P.E. Irving

This was the standard early bible for all amateur tuners and racers. Originally from 1948 but later updated to include Two-strokes and Supercharging. There are lots of 'rules of thumb' (which is to be expected as calculators hadn't been invented, and adding machines took a lifetime to operate) with data on carb sizes and gas flow around poppet valves. Good discussion on pistons and rings, crankshaft balancing, and valve train mechanisms. Most discussions relate to the large single cylinder engines such as the Manx Norton and the AJS 7R. The appendix contains some fuel analysis tables and many formulae. In short, it is a good summary of tuning knowledge that would be useful to anyone getting into Historic or Classic racing.

The picture above is not really the front cover, since I do not have a paper jacket for mine, and the hard cover is just plain blue.
So I took a representative picture from inside.
The picture is of the Manx Norton engine