Vehicles Reviews

The Spitfire Story

Published in Hardcover by Silverdale Books (2002-07-31)

Author: Alfred Price

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Used price: $91.24

Average review score:

As fine a work on the subject as one could hope to find.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-25

Just as "HMS Victory" was never decommissioned and has become the longest serving warship in any country's navy!, so there is a fully serviceable RAF Spitfire still operational with the Royal Air Force in the UK.

Anyone who has an interest in aircraft cannot fail to admire the Spitfire. There is something about that combination of genius of design coupled with the simplest of names which spells out legend. In this book, author Alfred Price has done the Spitfire justice and no reader could possibly be disappointed with the resultant work.

About the same size as a telephone directory - and just about as thick, we are treated to page after page of fact and photograph. Each section adds it's own part to a story which slowly unfolds from the very beginning of this aircraft - an aircraft, incidentally which was originally designed purely to win the Schneider Trophy!, right through World War Two and beyond.

With important contributions made by not only those who flew them in wartime, but also from those who were on the receiving end as well, I consider this to be an outstanding record of a single type of aircraft which is probably unmatched anywhere.

Five stars are not enough for this excellent work.

NM

Another winner from Alfred Price

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-17

Once again, Price has produced a winner. If you want to learn something about one of the greatest planes of WWII you won't go wrong purchasing this book.

Refreshing break from watered down Spitfire books

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-21

Dr. Price gives an excellent account (and photos!) of the rare spitfires that you can't find in other books. Great reference for modelers and other enthusiasts. I particularly appreciated the many photos of the "Speed Spitfire" and many interim prototypes not typical to any mark number. (I am referring to the second edition -- the author added new material that had come out of the woodwork after the first edition.) The author is also kind enough to caption photos with the plane's code so that a modeler need not wonder what number is hiding behind a fuel truck, mechanic, parked plane, under a shadow or whatever. Money well spent.

Excellent reference book on the Spitfire!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-17

This is a good technically detailed book on the development and production of the various Supermarine Spitfires. Numerous photographs of forerunners, prototypes, and modifications provide details on the differences or changes from version to version. Although the printing is very good, a handful of the source photographs are not the best quality. This is generally understandable, but in a small number of cases there would seem to be other options, including photographing examples in museums.
The text is easy to read and flows well enough so that it can be read like a novel. In fact, some of the passages are so good and intriguing, the reader is compelled to continue into the next chapter. Each chapter includes supporting documents, whether memos between the designers and factory or the factory and the RAF, or official RAF evaluations of prototypes undergoing testing.
The author is very proud of the fact he has obtained access to memos previously unknown to exist and extensive time with Jeffrey Quill, one of the test pilots directly involved in the development. In fact, the constant references to Quill and quotes from him at times can cause the reader to wonder whether wartime England had other test pilots.
The only real drawback is that the author makes some emphatic statements about minor historical controversies. He declares one interpretation to be "wrong," without providing any supporting evidence or explaining the opposing views. This only occurs a few times, but it is noticeable and leaves the reader wondering what the controversy was, what the "other side" believes, and what the evidence indicates.
Still, if a little opinionated and somewhat overly dependent on one first-hand source, the publishing of the source memos, summaries of their significance, and Quill's remarks are critical to preserving the history. The book is a very important and complete reference that any Spitfire enthusiast, modeler, or aviation/World War II history buff will want.
The book is published in England, and North American buyers might find better availability or pricing at amazon.co.uk than in the US.

The most detailed Spitfire Book in my collection!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-27

This is by far the most detailed Spitfire book in my collection ( and I have quite a few! ). This excellent work gives a very comprehensive, mark by mark history of the Spitfire's development. Each chapter details the development of a given variant, including the background to that marks genesis, descriptions of combat, and overall impact upon the air war. Moreover, Alfred Price's eloquent text makes for a thoroughly enjoyable read and never makes his subject "dry". Greatest of importance, the appendices following the chapters give by far the MOST detailed performance information I've yet seen in any Spitfire tome ( or any other book on combat aircraft ). The data includes not just the common "top speed" and "rate of climb" information which is so often quoted, but also gives the top speeds and rates of climb at varying altitudes, as well as the critical "time to height" data up to the planes service ceiling. Detailed combat comparisons with various Axis & Allied types are also included! This is the sort of information which the dedicated aviation buff always desires to see in a book of this sort, but all too often we are dissapointed. This is the big exception! An absolute MUST have for any fan of the Spitfire in all it's many guises! The general and WW2 aviation buff should not miss out on this work either. Truely Outstanding!

This Old Harley (Town Square Book)

Published in Hardcover by Voyageur Press (2000-10-01)

Author: Michael Dregni

List price: $29.95

New price: $4.39
Used price: $0.43
Collectible price: $29.95

Average review score:

Pleasure!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-12

Pure and simple and beautiful and well writen and and good book. Don't miss a rare Harley Davidson Novel "The Second Coming of Age" by: Vedrine

A Well-Balanced Tribute to Harleys and Those Who Love Them

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-15

Most of the Harley-Davidson memorabilia books I have read do a fine job of either showing all of the models over time or telling the story of how the product has developed from the beginning. This book also does well in those areas. This Old Harley has the additional benefit of containing fine writing by many of the best authors who have ever written on the subject.

Here are the chapters and the key essays:

1: In the Beginning . . .
"What My Folks Didn't Know, Didn't Hurt . . . Me" by Allan Girdler (former editor of Car Life and Cycle World, and executive editor of Road & Track)
"No Motorcycles Allowed" by Arlen Ness (with Timothy Remus) (Arlen is one of the best-known Harley artists in creating custom machines)
"First Harley" by Peter Egan (columnist and writer for Cycle World)

2: Making History
"My First Motorcycle . . . and What It Led to" by Harry Sucher (well-known motorcycle historian)
"Catching Up on History by David Wright (author of The Harley-Davidson Motor Company: An Official History) (Be sure to catch the photograph of Jayne Mansfield at the beginning of the essay and the "unauthorized" out-takes from the original book)

3: On the Road

"In Pursuit of the Unholy Grail" by Cook Neilson (editor of Cycle magazine from 1970 to 1979)
"A Work in Progress" by Timothy Remus (author of motorcycle art books)
"Riding Through Time: A Knucklehead Returns Home by Buzz Kanter (motorcycle racer and publisher of motorcycle magazines) (This is a great story of riding a cherry red 1947 Knucklehead from Connecticut to Milwaukee in the mid-1990s)

4: Daredevilry

"Hell Driving" by Lucky Lee Lott (motorcycle stunt star)
"Evel Ways" by Evel Knievel (no introduction needed)

5: Legends

"Once Upon a Time in the Wild West" by Michael Dregni (book author) (describes the outlaw imagery of early motorcyclists)
"The Billy Bike: Re-Born to Be Wild" by David Edwards (editor-in-chief of Cycle World) (how the Easy Rider bikes were re-created)

6: The Mystique

"V for Victory: How Harley Conquered the World by Ciara Fox (dedicated Irish motorcyclist)
"This Motorcycle Way" by Dr. Martin Rosenblum (the historian for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company)
"The Perfect Vehicle" by Melissa Pierson (author of a road-trip travelogue)

Along the way, all of my favorite memories of Harleys are recaptured, both visually and in discussions about sound. How many young people today know that the reason that all of those valuable baseball cards got shredded against the spokes of bicycles in the past was to imitate the sound of a Harley?

After you finish enjoying this wonderful book, take the time to make a long road trip on your favorite Harley!

great picture history

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-04

the old pictures are fist class and this book belongs on the den table for all to see.

A colorful tribute album

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-27

Any avid fan of the Harley motorcycle will make This Old Harley a part of their collection: it provides a history and tribute to the motorcycle, gathers the stories and legends surrounding it, and charts its rise to transportation fame. Evel Knievel, Allan Girdler and more contribute to this colorful tribute album.

Oh, yum!

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-16

I grew up in the country, in the days before there was much in the way of public transportation. Gasoline was rationed and it was expedient to think before blithely getting in the family car to go off joy-riding. How fortunate I was, then, for my family to have friends who owned motorcycles. Big, brawny men who rode big-brawny motorcyles. Indians and Harley-Davidsons were as much a part of my childhood as the family dogs, Bing and Chip. For two summers in the mid 40s, I even rode to Sunday School every week, on the back of a Harley. (Grandma didn't like that idea very much, but on the other hand, it got me there!) This lovely, splendidly-illustrated book brought back so many wonderful memories, especially the paintings of Dave Barnhouse, one of which adorns the cover, and is again featured on a double-page spread in the book. Another wonderful artist is James "Kingneon" Guçwa, whose paintings in a photorealistic style are so very real and lifelike that you want to reach out to touch those wonderful machines.

Other artists, either those who use words, or those with a camera are also represented in the 160 pages here. Some of the essays will bring smiles, or laughs, or even a wince or two at the reminiscences, especially if they blend in with--or even mirror--your own. Chapters are devoted to 'In the Beginning', 'Making History', 'On the Road', 'Daredevilry', 'Legends' and 'The Mystique'. Photos range from the early days of both photography and motorcycles, to eye-dazzling custom and even 'over' customized beasts. (Many with full technical specifications provided.)

Spending a few hours with this book is almost--not quite, but almost--as good as riding down the highway, the sun and the wind caressing your face (and sometimes its rain or snow!), the full-throated chugga-rumpety, chugga-rumpety of the exhaust echoing through your helmet.

Ultimate American V-8 Engine Data Book 1949-74 (DataBook)

Published in Paperback by Motorbooks (1999-05-07)

Author: Peter Sessler

List price: $21.95

New price: $54.14
Used price: $28.00

Average review score:

American V8 engine data book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-07

Great book.Brief history of each engine's development,design aspects,special features and application.Informative unbiased text.Pages of casting numbers,dimensions,horsepower and torque figures.All the main manufacturers and some lesser ones featured.This book was just what I was looking for and I recommend it to anyone whose interest is V8 performance from the factory.

Tremendous Bang for the Buck

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-29

Sessler paints a clear picture of each of the American V8 engine families during this time period. He presents the strengths and weaknesses of each design as well as their specs and histories. Even the novice reader soon knows why certain engines succeeded (e.g. the Chevy Small Block and Ford's 385 series Big Block) when others failed (the Ford 312 and Chevy 409), as well as which of the "Off-Brands" are good (Buick's 455 and the AMC 401 for example). I wish he had included more specs like bore spacing and engine weight in his data panels. Likewise I disagree strongly with his assessment of the V8 engine as "For all intents and purposes dead and gone". There have been a number of new V8 designs introduced since 1974 and some of the old designs are going to be around for decades to come. Overall however it is hard to think of a motor book that gives more bang for the buck than this one!

Very helpful

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-11

This book was good about giving info about all types of engines and the differences between them. I still rate it a 4 and hope you enjoy it

Outstanding

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-03

You simply cannot go wrong. This book, at this price, is a veritable font of information. The only thing I'd like to see is an expansion of the detail. Info is given on block and head casting #'s, and valve sizes, but no info on camshafts. What's more, there were more American postwar engines in the period that were every bit as interesting as the V-8s (Corvair, Slant-6, etc.). I'd gladly pay more to see it expanded in it's scope. All in all, great book.

EXCELLENT

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-29

This book is what I was looking for a while!!!Great detail!Priceless facts!A must have for any motor head whether you like Ford Chevy Mopar or whatever.Its here!The book binding was a little cheaply made but the information was...WOW!I would have been happy if it was written on notebook paper!The book puts the engines into familys which is very comprehensive.I learned a lot and gained new respect for almost all the engines this book references!!!

Uss Pampanito: Killer-Angel

Published in Hardcover by University of Oklahoma Press (2000-04)

Author: Gregory F. Michno

List price: $24.95

Used price: $23.49

Average review score:

A Tour Aboard a WW II Sub

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-21

Gregory Michno has a talent for researching a subject and presenting the knowledge he's gained in an interesting and easily understood way. He turns a non-fiction story into something which holds the interest of even those not particularly interested in history. he's done it again with USS Pampanito: Killer-Angel. We aren't encumbered with technical stuff but feel as though we're slicing through the water with the crew of this sub. The Pampanito served the U.S. well then suffered personal anguish when they learned they had helped sink two Japanese ships which held Allied POWs. The sub risked their own safety to return and rescue many of the POWS.

An Enlisted man's view of submarine life

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-24

This is an excellent portrayal of life on a WWII submarine. It is a good picture of what life was like for the enlisted men, and for the service in general. I served on the Pampanito with the author's father. This is what it was REALLY like on a submarine in the Pacific during WWSII. I commend the author for his thorough research into the history of an unusual submarine and the living conditions aboard them during the war.

An excellent look at "ordinary" submariners at war

Helpful Votes: 58 out of 59 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-25

There have been many books written about individual US Navy submarines during World War Two in the Pacific, but almost invariably they are written from the viewpoint of the commander or executive officer. "USS Pampanito: Killer-Angel" is different. This is a book which, for the most part, tells the story of a submarine at war through the eyes of her crew, the men who kept her engines running, who scanned the skies for enemy aircraft when surfaced, who strained to load the torpedoes into her tubes during convoy attacks.

Sparked by the stories told by his late father, a crewman aboard the Pamapanito during her first two combat patrols, Greg Michno collected the tales of fifty of the men who served aboard her from her launch in 1943 till the end of the war. Together with extensive research into official records, Michno has woven these firsthand accounts into an absorbing portrait of ordinary men at war. His recounting of a harrowing depth charge attack with the Pampanito at a depth of over 600 feet could have come right out of "Das Boot". But the story is more than just combat. Day-to-day shipboard life in insanely cramped quarters, jury-rigged repairs upon vital malfunctioning equipment, wild R&R escapades ashore which could cause as many casualties as a battle at sea, conflicts and comradeship among the men and officers ... it is all here in this book.

The Pampanito appeared on no one's list of "top" submarines as measured by merchant tonnage sunk or major warships sent to the bottom. All too often her successes were more than balanced by bad luck or, perhaps, less than stellar leadership. But on one remarkable occasion, the boat rescued 73 Australian and British POW's whose ships had been sunk during an attack on a Japanese convoy. The story of this rescue and the subsequent close bond formed between these former prisoners, many of whom had worked on the notorious "River Kwai" railroad construction, and their saviors creates an emotional high point of the book. Many of the Pampanito's crew felt that saving those men was more important than the sinking of any ship.

As it happens, the Pampanito is still afloat today. Spared the scrapyard, the fate of most of her contemporaries, the Pampanito has been declared a National Historical Landmark and is docked at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco for visitors to board.

The book is well illustrated with maps of the combat operations plus numerous photographs of crewmembers, both as impossibly young men during their war and as elderly veterans visiting their boat during a recent crew reunion.

"USS Pampanito: Killer-Angel" is an excellent look at ordinary men on an ordinary submarine during an extraordinary time.

Refreshing change

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-10

This is a well-written, refreshing look at submarine warfare in the Pacific during World War II. Unlike many previous submarine books, including fictitious ones, which are written by the skipper or the exec and therefore put the sub in the best possible light, this book is written from the point of view of the enlisted men with "warts and all". Instead of concentrating on target data computers, gyro angles, and attack solutions, the story concentrates on the ultimate success or failure of individual torpedo attacks, descriptions of depth charge attacks, the rescue of P.O.W's and shore leave. Rather than reading yet another description of the intensity of being in command, the reader learns of the intense dislike of the captain by most of the crew which did not prove a hindrance in causing some damage to the Japanese war effort.

The author is particularly adept at describing interesting facts or procedures in context, sometimes glossed over or ignored by other sub authors, without becoming bogged down in unnecessary detail. These topics include distilling "torpedo juice", decoding mechanisms, how a torpedo arms itself after it is fired, a comparison of Japanese convoys to U.S. ones, ordinary shipboard routine, venereal disease, and the mechanics of carbon dioxide exposure in a submerged sub.

The author also achieved the number one objective of all stories--he kept the narrative moving forward.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the "silent service". I look forward to visiting the "Pampanito" someday.

A Visit to a Real Live Boat!

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-28

After a recent tour thru the actual USS Pampanito (twice!) at Fishermen's Wharf in San Francisco, I bought the book at the bookstore next to the sub which is run by volunteers of this wonderful floating National Historic Landmark. What a thrill to actually see the sub in real life and then read a book about its' six patrols during WW2. As a son of one of the sailors who served on it, author Michno said he used to listen to his dad's war tails with some disinterest as they grew with each beer and retelling. Later he visited the sub with his own son and after realizing that it was his father's boat he was inspired to research and write a book about it, saying he wished that he had been a better listener. The book starts by giving a brief early biog. of six or eight men, where they were born, educated, etc., and how they came to be on the Pampanito. How it was built in New Hampshire, its' commissioning and shakedown and then an interesting and never boring account of each of its' six wartime patrols in the Pacific. It brings alive the details of the boats' activities and daily lives of the men, developed through oral histories given by them. Containing numerous photos, especially interesting were the recent photos of and recaps by the men, now in their eighties, who attended the fiftieth reunion in 1995, aboard the Pampanito. Touching was reading about the tolling of the bells ceremony where the ships bell in rung once as each of the names of the fifty-two subs lost in WW2 was called off. Well written and researched, Michno provides an exhausting list of footnotes on many of the details in the book. An interesting and scholarly work that is a fascinating and easy read.

Volkswagen Passat Service Manual: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 1.8L Turbo, 2.8L V6, 4.0L W8 including Wagon and 4Motion

Published in Paperback by Bentley Publishers (2007-01-12)

Author: Bentley Publishers

List price: $129.95

New price: $81.87
Used price: $79.00

Average review score:

Technical yet somewhat dry

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-13

Need to work on this car? Then get this book. Bring a mechanic with tools. Very well read.

Just about everything you need to know...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-27

I recently purchased a used 03 Passat and love it. I drove my younger cousins in the car and they managed to make the backseat ashtray, that is supposed to fold nicely into the center console, unable to catch and stay closed. We had originally ordered this manual to help offset the cost of having the oil changed by a mechanic, but we were able to read and know exactly how to fix the ashtray and save an $80 visit to the dealer.

must have for passat owners

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-16

The step by step instuctions in this book are easy enough for anyone to be able to do minor maintenance by themselves. It is absolutly necessary if you want to do a decent job of maintaining your car without taking it to the dealer every 5k miles. It's written with the average driver in mind and will teach you a lot about your car. I recommend it if you're interested in keeping your Passat in tip-top shape.

I bought this along with the Actron code scanner...they work great together. The book has a list of all the codes (including manufacturer specific codes) with definitions for all of them.

VW Passat Manual

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-14

Manual has very useful information regarding maintenance and repair of VW Passat. Some of the pictures however, are not actual pictures but drawings of actual components. My Passat is a W8 and some of the proceedures are not very clear. Overall it was a good investment buying this manual considering what the VW dealer charges for repair.

Worth every penny

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-22

As someone who is accustomed to do it yourself car repairs and domestic service manuals, I was completely impressed with the quality of this book.

No fuzzy black and white photos. Full of detailed exploded view drawings and very detailed and deliberate instruction. It leaves very little to the imagination, but that is the point.

In 6 weeks this book has saved me $600 in timing belt replacement labor and $200 in CV Joint boot replacement.

So much information, start marking the pages early or you may find yourself thumbing through the 2k pages looking for that exact diagram you know you saw.

This book is worth every penny.

Wagons for the Santa Fe Trade: Wheeled Vehicles and Their Makers, 1822-1880

Published in Paperback by University of New Mexico Press (2000-05-01)

Author: Mark L. Gardner

List price: $21.95

New price: $16.59
Used price: $15.50

Average review score:

A great book on the Plains Wagon of the American west

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12

I have been extremely pleased with the content of this book and the way the information is presented. Little attention has been given to North American historians to the "plains wagon", the mode of transport for thousands and thousands of pioneers, as well as hundreds of tons of goods, across the wide, forboding western frontier of north American in from the 1820s thru the 1880s. The fact that not a single Murphy wagon is still in existance anywhere, when so many were made and it is such a famed wagon, points to the disregard the public and historians have shown for this important implement of the American west. The author does a great job, given the sparce available resources, of reconstructing both the history and the virtual views of these varied wagons. Many companies made the wagons, from different towns across the east, from Missouri to Illinois and beyond, and it was a monumental task to assemble information on such a little known subject, but the author excelled in his history, and presentation. His writing is clear and precise, and a pleasure to read. This volume will stay in my reference library for the remainder of my life, as it is priceless, and enjoyable. I am sure I will go back to it and refer to it many times in years to come.

Wagons Ho!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-25

This is an excellent, well researched work, a great companion to Dary's The Santa Fe Trail. It provides detailed drawings of the wagons, their construction and how they were used. There is even a chapter on Wind Wagon Thomas.

An Essential Contribution to the Field

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-14

"Mark Gardner, who is one of the foremost trail historians of our day, an eminent researcher, and an excellent writer, has now entered the ranks of vehicle historians trying to make some sense out of transport history and the vehicles involved therein. This contribution to both historical trail documentation and the vehicle bibliography as well is superb. No serious scholar involved in either discipline can ignore this book." -- from The Carriage Journal

Mark Gardner, "Wagonmaster"

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-18

Among the abundance of literature on various aspects of Santa Fe Trail history, Mark Gardner's _Wagons for the Santa Fe Trade_ begins a new dialog about the development and variance of Trade-related wagon technology. The book documents advances in wagon building techniques as the Trade became more complex and sophisticated. The story of Santa Fe Trail wagon making is the story of the growth and changes in the development of wheeled vehicles designed for heavy-duty long range freighting. The Santa Fe Trade was a primary proving ground for freight wagon building and adaptability. This book grew out of a National Park Service report Gardner prepared on Santa Fe Trail wagons intended for use as a resource for the Santa Fe National Historic Trail project. This version is greatly expanded from the original. From the outset it will become obvious to readers how much painstaking work and time went into its production. During the course of his research he discovered a personal side to the story. His chapter "From Shop to Factory" allowed him to connect with the wagon building business through four generations of his own ancestors, some of whom had worked in the Missouri sawmill industry, and had probably cut lumber intended for the construction of the very freight wagons he now writes about. Gardner has a reputation in the profession for sifting through mounds of paper and microfilm, uncovering lost treasures of material. This reviewer has respectfully nicknamed him "The Mole" because of his research skills. His ability to dig and root through archive and manuscript collections and find the most obscure and previously unknown, yet meaningful bits of information has earned him a place among the great names in today's western historiography. With many books and articles to his credit, Mark Gardner is arguably one of the foremost authorities on the Santa Fe Trade. This latest effort guarantees Gardner's place as heir apparent to the title of Dean of Santa Fe Trail historians. _Wagons for the Santa Fe Trade_ is a detailed, yet coherent guide to nineteenth century freight vehicles. It is a highly beneficial research tool, as well as a pleasant recreational read.

Henry B. Crawford, Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Wind Wagon's West

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-27

Perhaps the trade in wagons on the Santa Fe Trail is best summarized in one breathtaking quote from a newspaper in 1841:

"Six horse wagons are constructed in Pittsburg, loaded with assorted goods from New York and Philadelphia, transported to Independence in Missouri, and there driven across the country to Mexico . . ."

The great wagons of trade were the means by which the Far West was opened. Mark L. Gardner's "Wagons for the Santa Fe Trade," tells who built these wagons, how they were built and the changes in design as the years passed. Perhaps what comes through most clearly is that the great freight wagons were complex pieces of technology, best constructed by a factory system, not unlike how automobiles are assembled today. By means of these wagons, the South West was brought into contact with the United States, and, eventually, absorbed into the Union. An important and vital chapter of American history well told and well documented.

The final chapter deals with the adventure of the Wind Wagon. In these days of high gas prices it is charming to consider that an attempt was made to avoid high mule prices. A sailed wagon was actually patented (the patent drawings are in the book) and launched. Sometimes the stuff of legend is the truth.

WARPLANES OF THE LUFTWAFFE

Published in Hardcover by Grange (2001)

Author: David (edited by) DONALD

List price:

Used price: $23.98

Average review score:

Black crossed planes, star crossed designs

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-10

I'm no expert but I am familiar with most of the Luftwaffe planes and I can't seem to think of one that's not represented here. Represented is rather a weak term for what this book provides. 250 pages, most of them with at least two or three illustrations of the various types. Photographs, a few of them in color, color drawings including quite a few 'three views' (front-on, top down and profile) of the more important types. There are also about two dozen 'cut-away' diagrams showing the structural and internal components of the planes.

That's just the visual treats the book provides. The written descriptions give the required information - powerplant, dimensions, performance, armament, etc. Where there were prototypes, modifications and variants, details are also given. Of interest to me, and highlighted by the book, is the fact that much of the history of the Luftwaffe is also a story about designs and designers. Experimental designs were almost a rule rather than the exception. The great designers like Willy Messerschmitt, Ernest Heinkel and Claudius Dornier live on through their wonderful planes, even the great 'what might have beens' (Me 262, He 162, Arado 'Blitz' and my personal favorite, the revolutionary Do 335). All are beautifully depicted for us here.

An excellent reference source

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 1998-02-07

For those looking for an indepth reference oriented book relating to the Luftwaffe of WWII, this is the book for you. The author provides a very thorough look into a wide array of aircraft (a/c), giving both a developmental history as well as a fairly indepth look at what specifically changed from variant to variant. The information provided is very detailed and well laid out. You will find various color drawings interlaced with actual photos. As well, many types include a detailed "transparent" which details the components of the a/c. The author has also included a very handy quick reference feature in the form of a chart which provides a snapshot of important characteristics of specific types. As an example, the chart for the Fw 190 includes a snapshot of some 50+ variants from the Fw 190 V1 to the Ta 153. In describing a given a/c, the author does a very good job of giving a well rounded view of the plane; what was good about it, and what wasn't. You won't find, however, pilot accounts or actual combat recollections. The book is very much reference oriented. Overall, an excellent addition to ones collection. Trevor Myler

Very Good Refference

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-10

I found this book to be the best refference I've come across regarding Luftwaffe aircraft. Very well researched with good photographs,provided appropriate detail and attention to each aircraft. One might be surprised that the Luftwaffe even possessed helicopters, along with some highly advanced rocket and jet aircraft. For example, there was even a prototype for a jet-powered flying wing, very similar to our B-2 stealth bomber! Highly recommended.

Clearly a book made with love....

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-05

... for aviation. The book is really beautifull. It is precise in it's descriptions, although not in-depth for all presented models. The aircraft described in the book all have reached the flying status, so experimentals built but not flown didn't make it in. You might miss some aircraft, I'm not an expert (yet), but it looks very complete. On the down side: The extensive use of pictures (some wartime color pictures too!) sometimes forces the accompanying descriptive texts to be placed in a chaotic manner. I Just can't get past those first pages, so much do I enjoy them. Yes, truly a work right from the heart...

Single Volume Encyclopaedia of German warplanes in WW-2

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 1996-06-23

Pros: Very complete, includes all the front-line types plus some of the most interesting experimental planes. Interesting text, planes arranged in alphabetical order. Most pictures in black and white, but it has many color side-drawings for camouflage illustration. Many cutaway and double-page illustrations.

Cons: Would have liked it more if it had included all the second-line types as well.

Hardcover, 253 pages, profusely illustrated. Reviewed by: Eduardo Ahumada M. Antofagasta-Chile.

We All Go Traveling by

Published in Hardcover by Barefoot Books (2003-10-01)

Authors: Fred Penner and Sheena Roberts

List price: $17.99

New price: $10.00
Used price: $9.90

Average review score:

Wonderful!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-20

I was searching for a good transportation themed Read Aloud for young children, this book was perfect!

Fantastic

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-09

The illustrations are very interesting and the song is really catchy. The whole family is now fans of Fred Penner. It's not only for the kids, you'll even sing it to yourself in the bathroom. We are going to get more sing a long titles sung by him.

Fun to Go

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-09

My two-year-old loves this book as well as the music CD that accompanies it. The illustrations are colorful and engaging, and the song (sung by Winnipegger Fred Penner) is catchy and easy to learn. I recently recommended that our preschool purchase a copy.

great for preschool rooms

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-24

I used this book in my preschool classroom and it became one of our rituals. The children would ask to listen to it each morning and they learned all the words quickly. They also used the book themself and were able to follow along with the words (early literacy standards and one to one correspondence!) it's a great find!

A must-have!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-03

This is a wonderful book for children, and a great find for teachers. It has predictable, rhythmic text, a cumulative series of vehicles (always a favorite), fun sounds to make, and neat pictures. The toddlers I work with and the first graders my daughter teaches all love it. The CD with Fred Penner is a real treat, too!

Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry?

Published in Paperback by Haynes Publishing (1998)

Author: Bert Hopwood

List price: $27.95

New price: $17.80
Used price: $15.13

Average review score:

Outstanding book about a failed industry

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-16

They produced some of the finest machinery of the 20th century but lost it all because of poor management. The author discusses his experience but really can't find the reasons for the downfall of a great industry. A great read for students of industrial management

A Guy with Story Who Tells it Well

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-11

I was looking for books to recommend to young people who are thinking about studying engineering when I came across this book. It is an excellent story of one engineer's career for people who want to know what engineers do, although today a similar engineer would design with CAD. I liked the contrast between the author and his nemesis, the charismatic, egotistical inventor Mr. Edward Turner. Most professional engineers will encounter non-engineering inventors who design from the seat of their pants. Such inventors play a role in liberating imagination from analytical self-censure but they can do damage. In the case of the British motorcycle industry the damage may have been that the engineers and charismatic inventors across the industry were not able to find a unified voice to take leadership of their industry. The British motorcycle industry may have survived if they had been able to do this. Its demise certainly was not for lack of technical talent and imagination. It would have been useful if Mr. Hopwood had compared his industry with other British industries that lost their competitive edge around the same time as motorcycles such as machine tools. It would have been useful to future engineers if Mr. Hopwood had critiqued on his own methods of struggle with the corporate leadership. In the end, the book is about a guy with a story and he tells it well. It is probably not suitable for high school students - they do not have enough experience in the business of design and manufacture - but it certainly is suitable for them later in life when dealing with real world issues.

Personal tale by an insider on the death of British cycles

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-17

This book really puts the reader in touch with the emotional demise of the British motorcyle industry and the self delusions which prevented this fine tradition from moving ahead and competing. Sad, but educational story. Good read, and Mr. Hopwood is an endearing character.

Good combo of historical/technical/autobiographical lit.

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-11

Hopwood worked in turn for at least 4 British motorcycle manufacturers (Ariel, Triumph, BSA, Norton) during the best and other times of the business. While being quite critically-minded towards the management of his employers, the creator of the Norton Dominator and other classics acknowledges the work of other motorcycle manufacturers, in particular that of the Japanese. The sad demise of the British motorcycle industry is commented in a silently amusing way, as far as such is possible. Picture material is interesting also and gains from illuminating captions. To my opinion, a book which is interesting not only for owners and riders of British bikes, but also for people interested in the history of British industry. Easy to read and really good written.

Inside looks into the British Motorcycle Industry

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-05

The book "Whatever happened to the British Motorcycle Industry?" by Bert Hopwood gives an insight in the fascinating field of motorcycle production from the pre-WW II years until the early 70s in Great Britain. It recalls the working life of its author, who was associated with the famous British names of Triumph, BSA and Norton. The book is unique in two ways: firstly, it does not concentrate of the technical side of the bikes. Instead, it is based on a broader perspective. It tells its readers why certain motorcycles were built and why others were scrapped. Secondly, it offers first-hand explanations of what went wrong with the British producers. One is reminded that the so-called 'Japanese onslaught', starting in the early 1960s, could have been prevented, had the British reacted in time with modern features that were already designed (multi-cylinder ohc-machines) or put their focus on smaller bikes being manufactured with economies-of-scale a.s.o.

It is a book that tells the sad history of the British motorcycle industry that once was on top of the world but virtually ceded to exist with the collapse of NVT in the early 1970s. It is seen through the eyes of a key figure, who worked for decades in the field of motorcycle design and production. Anyone, whose interest goes beyond the number of valves used in a certain engine, is recommended to read this book! I suppose it is the only one of its kind that gives that much detailed information on a non-scientific level.

Archetype Design: House as a Vehicle for Spirit

Published in Paperback by Archetype Design Publications (1999-06-15)

Author: Vishu Magee

List price: $24.95

New price: $18.44
Used price: $15.73

Average review score:

Archetype Design

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-01

Vishu Magee has presented the mystical achetypes of Carl Jung in a most readable and understandable fashion. His presentation develops the archetype themes inherent in us all as spiritual beings and demonstrates how we can incorporate those archtypes in the design of our living spaces. Magee explains how we can make our house a vehicle for spiritual growth. He goes beyond simply explaining how these archetypes operate in our lives and everyday experiences. He explains how we and those around us are driven by the archtypes in everyday life and why it is important that we become aware of their existence and influence in our psyche, especially how they manifest in our lives - both outer and inner. Magee includes in the book a comprehensive planning guide that covers every aspect of creating a total environment for interfacing individual, family and community. This is truly a great contribution to spiritual, peronsal and architectural literature.

A Gift of Love

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-20

As I began reading this book, I was struck immediately by what it told me about my own search for my home, both physically and spiritually. If the reader applies Vishu's philosophy of Archetype Design to her spiritual practice as well as building the perfect home, what a wonderful life would be guaranteed.

A spiritualistic tool for your home and your life.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-17

Being the printer of Archetype Design, I have shared this wonderful book with prospective clients for its style and quality. To my delight I am finding they are not just reviewing its physical appearance but reading it for the spiritual content. Vishu is a spiritual guide leading us back to the days of a "Happy Home" and directing us into the future of a home for uplifting the spirit.

Deeply impactful writing on unconscious meanings of "home."

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 1999-11-14

A stunning vision of what a home can be -- far more than a simple utilitarian habitation. Do you cross the bridge from the external world to an expressions of your personal archetypal strength when you pass through your front door? Is your kitchen a place for creating health? Your bath a place for ritual purification -- is not brushing one's teeth a ritual? Does your livingroom invite community and foster interdependence? I could not put the book down. Vishu Magee clearly meditates and has studied the great spiritual practices of the world - it flows through his book like the Jungian collective unconsciousness that is his springboard for rethinking the meanings inherent in `home.'

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