Music doctoral researcher Will Farmer has been jointly awarded the 2026 Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize, recognising his carefully curated collection of early motorsport books and its contribution to innovative interdisciplinary research.
Bugle warning at the Coupe des Voiturettes race, Boulogne, 1910.
Presented annually by UCL Special Collections, the Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize celebrates students who have thoughtfully assembled collections of printed or manuscript material around a coherent theme. Rather than rewarding the rarity or monetary value of individual items, the prize recognises the enthusiasm, vision, and intellectual purpose behind an emerging collection, encouraging the next generation of researchers and collectors.
This year's competition attracted 23 entries from students across six London universities. Will shared the prize for his collection, Motorsport Manuscripts (1894–1939): Pioneers, Provocateurs, and Provenance, which brings together first-hand accounts from the formative decades of motor racing. Together, the books offer insights not only into the development of the sport but also into the wider social, political, and cultural contexts in which it evolved.
Will's collection forms an integral part of his doctoral research at Royal Holloway, where he explores the historical relationship between music and motor racing. Drawing on these rare sources, he recently authored Pump Up the Volume: Why Music and Motor Racing Go Hand in Hand for Motor Sport magazine, examining how music has shaped the spectacle, identity, and cultural life of motor racing from its earliest years through to the present day.
About Will Farmer
Alongside this public-facing research, Will recently presented his work at the joint Music and Screen Media Interdisciplinary Network (MSMI) and Sound on Screen conference at the Royal Northern College of Music, continuing to share his interdisciplinary research with audiences across both academia and industry.
Congratulations to Will on this outstanding achievement, which highlights the originality and public impact of doctoral research in the Department of Music.
