The photographs included here, dating from 1900 to 1940, recall a lost age in which intrepid motorists discovered the delights of the open road, at a time when traffic calming, speed cameras and motorways would have been unimaginable.

These pioneers often recorded their adventures, and many of their rare images are featured here; most pictures are previously unpublished. Brian Demaus, a renowned motoring author, brings his specialist knowledge to bear - identifying long-forgotten marques from the dawn of motoring history and setting the photographs in their context.

The photographs illustrate, for example, camping and picnics, the wayside inn, roadside troubles, garages and workshops, pioneering lady drivers, and even home-built 'specials,' to build up a picture of the time when the motor car was a rare sight and a symbol of freedom. Brian Demaus' charming book will appeal to motoring enthusiasts as well as to social historians.