Grease Junkie: A book of moving parts

by Edd China

ISBN 9780753553565 moved to the more recent edition

As you'll discover in his incomparable memoir, inventor, mechanic, TV presenter and walking tall as the definition of the British eccentric, Edd China sees things differently.

An unstoppable enthusiast from an early age, Edd had 35 ongoing car projects while he was at university, not counting the double-decker bus he was living in. Now he's a man with not only a runaround sofa, but also a road-legal office, shed, bed and bathroom. His first car was a more conventional 1303 Texas yellow Beetle, the start of an ongoing love affair with VW, even though it got him arrested for attempted armed robbery.

A human volcano of ideas and the ingenuity to make them happen, Edd is exhilarating company. Join him on his wild, wheeled adventures; see inside his engineering heroics; go behind the scenes on Wheeler Dealers.
Climb aboard his giant motorised shopping trolley, and let him take you into his parallel universe of possibility.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2020

Reviews

[MR SIMON]

Might have been Better not listen to the audio book, Ed has the most dreadful reading voice

[Michael]

I found this book very disjointed. Edd China would start with a story, and then it would derail him to another story or a fact he wanted to share before he finished the story he originally started sharing with the reader. To me, China is known as the mechanic from the Velocity/MotorTrend show Wheeler Dealers, but from reading this book, I learned that China had a following before the show by building furniture cars. His story is fascinating, especially his time spent in Belize in his mid-twenties, and he shares a lot about the cars he has worked on over the years both for his enjoyment and for Wheeler Dealers.

[Aditya Trivedi]

This is indeed a Book of Moving Parts.
Edd mostly rambles on about everything under the sun, anecdotes from his personal life, wacky projects he took on, ideas that come to him as he writes, and a lot more than one cannot form a pattern of.
It's all very nonlinear and I don't blame him for that.
The book itself is a decent read from a guy who's a nuts and bolts man through and through. Some of the technical bits were difficult to imagine purely through words.
The crazier parts are really fun to read: who buys a double decker bus, modifies it to be livable, and actually lives in it for a period of time? Edd does, and it was hugely interesting to read that.
I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a glimpse into the mind of a low-key inventor. While I wouldn't compare Edd with Edison, his skills and drive to make interesting things is really one of a kind.

[Vittorio Ambrosetti]

Like many people, I got to know Edd China from the TV show "Wheeler Dealers" and I was very sad when I learned that he would no longer appear on it. His repairs had always been the main point of interest for me.
I soon discovered that Wheeler Dealers is just a small part of what Mr. China has done in his life. From a young age he has been involved in all kinds of automotive projects, from land yachts to RVs to movie props to amphibian vehicles. The book is not so much a memoir as a recollection of these pieces of work. Most of these will certainly appeal to any automotive and/or DIY fan.
I found no chapter boring (only the one about his trip to Belize was, maybe, a bit dull) because the accounts are almost always crisp and efficient.
The writing style is witty and lively. It gave me the impression of someone who is proud of his accomplishments but wants to avoid bragging.

[Bill Conrad]

I have been following Edd China’s work for many years and was excited to see he had written a book. The content focuses on his humble beginnings, appreciation of cars, time on Wheeler Dealers, and fun stories.
Edd’s writing style is honest and insightful. I liked that he only focused on the essential parts of his story, which made it a lively read. My favorite part was about the driving couch. I also liked his explanation for leaving Wheeler Dealers. I cannot comprehend the producer’s odd decision to force Edd out, and I have not watched a single Ant episode. Edd was the heart of the show, and this book’s lively content is proof.
I enjoyed the content, and I think it was a good purchase.

[Richard Chambers]

For anyone who has seen Wheeler Dealers and the co-hosts this book is from the mechanic Edd China, in his book, we learn about him getting released from Wheeler Dealers from his perspective anyway, the other side could be different. And it goes through his life and his adventures and escapedes and all of his car builds.

From all I can tell it covers just past him after Wheeler Dealers but on the whole it was well written and it does seem more like a conection of stories but they made it easy to read.

[Rabid Reader]

As a maker and someone who loves to tinker with things, there was a lot to love in Edd's long stream of consciousness writing. While it pains me as a gear head to admit that I wasn't a fan of Wheeler Dealers (Mike's haggling style got under my skins), I now realize there was a lot of good stuff there that I missed. Hulu to the rescue... Really enjoyed the in depth discussions of Edd's various projects through the years and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

[Sandeep]

A bit disappointed, it didn't turn out as good as I anticipated.

Also casts a bit of doubt in me mind, whether he really wrote this entire book or did someone else, as he has said, he has a problem with finishing things.

Nevertheless - cannot rate more than 3.

3/5

Cons - too much technical information which is hard or a bit tricky to visualize. Also - I have a doubt if he did all the work by himself or did someone else help him. Working on a bus - all solo ? well..

[Richard John Neil]

OK it's lockdown which is affording me the opportunity to read more but I still completed this book in very quick time. I thought Edd was brilliant on Wheeler Dealers as both engineer and communicator. It turns out that he's been at several events that I've worked on where the Casual Lofa (read the book!) made appearance. He's done a heck of a lot more than WD. Writing style is, as others have said, very conversational and easy to read. Cheers Edd. Looking forward to seeing what you do next.

[PlainSong]

I know I'm maybe expecting too much, but it read more as a very long magazine article than a book.
As for getting irritated by being frequently pulled over, and brandishing his MOT... looking at those "cars", how on Earth did they ever get their certificate of road-worthiness? I'd be fascinated to see them subject to an NCAP test!

[James F Morrison]

GREAT READ

I think the book is great. It is a fun and easy read. I love Edd China's humor and what some might say, zany engineering. Who would have thought, a street legal bed. Get cracking on the next build and the next book! Cheers!

[Mr J Tripney]

A good read . Let's you into his mind not just his speaking parts from wheeler dealers,

A good read . Let's you into his mind his whacky life and ideas. Theres a lot more to Edd than talking parts on wheeler dealers

[Chris Thomas]

I love Ed in Wheeler Dealers so I bought this book. Very disappointed at how boring it is. He learnt how to be an engineer, loved cars, built some in the shape of every day objects, left WD. Yawn yawn.

[Mrs E Wetherall]

Good old engineering with a modern twist.

Reads just like he's on the tv. Nice bloke. Enthusiast especially for electric vehicles, the future and above all, arsing about Brute in their needs could take on the world. . 😊

[Ben Twoonezero]

A interesting book that jumps around a lot in time and is very mechanically orientated. Some times there is to much detail in the technical aspects of his work, and very little about his life in general ie how did he meet his wife ? Interesting photos at the end thought.

[David Schembri]

I loved this book. From cover to cover I found the stories entertaining, insightful, and inspirational. I’m a classic car owner and was helped by this book in so many ways. A great place to be and highly recommended.

[Mark]

Very disjointed, the story jumps forwards and backwards in time for no discernible gain, there really is hardly any insight into how WD was filmed, produced, etc.
A bit of a let down as he had some interesting experiences

[Thomas Harrison-Lord]

Purchased for Wheeler Dealers stories. Didn't really get any.

[Chris Kanel]

Simply brilliant

Edd China weaves a brilliant book of his adventures and misadventures that keeps you captivated and wanting more. Thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover.

[Carol]

Interesting listen, even if I did only listen to it because my husband kept telling me stories from it.

[Trevor]

A great British eccentric!

A good easy read. A must for all Wheeler Dealer fans. His infectious enthusiasm can be found on every page!

[mark aveling]

Very entertaining

Loved the book. Very interesting read. I particularly enjoyed how he created the madcap vehicles that have made him famous.

[Caro Ann]

Read because I've watched Wheeler Dealers with my husband and actually met Edd, he was very nice and seemed interesting. This is an easy to read and interesting book. Not my usual fare at all!

[Alan Bray]

Eccentric and inspirational. A must for tinkerers, WD fans and petrol heads alike. Loved every page. Edd you are a genius and a national treasure.

[James]

A great book. A fascinating insight into his life.

[Patrick Burnett]

Great fun read

Fun to read, Ed's regulation comes through. Give an insight on thought behind his specials. Easy to read over all entertainment ing

[Thiago]

Not what I expected - interesting but repetitive after a few chapters.

[Graham Clark]

A great read, and loved all the content

[Avril Haughey]

Bought this for my son and like Edd is another mechanic who likes building and updating cars.

[Benjamin Condon]

Fantastic book!!!