After having read about Tom Cotter in the Bikernet.com Thursday News, shared by National Motorcycle Museum (few weeks ago), I started watching Tom’s video series on YouTube.
I could resist no more and bought Tom Cotter’s Best Barn-Find Collector Car Tales (Sep 2018) and his latest mentioned by NMM, Secrets of the Barn Find Hunter (May 2022). Both Hardcovers, sitting pretty, reminding me to get outdoors & cruise like a windsock. Any direction the wind / mood takes you — new corners, strange turns on the highways, wide open spaces…. discovering cool things & places.
Doesn’t have to be bike or a car. Maybe you will find a new favorite hangout (or next article for Bikernet.com)
I love motorcycles but some things need a car. As in one of Tom’s YouTube episodes, I wish to find a classic design car and put a modern ICE engine & transmission in it. Meet the safety, pollution and VIN requirements while at it.
His YouTube Series: click here to see complete Playlist
Well, who knows I may win the Super Lotto before Armageddon. Seriously though, just put that Dollar daily in a can and you could get his latest book in 30 days. Both the books are priced at $30. Which is surprising….
The new book Secrets of the Barn-Find Hunter has better and higher quality color photos than the older book Best Collector Tales. This may be because the ‘Tales’ are collected from a long time-frame of his hunting career. Film may not always transfer well on the modern digital medium. Plus the subject of the two books are quite different and worth reading.
I personally believe you can apply his principles to motorcycles if you think hard (and fast when you find a collectible).
Not to leave you hanging, the best tip in the ‘Secrets’ book is within the first few pages. Adapting it, if you are looking for a cool ancient motorcycle, then riding one to find it helps.
(That’s a kind of paradox for many, like getting your first salaried job. “What’s your experience for this low-paying menial job you have applied for?”)
For now, I collect wonderful books and have a considerable number of Author Signed First Edition Hardcovers. Other than that, the list of all the books I have over the years is endless, needs a library cataloging service. But when you have a new book and love it, you know you will miss the old ones if you cast them away in a ‘Barnyard Sale’.
Currently, I am indeed writing an article on how I have found cool books, real gems on such used book sales.
An old gem from my Author Signed First Edition Hardcover, the plot of Disclosure (1994) by Michael Crichton, concerns protagonist Tom Sanders and his struggle to prove that he was sexually harassed by his female employer. Politically Incorrect till date!
After release it sold 765,000 copies (big number at that ‘Me? No!’ era). Had a 19 weeks run on the booksellers’ charts. Wonder if it will be banned, if this article gets popular (insert suitable facepalm emoji?).
The movie version was a bigger success, starring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas.
In pop-culture, I got myself the first novel on Sons Of Anarchy, titled ‘Bratva’, released after the last season ended (2014). It is the first and last book on SOA (allegedly funding disappeared). The novelization of a less popular adventure, Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A personalized message on Chuck’s legendary Fightclub novel that was made into a super-hit movie.
That’s all for now. Seek Adventure!
Riding on!
Ujjwal Dey
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