Hi Tadek don’t waste your $$… there is little in it that can’t be found in other publications particularly the two books by Urs. All that has really been accomplished Is to put the information in a sequence that can be accessed by the JCNA judges during scrutineering at the shows. IMO it is an attempt on the part of the ‘authors’ to make a fast buck by plundering the knowledge of others for their own profit.
I take it that the 1500 JCNA pricetag is a typo. If it isn’t then that is a matter to take up with the JCNA.
If you don’t like the book, or think it’s too expensive, then don’t buy it.
Compiling a guide takes an enormous effort, I doubt anyone is making a great deal of money on it, and certainly not quickly.
Machinery’s Handbook and the CRC manual are also expensive. I have both, and consider them worth every penny.
Please refrain from denigrating the motivation of people who do make the effort to compile useful reference material.
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Godfrey, I was joking there - the true (outside JCNA) price is $150, however there is a typo on the JCNA web page, I guess.
I think the $40 price is very much in the range of such publications, Austin Healey guidelines are in the same price range.
Now, let me respond to your post.
Godfrey, I have not seen the guide, but to be honest I think such criticism is out of line. Totally.
I do not know Bob personally, but I have met Roger and the last thing I could say about him is that he is trying it make a ‘a fast buck’ on Jaguar knowledge. On the contrary, in my opinion he is devoting very much unpaid time to the passion - a passion from whom a lot of us profit. And he is providing lots of it.
If you talk about dishonest ‘bucks’ and ‘plundering knowledge’ of others, I would say you should criticize me for it, as I am constantly plundering knowledge of others here providing little of my own.
And this goes for Roger’s time & knowledge and many others on this list.
I am not a veteran here, but Godfrey, please recognize that the Jaguar community exists because there are people who are devoted to it. You may like them or not, they might like you or like you not. But please do not contradict the obvious.
Really.
Tadek
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Welcome back Godfrey, albeit for yet another characteristic moan. You just couldn’t resist the temptation to have another snipe.
The strength of this forum lies in the sharing of information. I’ve recently re-read many of your older posts and the overarching theme is of take. Perhaps that’s why the disparity exists; you are unable to give. Now your are sour at the efforts of others.
Life’s not really that miserable is it?
Simon
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Andrew you miss my point entirely. Godfrey
you would do well to understand the entire picture before you jump to conclusions
Just one more thing on this from me.
I am a contributor to this book also and I have not seen the final draft yet, so I’m not going to purchase one until the JCNA ratifies it. That would be a waste of money in my opinion. I remember when the guides were free to download!
Times change and I was happy to contribute to the project, but it would have been nice to review the final draft.
Stepping off the soapbox now!
I’m sure you think I did.
Here’s my point, again. Refrain from denigrating other listers. You will notice that I have omitted the “please” this time around.
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As one having been honored with an invitation to participate as one of the contributors to the effort, and the review panel that observed the development of the draft over many months, I can testify that this work is the most comprehensive, accurate and detailed guide to originality and authenticity on the XK120 that has ever been created.
Originality items are extensively researched with references and footnotes. Inaccuracies, vague descriptions and generalizations found in previous works by others such as Porter, Viart, Clausager and Schmid were evaluated, discussed and corrected.
The key to the success of the effort was having a single compiler author, a drop box account for the distribution of daily (even hourly) revision drafts, and a round table panel of evaluators, each contributing useful information, comments and corrections within an atmosphere of mutual respect and gentlemanly courtesy.
We don’t claim it to be perfect (inerrant in the autograph 
). As many are aware, the XK120 in particular had many changes throughout its six year production life, some of which are only marginally observable 65 years later.
But this is a best effort. The hope is that when a concours participant comes to the judge with, “But my car is different and it came that way from the factory.”, the judge will have a better reference source from which to respond, “No, here is the proof according to your chassis number.” or “It was a dealer modification.” or “Here is the best information we have about that item.”
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The above referenced XK120 book has not been “approved” by Jaguar Clubs of North America.
It was agreed at the 2018 JCNA Annual General Meeting that the book is “allowed” for use on a trial basis.
Following the trial period the book may be resubmitted to JCNA with a request for a positive vote at a future AGM to amend the JCNA Concours Rule Book to list the book as an “Official JCNA Judging Guide”.
Upon its “approval” and inclusion in the JCNA Concours Rule Book at Appendix C-2, the book would then become an Official JCNA Judging Guide and its use would then become mandatory to validate “feature and component authenticity”.
See JCNA Concours Rule Book - Chapter III Page III-1 and Chapter VI Page VI-1.
Thank you Rob for your kind word and for your major contributions to writing the JCNA XK 120 Judging Guide. Being the “compiler author” and working with so many knowledgeable experts like yourself was an honor. Roger Payne and I spent countless hours researching and writing the JCNA XK 120 Judging Guide, and brought it home in just under 12 months. If I am not mistaken, their were two previous “multiple year attempts” to write a JCNA XK 120 Judging Guide. I am pretty sure that one of those failed attempts was by someone named Godfrey Miller. Do I smell sour grapes? Just sayin.
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I would advise you don’t poke a hornets nest ‘dude’
I’m all ears Godfrey, tell me the whole story.
Please bear in mind that I’m not interested in any long running feuds or underlying agendas you may have; just establishing that the complex facts, detail and history of XK120 cars that is presented in books is correct.
Simon
Whoa, “dude!”
Lets remember: all this crap is just about a freakin’ hunk of steel, glass, rubber, and aluminum.
Sheesh.
I wonder what became of “Godfrey” the mean person with the sharp tongue, always blasting people. Did he resurface under an alias? He was a very vindictive little fellow, I remember him well. I came across your posting and was reminded about him.
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The administration banned him from Jag-lovers, for life, some few years back.
His last post under that name was Oct 17, 2019