Automotive Books

Guy Halford-MacLeod's book "Britain's Airlines volume one: 1946-1951" is a must read for anyone interested in aviation history. It is both a fascinating story of the struggle of independent airlines and an indispensable reference loaded with many rare aircraft photos, hand-drawn maps by R.E.G. Davies, non-boring statistics, and humorous anecdotes. The author has promised two follow-on volumes covering eras subsequent to those covered in this book. I look forward to them and you will too, after reading this exceptional book.

Though only five years in duration, the transition from British wartime flying to post war civil aviation competition is the focus of this solid account, authored by a man who worked for some of the independent companies in the 1970s. The Labor government of Clement Attlee (1945-51) opted for state ownership of the major carriers (BOAC, BEA, and the short-lived BSAA), and constantly interfered with their airplane orders and route planning. Manufacturers pursued far too many different designs of what became FBAs (funny British airliners), with a few stellar exceptions--the successful Vickers "Vanguard" and even the Avro "York". Confusion reigned in and out of government and the decisions made in this short period would hobble Britain's civil aviation for a generation. It's all well-told and equally well-illustrated here. Recommended.

I am about half way through reading this book. It is a masterpiece. This is one of the finest books ever written on a motor sport subject. From family backgrounds of the important characters in the story, through a description of comfortable, middle-class, life in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th century, the book goes on to describe Raymond Mays driving career, leading into the story of ERA cars. All this is, of course, just the background to the formation of BRM. The design, construction, development and competition career of the BRM V16 cars is described in great detail. All these aspects of this car were such troubled experiences, dealt with in an absorbing and entertaining way, the account interspersed at regular intervals with lighter moments which occured around the endless problem solving. I know the remainder of this book, dealing with the later front engined cars of the 1950's will continue at this high standard.
I am unable to say that this is the finest motor sport book ever written, as I also have, waiting on my bookshelves, Volumes 2 and 3 of the BRM story, which I know will give the same high level of reading pleasure. And I cannot wait for the [final] 4th volume to be published to complete this mammoth work.

From the pre-WWII beginnings with ERA cars, Doug Nye traces the development of the enigmatic and sometimes successful BRM racing cars. Starting with the incredible 1.5 liter V-16 of the early 50's to the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder cars that followed, Mr. Nye produces an accurate and well refrenced account of the behind-the-scenes effort along with a detailed run-down of each competitive event that BRM entered during the "front-engine" period. We are treated to many first-hand accounts from Mr. Tony Rudd who joined the team during the early days as a develoment engineer. Of special interest are his descriptions of the many technical investigations into the failures of the early V-16 engine, and the theoritical and experimental efforts to understand handling and braking problems during a period when much of the engineering was "seat-of-the-pants". This book is very worthwhile for the avid BRM watcher, and I eagerly await the second volume. In fact, if anyone knows the publication date of the next volume, please let me know

Dick Salmon's account of the ups and downs of life at BRM are fascinating. Every single page has some wonderful nugget of truth / info not found elsewhere. Dick corrects many issues relating to BRM's long climb to success, and steady decline after his departure. Perhaps the most enduring impact of this book is what happened in the run-up to get the cars ready and the often side-splitting funny incidents that happened enroute to far off distinations. I doubt any of this goes on now in the corporate world of F-1 (and we're the worse for it). I appreciate Graham Hill's contributions to BRM more now since reading this book. Dick's comments on certain members of the BRM hierarchy are alone worth the read; I'll leave that for you to personally find out when you read this must-have book. I'd recommend reading Peter Bryant's book about his days with Lola, Cobra and in the Can-Am after reading Salmon's book; two great books by mechanics, often forgotten in the vast majority of good reads (available through Amazon.com). Major William Brown, Bedford, VA

Superb. An evocation of an era past, written with love, wit, a pinch of nostalgia and some caustic humor.

As all the Haynes Workshop Manuals I've bought, it was exactlly what I was looking for.I consider this manual is the first step of a proffessional restoration of a classic bike.

This was Haynes' 1st repair manual and it is the best single-source manual for pre-unit twin BSAs. As in all subsequent Haynes manuals, their staff actually dismantles and rebuilds a BSA, presenting readers with photos of the whole operation. This book and a copy of the spares manual are all you need to keep your Golden Flash, etc. in fine trim.- Bill Litant, president emeritus, BSA OWners Club of New England

Bucyrus International has built heavy excavating machinery for over a hundred years: it began in 1880 building equipment and became the leading supplier of draglines, shovels and drills for the mining industry, purchasing competitors and today building about 90 percent of the walking draglines in existence. Mergers, pivotal changes, and construction techniques are detailed along with plenty of color and vintage photos in BUCYRUS, of interest to any in the equipment industry.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is a comprehensive review of the Bucyrus company from its humble beginings in the steam shovel era through to the modern electric mining shovels of today. The book outlines the progress of the company and its machines such as drilling rigs, stripping shovels of the '60's, electric rope shovels and draglines. A must for any heavy machine enthusiest.

I loved this book. I felt like I was getting the real inside scoop on the dirty tricks in the auto business. For the first time in my life, I was able to go out and buy a car, without feeling like I was being taken to the cleaners. I was in control! I loved the way the book was written, too. Mr. Raisglid really has a great sense of humor!

I cannot believe that I had so much fun buying my Acura. Using the Books suggestions I paid only $100 over cost and saved alot on my insurance. OH YEA, You will love the Directory chapter with hundreds of auto related discounters... parts, service, insurance, reviews of web sites! I never thought buying a car could be this good!I know what I am getting my auto buying and leasing friends for the Holidays. Good Luck!

Just picked up the paperback edition at the cable car museum in San Francisco, and loving it. Everything you've never dreamed of asking about cable cars is present in these 484 pages. Despite billing itself as a 'treatise', Hilton's prose is lively and readable. (Of a flimsy trestle bridge built for the Spokane Cable Railway, he writes: "The structure, which was widely expected to collapse, surprised the local population by burning instead.") Hundreds of photos and diagrams, really a delightful book to take a dip into. Any transport buff or engineer would love it...

George Hilton's book is the most thorough study of the technology and the history of cable cars ever written. I am happy that it is available again; this book taught me that cable cars existed in many places besides San Francisco.

As a dealer of Cadillac and LaSalle books, I use Cadillac: Standard of the World every day to find answers for my customers who need hard-to-find historical information about their Cadillacs.

I don't know what I'd do without this unique reference.

Justin Hartley

Excelent book and great story. I had no idea that the founder of Cadillac (Henry lelend) was an American industrial hero. Its worth reading just for the history abought Mr. Leland. Of course has good coverage of many cadillacs as well. I would love to see it updated through 2001.

If you are like me, in business related to call centers, but not really in call center business, this book is the one. After reading it, I got a new level of appreciation for the processes and complexity involved.
First part describes business aspect, goals, variables and how they influence goals. That's the part where I said, "It's not as simple as it seems".
Next one, on technology, gives you a review of supporting technologies. I personally knew most of the stuff, but it's a light reading and gives you a perspective how the call center views the technology.
Final two parts, on managing agent performance and call handling are valuable reading no matter what business you're in. Suggestions from the book can be applied outside of call centers, as well. And call handling... I think every employee that has a phone on their desk is the company's representative and should know how to handle calls. Dealing with angry customers, controlling the call, sales... it all goes beyond just call centre agents.
To summarize, if you want to get the big picture, see all the elements, understand them and understand how they interact, this is where you should start. Doesn't dwell too much on any individual subject (and doesn't go too much in-depth) and therefore, it is an easy informative reading. And that's what books from Dummies series are all about, aren't they?

I'm a new call center manager and this book did a great job of explaining a lot of the basics. I was even able to share the technology section with my IT department so they could understand how to better support the needs of our department. Plus my staff fought over the book - because the information was in an easy to read/understand format.

While Book 1 was a great beginning, this book is even better with a more comprehensive overview of the American automotive scene. I accused Book 1 of being 'Eurocentric', but I can't say that about Book 2. While the author seems to speak to a European audience, the content is largely unbiased with some interesting sociological observations made here and there (largely in the preface).

It is important to note that the editorial content of this book is not comprehensive and should not be the main reason for purchase. The book is a beautiful pictorial overview of the international automotive scene for 2003. It's a collectible meant to be looked at years later as a way of recalling the trends and preferences of the era. Thankfully, this series will continue and buying the previous issues is a worthwhile investment.

This book had the most detaild decriptions and most photos I have ever seen. This is a great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!