Richard Hammond – DaneCobain.com

Title: On the Edge

Author: Richard Hammond

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 309

Rating: 7/10

Richard Hammond – On the Edge

Now, I should preface this by pointing out that I’m not exactly a massive Richard Hammond fan – I don’t hate the guy, and he doesn’t annoy me as much as Jeremy Clarkson, but neither do I worship his every move and catch every programme that he creates. In fact, I’m not even sure how I came to own this book – I probably bought it on a whim at a charity shop.

And really, it does exactly what you’d expect it to – it covers the majority of Hammond’s life, with a particular focus on the car crash that almost killed him. Along the way, he receives a helping hand from Mindy, his wife who also happens to be the more talented writer of the two, and so you get to see two sides of his story.

That said, I didn’t find it particularly interesting, and it’s pretty much average for a celebrity autobiography – there are many worse examples and there are many better ones, and so unless you’re a particular fan of Hammond’s then you may as well go and read something else. Gordon Ramsay’s autobiographies, for example, are phenomenal, and I can say that because I’m not really a foodie.

Still, there are plenty of redeeming factors too, like the glossy photographs inside and the quality of the writing and editing, both of which are professionally done. Even now, when the book is a little out of date, it does at least offer up a snapshot of how the hamster got where he is today, and there’s also plenty of juicy details for petrol-heads and Top Gear fans who are more interested in cars than people. Hopefully that helps you to figure out which audience you belong to.

Richard Hammond

Click here to buy On the Edge.

The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills | Review

Title: The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills

Author: –

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 386

Rating: 7/10

The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills

Well, I still haven’t learned to drive, but that probably tells you more about me than about the book. It seems to me that unless you learn to drive early in life, you never have the time to do it later on – nevertheless, a man can dream, and if you dream of learning to drive a car then this is as good a place as any to start.

Sure, you can sign up for driving lessons and get cracking, but by reading the DSA’s guide to driving you’ll get a leg up on the competition – I’d imagine that you’d save both time and money by reading this before you get started, because it teaches you a good grasp of the basic rules of the road and provides a basic outline for the lessons that you’ll eventually take.

And it’s not just for aspiring drivers, too – it’s worth a read even if you’ve been on the road for years. No-one ever knows it all, and it’s a good idea to refresh yourself on a regular basis to make sure that you’re keeping up with the ever-changing best-practices for the British roads.

DSA: The Driving Standards Agency

You will want to make sure that you pick up an up-to-date copy of the DSA’s guide, though – they include heaps of useful information including the latest rules and regulations and the contact details of test centres across the country, but that information is useless if your copy is more than three or four years old. They even include additional information for disabled drivers including a list of disabled-friendly instructors and test centres, and there’s also additional information for people who are hoping to drive a taxi.

While this book can’t make up for a series of lessons from a professional tutor, they can prepare you for life in the driving seat and effectively save you money in the long run. In fact, it can even be of use to driving instructors – let’s face it, there’s so much that you need to know that even the best of the best will occasionally need to consult a reference book to check their facts. Well worth it!