Buy used:
$5.82
$3.98 delivery May 14 - 15. Details
Used: Good | Details
Sold by glenthebookseller
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc...
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Susan Watkins
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Bernie: The Biography of Bernie Ecclestone Paperback – December 1, 2011

by Susan Watkins (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 49 ratings
See all formats and editions
Bernie Ecclestone is best-known as the architect and figurehead of modern Formula One, but he has been a constant and often controversial presence in both Formula One and British public life since the 1970s. In this exhaustive and insightful biography, Susan Watkins analyses in detail his rise to prominence, from his early entrepreneurial exploits as a schoolboy to his position today as a peerless businessman and multi-billionaire. All aspects of his business and racing exploits are examined, and contrasted with intimate insight into his personal life.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    448 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Haynes Publishing UK
  4. Publication date
    December 1, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 1.5 x 7.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0857331310
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0857331311
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Watkins has written acclaimed biographies of Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I and Jane Austen. She has lectured internationally on her historical subjects, and recently has written a stage play and screenplay on the Guinea Pig Club and Sir Archibald McIndoe, maverick WWII plastic surgeon. Married to Prof Sid Watkins, F1 surgical and safety consultant, she has been an F1 insider since the early 1980s, and her extended family has included Ayrton Senna, James Hunt, Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Haynes Publishing UK (December 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0857331310
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0857331311
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.5 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Susan Watkins

Susan Watkins

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
49 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Samuel J. Sharp
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for F1 Fans
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2012
Verified Purchase
Besides Autocourse's "60 years of Grand Prix World Championship Motor Racing", this is probably the best book on modern F1 in print. The opening chapters are full of biographical details about Bernie's youth and early business activities which some readers way be eager to skip if they are only interested in Bernie's rise through F1 which are covered superbly beginning in chapter 5. The middle half of the book was the most interesting, and I learned a lot of the history of Formula One. The chronology breaks down towards the end of the book and one chapter is in fact titled "Odds and Ends" but there is still engaging material throughout. This is an excellent and compelling read for almost the full 420 pages.

The author is the wife of long time F1 medical chief Sid Watkins and her proximity to Bernie may make her reluctant to criticize him as freely as others might, but the book is still largely objective and includes voices expressing discontent towards Bernie's negotiating tactics and idea of fairness. Highly recommended.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. Breese
5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a fan of F1 and it's history, this book is for you.
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
Bernie is a great biography, probably one of the best I have ever read. I am a huge F1 fan, and this book provides plenty of insight and history into Formula 1. The book covers a range of topics from the inception, Bernie's involvement from the beginning, Aryton Senna, Frank Williams, Prof Sid Watkins, finances and on and on. It is extremely well written and an excellent read.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Tracker
3.0 out of 5 stars lesson on ethics
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2011
A fascinating book if you are a Grand Prix fanatic or looking for guidance on the ethics of high end negotiating.Perhaps it was me, but at times the complexity of family relations, partners and acquaintances caused more then one paragraph to be reread. Interesting and worth the time and $ if you watch every GP when it airs live, regardless of the time of day.-Wade
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jerome D. Homish
5.0 out of 5 stars Bernie...pauper to Prince(?)
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book, well-researched and exquisitely written, by Susan Watkins (widow of the late Professor, "Prof",Sid Watkins). I know from conversations with the Prof how much effort and time Susan put into this biography, and it certainly shows! Whether you like or dislike Mr. Ecclestone's style is a moot point, the book is historically accurate and detailed.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
ian Drysdale-Banks
5.0 out of 5 stars Written with sever bias by his good and loyal friend!
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
extremely biased biography of this man. I also read "Bernie Ecclestone ..No Angel " which depicts a totally different slant on this many life and probably much more realistic record of his life so far.
Helpful
 Report
James A. Shillingford
5.0 out of 5 stars I met Bernie at the F1 race in Monaco 2017
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
The Wife and I met Bernie in Monaco at the Grand Prix race there in 2017. I he spent time to talk with us both for about 45 minutes.
Helpful
 Report
Jules
5.0 out of 5 stars Bernie
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
Good price,great book.My husband loved it! Lots of Formula One history.My husband loves cars.This guy is brilliant,thinks differently than most,was way ahead in his vision for racing,and caught the wave to the racing future.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Philip
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, Bernie.
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2012
Verified Purchase
A Fantastic book about entrepreneurship and the big family of formula 1 that definitively will put a smile on your face.

Moodful, detailed and very entertaining, best read in a long long time.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

kasim ali
5.0 out of 5 stars tom bowers book on bernie ecclestone is really good and i enjoyed it throughly read some parts over ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
tom bowers book on bernie ecclestone is really good and i enjoyed it throughly read some parts over and over again but this book by susan watkins is way, way better. unbelievable read when its back in stock I'm gonna get a couple to keep for years to come as my one has so many pages folded at the corners. 5*s plus.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Mrs Pamela Lank
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book and my husband has thoroughly enjoyed reading it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very good book and my husband has thoroughly enjoyed reading it. He has been searching for this book for a long time and was delighted to find it at long last and at such a reasonable price.
Report
Dino
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a tenner but ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2011
Verified Purchase
I noticed it is now a biography not an autobiography and that sets the tone. Yes interesting bits, in the very early days, but as time goes on so we get lost in a morass of seemingly irrelevant detail on disputes in F1 and Silverstone.

Not the warts and all I was expecting and do I detect the gentle wand of the lawyers in places?

Surely on the back of this it should be Sir Bernard Ecclestone at the first possible opportunity!
One person found this helpful
 Report
I_Am_Smash
4.0 out of 5 stars Bernie - A Decent Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2011
Verified Purchase
A good read. Beyond the already known business knowledge and power of the man, we get a glimpse into the human side of the great man with entertaining anecdotes otherwise unknown to the Formula One fan or casual follower of Bernie dealings.

What started very well, let itself down somewhat when it came to what I was really interested in: his rise to power in Formula One. The beginnings of his career are told very well, and you are fully content that this books is about Ecclestone. Then when it comes to the Brabham ownership and Formula One supremo era in his life, it become more a report and account of Formula One and the supporting players - which includes Bernie - rather than his real involvement alone. Toward the latter stages in the book you get the feeling that his involvement in the book began to decrease or cease to be altogether, with less and less personal comment from him. This was of course originally an 'endorsed' biography (before being dropped by Bernie), however toward the end this shows, and as raised, becomes more of a Story about Formula One than a Story about Bernie.
4 people found this helpful
 Report
Mr. P. C. Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Sue on Bernie
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2011
Verified Purchase
This is the best book on Bernie yet. A phenominal amount of research must have gone into this, even though Sue Watkins
is quite close to him.
An excellent read. Should be in every motorsport anoraks library just to understand the history of F1.
One person found this helpful
 Report