John Haynes: The man behind the manuals

This fascinating and inspiring biography of John H Haynes  the man behind Haynes Manuals looks under the bonnet at his extraordinary life, and his legacy to the motoring world. This is the story of how one mans vision and enthusiasm gave a small enterprise in rural Somerset a global footprint. The author, Ned Temko, has spent many hours with the Haynes family, uncovering the rich and varied life that passionate motoring enthusiast John Haynes led. The story begins with Johns childhood in Ceylon and his school days when as a young entrepreneur he sowed the seeds for what would become the iconic Haynes car-repair manuals to his time as a young RAF officer, and then as the driving force behind the growth of the iconic Haynes brand and the Haynes International Motor Museum. What makes Johns story especially compelling is that the idea for his car Owners Workshop Manuals didnt emerge fully formed. It wasn a product of business school, or consumer focus groups. Just as the roots of Steve Jobss Apple Mac can be traced to his personal urge to build the most perfect personal computer he could imagine, Hayness journey began when, as a teenaged schoolboy, he was dead set on figuring out how to turn the remains of an old Austin he&;d found in a scrap yard into a fully working sports car. The simple booklet he produced about building this 750 Special was the spark that would eventually result in the building of a global brand. This biography will appeal not only to motoring enthusiasts, but a wider audience who will be intrigued by the story of the Haynes family and the business dynamics - exploring the evolution of a global, yet truly British company and brand, led and overseen by John Haynes for 59 years.