L. J. K. Setright

L. J. K. Setright
Born	(1931-08-10)10 August 1931 London
Died	September 7, 2005(2005-09-07) (aged 74) Surbiton, London
Occupation	Author, journalist, lawyer, air traffic controller
Alma mater	University College London
Genre	Non-fiction history and technology
Subject	Automotive and motorcycling
Notable awards	Gwen Salmon Trophy for automotive photography, fellow Institute of Mechanical Engineers (1969), fellow Institute of Rubber Industries (1970)

Leonard John Kensell Setright (10 August 1931 – 7 September 2005) was an English motoring journalist and author.

Early life and education

Setright was born in London to Australian parents; his father, Henry Roy Setright, was an engineer who invented the Setright ticket machine used on buses and trams. He died when Setright was 11 years old. Setright attended Palmers Green Grammar school before studying Law at the University of London which he practised for a time but hated the profession. His National Service was served in the Royal Air Force as an air traffic controller.

Writing career

After writing for the engineering magazine Machine Age in the early 1960s, Setright became a motoring journalist and author, contributing to Car Magazine for more than 30 years and writing several books on cars and automotive engineering. Setright's writing style polarised readers as some considered it to be pompous and excessively esoteric, while others found his erudite style and engineering knowledge a welcome change from the usual lightweight and largely non-technical journalistic style. He had a strong enthusiasm for Bristol Cars and for Japanese engineering, in particular Honda.

Setright also wrote about music, motorcycles and high-fidelity sound systems, and contributed to, among others, Punch, The Independent, Bike, Motorcycle Sport under the initials LJKS, Back Street Heroes and Car and Driver.

Personal life

Setright was also known for his love of smoking tobacco, in particular Sobranie Black Russian cigarettes, and for his elegant sartorial style. He was described as resembling "a gaunt Old Testament prophet in Savile Row clothes". He was an accomplished clarinet player.

Setright was a practising Jew and a scholar of Judaism. He was married twice; his first wife, Christine, committed suicide in 1980. After this he spent some time in a Lubavitch community in Texas, later returning to the UK, and he settled in Surbiton, near London, where he died of cancer in 2005.

List of works

Author

• Setright, L.J.K. (2019). A day to remember, the writings of L.J.K. Setright for GranTurismo Magazine. Uitgeverij Nobelman. ISBN 978-94-917373-0-5.
• Setright, L.J.K. (1971). Ferrari, Ballantines Illustrated History of the Car, Marque Book No. 5. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-02343-9.
• Setright, L.J.K. (1971). Rolls-Royce, Ballantine's Illustrated History of the Car, Marque Book No. 7. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-02386-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1971). The Power to Fly: The Development of the Piston Engine in Aviation. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-04-338041-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L. J. K. (1973). The Grand Prix, 1906 to 1972. Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd. ISBN 0-17-148025-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1974). Bristol Cars and Engines. Motor Racing Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-900549-22-X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1975). Rolls-Royce. Haynes Publishing Group. ISBN 0-85429-200-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1975). Some Unusual Engines. Mechanical Engineering Publications. ISBN 0-85298-208-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1976). The Designers: Great Automobiles and the Men Who Made Them. Follet Publishing. ISBN 0-695-80584-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1976). Motorcycles. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-77234-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1976). Turbocharging and Supercharging for maximum power and torque. J H Haynes. ISBN 0-85429-184-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1978). Anatomy of the Automobile. Random House Value Publishing. ISBN 0-517-26999-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1978). Bahnstormer: The Story of BMW Motorcycles. Transport Bookman Publications. ISBN 0-85184-021-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1979). The Guinness book of motorcycling facts and feats. Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 978-0-85112-200-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1999). Mercedes-Benz SL and SLC. Motorbooks International. ISBN 1-85532-880-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (1999). Mini : The Design Icon of a Generation. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-815-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (2004). Drive On!: A Social History of the Motor Car. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-698-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (2006). Long Lane with Turnings: Last Words of a Motoring Legend. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-872-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Setright, L.J.K. (2017). A day to remember. Uitgeverij Nobelman. ISBN 978-949173-729-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)

Coauthor

• Hough, Richard Alexander; Setright, L.J.K. (1966). "A history of the world's motorcycles" (Document). New York: Harper & Row. LCCN 66018583.
• Setright, L. J. K.; Forsyth, Derek; Newman, Robert (1987). With flying colours: the Pirelli album of motor sport; The Pirelli Album of Motor Sport Series. Summit Books. ISBN 0-671-64459-9.

Editor

• Setright, L. J. K., ed. (1969). Twistgrip: a motor cycling anthology. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-0-04-796031-4.
• Smith, Philip Hubert (1971). Setright, L. J. K. (ed.). Valve mechanisms for high-speed engines: their design and development (2nd ed.). R. Bentley. ISBN 0-8376-0019-7.