Douglas BibliographyThe Book of the DouglasErnest E. Knot (early editions)
Leslie K. Heathcote (later editions)
London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1925
Hardcover, DJ, 80pp (varies)
(Larger View) (6th ed, 1939 shown, left w/DJ)
(Larger View) (6th ed, 1942 shown, right with and without DJ)
Of the ubiquitous Pitman range of handbooks. "A complete guide for owners and prospective purchasers of Douglas motor-cycles." Very handy to have one covering the era of a model you might own, as they were updated with features and illustrations of models current to publication. Granted each Pitman manual has the same chapters on License, Law, and driving, as well as a generic section on 'the engine and how it functions' and troubleshooting. Also not Douglas explicit, but a little more useful, is a section on electrics applicable to the time. Not too hard to find at autojumbles selling motorcycle literature, but the cheap pasteboard covers hold up poorly (making them inexpensive.) Shown on the left is the bare cover (as they are usually found and on the right the DJ of the 1942 printing. Reprint history:Second edition, 1928
Third edition, 1930
Forth edition, 1933
Fifth edition, 1936
..Reprinted, 1936
..Reprinted, 1937
Sixth edition, 1939
..Reprinted, 1940
..Reprinted, 1942
..Revised and reprinted, 1948
The Best Twin Jeff Clew
Norwich: Goose and Son, 1974
ISBN 0 900404 17 5
(Larger View)Hardcover black cloth gilt, 8vo, 224pp, b&w illustrations throughout, gold title on spine. DJ (on right) blue with silver titles.
Revised and enlarged as:The Douglas Motorcycle, The Best Twin Jeff Clew
Sparkford, UK: Haynes Publishing Group, 1981
ISBN 0 85429 299 3
(Larger View)Hardcover pictorial blue boards, 8vo, matching pictorial DJ (shown), 250pp, b&w illustrations throughout
THE book to have on the history of the Douglas firm. Go for latter edition as being newer you are more likely to come across a copy, and for the additional material and photo gallery in the back. The Illustrated History of the Douglas MotorcycleHarold Briercliffe and Eric Brockway
Sparkford, UK: Haynes Publishing Group, 1991
ISBN 0 85429 799 5
(Larger View)Hardcover colored board, 4to, matching color DJ, 112pp, b&w illustrations throughout
Nice companion book to the above. Additional pictures from the twenties. Some pictures already published elsewhere, and some enlarged beyond what their quality supports. Mainly pictures and captions.Douglas (World Motor Cycles, series)
Peter Carrick
Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1982
ISBN 0 85059 513 4
(Larger View)Hardcover yellow board, 8vo, No DJ, 88pp, b&w illustrations throughout
A briefer history than “The Best Twin”. Rather hard to find now. Douglas Motor Cycle Range, Part 1
Douglas Motor Cycle Range, Part 2
Douglas Motor Cycle Range, Part 3Doug Frost
London, UK: Self Published, 1978
(Larger View)Soft cover in color, 90pp, b&w illustrations throughout (each)
Shows the Douglas range of motor cycles, mainly through copies of original catalog and promotional material. Part 1 covers from the beginning to 1925, Part 2 to 1939, and Part three the postwar era. While the published copies have long been sold out, desktop digital printed copies can still be purchased direct from the author. One Man CaravanRobert Edison Fulton Jr.
New York, USA: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1937
Hardcover tan linen black inked, 8vo, sepia color DJ, 275pp, b&w plates and ink sketches throughout.
(Larger View) (1937 edition, left)
(Larger View) (1938 Travel Book Club Edition, with DJ, middle)
(1943, Sep. Wartime edition DJ, right)
Not a book about Douglas per say, but the story of Robert Fulton's solo journey around the Globe in 1933 on a Douglas motor cycle. Bulk of tale covers journey through Middle East and Asia. A good read. Reprinted recently, see below. Foreign Release, Reprint history:London, UK: George G. Harrap, Travel Book Club 1938
Hardcover pale green tweed, Stamped green ink on spine, title, author, Travel Book Club. 8vo, DJ, 272pp, b&w plates and ink sketches throughout.
Second imprinting: 1938
New York, USA: Harcourt, Brace and Co., Sep. 1943
Hardcover red cloth, 8vo, marked "manufactured under wartime conditions". (no further information)
Center Conway, NH, USA: White Horse Press, Jan. 1995
Second imprinting: Jun. 2002 (still available direct from publisher)
ISBN 1 88431 305 1
Softcover color, 8vo, 275pp
VespaEric Brockway
Sparkford, UK: Haynes Publishing Group, 1993
ISBN 0 85429 892 4
(Larger View)Hardcover colored boards, 4to, no DJ, 962pp, b&w illustrations throughout
Douglas manufactured the Vespa scooter under license from 1951-1957 after which all motorcycle production ceased at Kingswood. Most folks are probably not aware that Douglas continued till 1982 importing Vespas from Italy. This covers the history of the Vespa range during that entire time period. Eric Brockway joined Douglas in 1949 and was Managing Director of Douglas (Sales and Service) Ltd from 1960-1982. Douglas, Light Aero Engines from Kingswood to CathcartBrain Thorby
Bristol, UK: Redcliffe Press Ltd, 2010
ISBN 978-1-906593-25-4
(Larger View)Paperback, 4to, 232pp, b&w illustrations throughout
Douglas manufacture more than just motorcycles. On and off from 1923 to 1939 they adapted and then designed dedicated light aero engines around their opposed twin motorcycle engines. This is the only book that covers Douglas’ aviation side in detail. It follows the design of the Kingswood aero engines to G&J Weir of Cathcart, where the engines were used in the first autogiros flown in the UK. This lead to larger engines built for Weir, and some designs licensed back and built at Kingswood of opposed four; inverted V4, V6, & V8, and inverted inline four few would suspect that Douglas had a hand in. Copious illustration of pictures of power plants, sectional drawings, and synopsis of some forty-eight airframes that used Douglas power, many with pictures and a 3-view plan. A chapter of Douglas’ competitors in the light aviation field is also included to show what they were up against. Douglas, The Complete StoryMick Walker
Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press Ltd, 2010
ISBN 978-1-84797-197-5
(Larger View)Hardcover black boards, 8vo, color DJ (shown), 176pp, b&w and color illustrations throughout
The first work published on the Douglas motorcycle since the early eighties. Part of the Crowood MotoClassic Series. For the factory story it borrows and quotes extensively from Jeff Clew's book on the Douglas, with material combined from period adverts and catalogs. It covers a little bit of all the Douglas activities, and reads as a summary from the Douglas Fairy to the Vespa.
If you know additional details on the above, can provide cover images, or additions to the list, post a reply to this topic. Sorry, magazine articles on Douglases are too numerous to list.
-Doug
