Welcome to the official website of Midland Red books by Ashley Wakelin. The books appear below - for more details, click a cover picture. Scroll down and read more about Midland Red, the Author, and his programme of Group Talks.

“Splendid, nicely designed books that present a fantastic snapshot in so many of the aspects of the company - the operations, the people, the customers, the ups and downs, foibles, facts and so much more.” — Classic Bus magazine.

Midland Red and its People book cover

MIDLAND RED AND ITS PEOPLE

Midland Red’s iconic buses and coaches, and the people who gave the company its direction and its drive.... Read more

“A mine of fascinating information and engaging stories, presented in an attractive layout with plenty of interesting pictures. Superb!” - Classic Bus magazine 2024.

“You will enjoy this wonderfully written book. I can heartily recommend it.” - Buses magazine 2024. ... Read more

Read reviews of this book.

£35.00 + FREE UK mainland delivery*

In stock - available now.

BUY NOW

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*For destinations outside the UK mainland, contact us for delivery fees.


Midland Red Influence book cover

MIDLAND RED INFLUENCE

The spirit of Midland Red and much more!

Midland Red history, and the author’s entertaining tales of his 50 years in the bus and coach industry – all influenced by Midland Red.... Read more

£35.00 + FREE UK mainland delivery*

In stock - available now.

BUY NOW

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*For destinations outside the UK mainland, contact us for delivery fees.


Inside Midland Red book cover

INSIDE MIDLAND RED

An entertaining historical and autobiographical book recounting the author’s working life with the legendary Midland Red.

Its buses, its people, and the development of this exciting enterprise... Read more

£35.00 + FREE UK mainland delivery*

In stock - available now.

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*For destinations outside the UK mainland, contact us for delivery fees.


Midland Red calendar #1 2024

MIDLAND RED CALENDAR #1 for 2024

CLEARANCE OFFER - while stocks last.

A calendar for 2024 with 13 evocative Midland Red images, taken from Ashley's books. A4 size pages.

£6.50 + £3.45 UK mainland delivery*

An alternative calendar #2 is also available separately, so please make sure you have chosen the correct one.

BUY NOW

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*For destinations outside the UK mainland, contact us for delivery fees.


Midland Red calendar #2 2024

MIDLAND RED CALENDAR #2 for 2024

CLEARANCE OFFER - while stocks last.

Calendar #2 is an alternative calendar for 2024 with 14 evocative Midland Red images, taken from Ashley's books. A4 size pages.

In this alternative calendar, 8 of the 14 images are different to calendar #1. Please make sure you choose the correct one.

£6.50 + £3.45 UK mainland delivery*

BUY NOW

Credit & Debit Card payments powered by Square.

*For destinations outside the UK mainland, contact us for delivery fees.

How to Buy

For more details of each book, click the corresponding cover image above.

Make sure that you check all of the available products and combinations of products before you buy.

To make a purchase, just click the Buy Now button above for the book you wish to buy, which will take you to the item in our online Bookshop site (powered by Square).

Then click the Add to Cart button (you can also add other books from the bookshop).

Click the cart image at the top of the page to view the contents of your cart, then click Continue to Payment.

To pay by Credit or Debit Card: Ignore the “Express Checkout” buttons at the top of the payment page (they are only for people who have their own personal payments account). For Credit/Debit card payments just scroll down and enter your name, address and card details, then click the red Place Order button.

To pay by Google Payments etc: If you have your own Google Payments or similar account, just click the corresponding “Express Checkout” button at the top of the payment page. Then follow the instructions to make the payment.

You can also buy from “Kenilworth Books”, the vibrant independent book shop in Talisman Square, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 1JB. You can also find most of our books at Transport Museum Wythall, MDS Books and Julian Bowden Transport Bookshop.

Bona fide trade enquiries from museums, independent and specialist book shops etc are welcome (contact details below).

Readers’ Comments

Here are some of the comments we have received from buyers of Midland Red and its People, Midland Red Influence and Inside Midland Red:

“A mine of fascinating information and engaging stories, presented in an attractive layout with plenty of interesting pictures. Superb!” — Classic Bus magazine 2024.

“You will enjoy this wonderfully written book. I can heartily recommend Midland Red and its People.” — Stuart Warr & Alan Millar, Buses magazine, review 2024. ... Read more

“Beautifully presented, solidly bound, printed on glossy paper with well-rendered photography and great value. There’s a huge amount of work in this book and every page counts. Every Midland Red enthusiast and omnibus historian needs this book on the shelf!” — Bus and Coach Preservation magazine 2024.

“Splendid, nicely designed books that present a fantastic snapshot in so many of the aspects of the company - the operations, the people, the customers, the ups and downs, foibles, facts and so much more.” — Classic Bus magazine

“Well done with ‘Midland Red and its People’. It really does give a great insight into the people who worked for Midland Red and the wide range of roles. It is like no other book on transport and is a great companion to the two previous books.” — S.K. Media

“Joy as the postman brought me Ashley Wakelin’s latest book - and it looks like an absolute cracker on the mighty and much loved Midland Red!” — D.S. Shrewsbury

“A real page turner, well, I struggled to put it down once I started reading it, well done!” — S.W., Porthcawl

“Inside Midland Red – What a beautiful book, maybe an idea for a gift.” — Visit Tamworth

“A very, very good read, and lots of anecdotes by a guy who was there at the centre of things. A MUST for any Midland ‘Red’ devotees. You won’t regret your purchase.” — P.K.

“Lots of good stories. Here’s to the next book!” — M.S.

“Ashley, my book arrived this morning, it’s fabulous, congratulations on a super book. Thank you again.” — S.B., Tamworth

“Really loving the ‘Inside Midland Red’ book.” — D.T., Stafford

“Bought for me as a Christmas present - much better than a pair of socks!” — S.H., Darlington

Read more comments

Ashley Wakelin

Ashley, author of Inside Midland Red, Midland Red Influence and Midland Red and its People, has seen the bus and coach industry evolve over fifty years of change. He has worked in manual and managerial roles, has been an enthusiast, preservationist and operator, and has worked in both the private and public sectors with national and small independent operators... Read more

Midland Red talks

Talks on Midland Red

Ashley Wakelin, the author of his latest book Midland Red and its People also gives entertaining and engaging talks about Midland Red, its history and development, its social history, and its people. For more details, see After-Dinner & Group Talks.

Midland Red talks
Midland Red bus

What is Midland Red?

The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company (BMMO) played a pre-eminent role in bus and coach design. Their bus and coach operations were based in the Midlands, and with their bright red livery their mission was to “paint the Midlands red” with their fleet. And so they became colloquially known as “Midland Red”... Read more

Midland Red bus

More Information

Here is a short video of the book “Inside Midland Red” being printed.

Video of book being printed

And here are a few selected photos.

Contact us

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