkson and I like this title the best. I share the belief that machines have a soul and being a commercial pilot, the chapter on Concorde was especially good. Mr. Clarksons style and beliefs are not for everyone, but he does make some good arguments now and then. The articles in this book are about 10 years old or so, so some passages are dated, but not nearly as much as the "Clarkson on Cars" book.

4.0 out of 5 stars I Know You've Got Soul, January 21, 2011

By 

Spider Monkey (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: I Know You Got Soul (Kindle Edition)

This is an OK book about various machines and the impact they've had on Jeremy Clarkson and to a certain extent on the rest of the world as well. Any book of this type will have a lot of personal interpretation and choice in it and may miss many machines you may feel are more worthy of inclusion. Never the less there are a wide variety of machines and it is interesting to learn a little about each of them, in Clarksons slightly sarcastic, humorous way. This book doesn't have too much depth to it, but if you're looking for an easy, interesting, quick read, you've found it right here.

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