No comments about COLLECTING THE CONFEDERACY: Artifacts and Antiques from the War Between the States.

No comments about US Navy Submarine Patch Guide: U.S. Navy Ships and Submarines.

1 comments about Uniforms of the Waffen-SS Sports and Drill Uniforms 'Black Panzer Uniforms'.

1. This third book in the collection of the "Uniforms Of The Waffen-SS" deals with with the panzer uniforms (2/5 of the book), the camouflage uniforms (2/5) and the special uniforms (concentration camps, Sipo-SD, female auxiliaries). I think this one is almost as interesting as the first book and the famous "Camouflage Uniforms Of The Waffen-SS" (the "prologue" of the present "trilogy" about the uniforms of the Waffen-SS) : the whole camouflage chapter is an update to the next release :Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-Ss : A Photographic Reference. (Schiffer Military/Aviation History)
   Since the release of that book, a lot of collectors around the world contacted M. Beaver, to update the topic. Surviving examples, and war photographs are therefore added on that book.
   After the camouflage uniforms, three different and usually not studied topics : the "SS-Totenkopfverbände" - concentration camp personnel, the Sipo-SD troops (usually known as the "Gestapo" in most of the continental Europe), and the female auxiliaries.
   The variety of topics make that book a very important addition to the collection. Highly recommended !

No comments about Official Price Guide to Military Collectibles: Sixth Edition (Official Price Guide to Military Collectibles).

5 comments about Mauser Military Rifles of the World.

1. While it has a few errors and can't go into as much depth as one would like on any given rifle, this is still the most complete overview of military Mausers available, and a must have for any collector's library. No one book can do it all, but for general info and quick identification, this one is hard to beat.



2. I enjoy the information this book gives. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I wish some of the info was a little more detailed. All in all a great reference book.



3. This, the Fourth Edition, is the best yet. All-colour, with additional features such as tables of production runs by manufacturers within countries enhances the value of this book to the student of system Mauser.
   
   The photographs are in the main of high quality and the crests and markings have been enhanced by skilful techniques which show off the (sometimes) faint markings.
   
   A worthy reference to supplement the works by Olson and Smith.
   
   C Forsyth



4. I had hesitation to buy this book reading other reviews; but I am positively surprised when I received the book 4 days ago, and just be really happy with it. It is NOT a book to cover the technical details of mauser rifle design; that one should refer to the book by Olson. Robert Ball did a wonderful job to cover so many mauser rifle versions and its derivatives across the world, and cross-referenced as much as he could. Of course, if any one focuse on the mauser rifles in a particular country, he would probably find this book lacking the depth. With so many countries/models, it is no surprise that the situation can be very confusing; and Ball did a damn good job sorting through; and every single page is for color pictures!



5. This is the most comprehensive work on Mauser style rifles I have seen.
   It covers rifles made from all over the world. If you are into Mauser Rifle history, this is the book for you.

1 comments about Illustrated Catalog of Civil War Military Goods: Union Weapons, Insignia, Uniform Accessories and Other Equipment.

1. I am a collector of Civil War relics and this book is a must have.

No comments about Elite: The Special Forces of Indonesia 1950-2008.

5 comments about Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction: The 14th Century.

1. I am new to making armor, but not so much to metalworking. This book gets you started on techniques (although a few could have a little more attention), and has terrific sections on measuring and padding. The illustrations and photos are a big bonus, and most are helpful to some extent. Overall a great example of a master passing on some of his knowledge to the apprentices of his craft.



2. Good book. BUT compleatly failed to mention safety glasses. These are IMPORTANT. you need to get a good pair and wear them when you are working in your shop. unless you think you will look good with a eyepatch.



3. I have yet to find a better book for armoring. Nearly every fundamental is covered.
   
   Tools, stock, techinque, buying tips, and even history is covered.
   
   The Maille section is somewhat lite but there are other books that are fully dedicated to that discipline.
   
   It's worth every penny. You can't go wrong with this book.



4. This is a book on how to build armor. Tools, techniques, materials, workspace needed, cost estimates are all part of it. I make leather armor for re-enactors, so much of what was taught here was not directly applicable. However, there are chapters on how to measure, pattern, and cut. These are useful even if the material used isn't metal but leather. There are even some basic instructions on leatherworking. Overall, a pretty straightforward work. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in armor construction, collecting, or re-enacting.



5. This book is an awsome read, very interesting and the info on constructing armour is just incredable. Every aspect is covered even lining the armour to make it more comfortable, if you are intersted in medieval armour this book is second to none.

5 comments about Hunting Warbirds: The Obsessive Quest for the Lost Aircraft of World War II.

1. "Hunting Warbirds" paints the picture of a world few of us have traveled. I'm not talking about the deserted, frozen shores of Greenland, but the inner sanctum of the realm of warbird salvage. Living here are wealthy collectors, skilled restorers and daring pilots, each with a unique perspective and inner driving force. It's a small world that those of who attend airshows and read "Air Classics" don't often get to see in detail. Hoffman walked in their ranks and absorbed enough of their passion to coherently relate it. He lived though the same privations and fed off the same energy that keeps those die-hard warbird salvors working 18 hours a day, seven days a week at a remote recovery site. For me, it was a rare view of a world I will never be privileged to experience. Some reviewers have criticized Hoffman for technical errors. I suppose they are valid critiques, but I really think they miss the point. The book is more about the people than the planes. Though you certainly can't separate the planes from the warbird fanatics, Hoffman gives us a sense of what makes those guys tick. I for one enjoyed the hell out of it. Given the look we get, only the most techno-pedantic could fail to forgive the author for a few errors. That said, I hold back one star because so much more could have been included. Instead of a wall mural, we got a small canvas. After ingesting "Hunting Warbirds" I hunger for more.



2. Piston-engined aircraft of WWII are among the most fascinating and important artifacts of the 20th century, part of some of the most intriguing history of war and humanity that affected millions directly and indirectly. It is not surprising that they evoke passion and obsession.
   This book attempts to describe the passion and obsession, but its disjointed, episodic and disintegrated form works against it and the technical errors are annoying. Reviewer Collins (see his review) correctly identifies the core problem: the author does not seem to have considered his audience(s). If he's writing for knowledgeable aviation enthusiasts, his lack of depth, poor research and many errors are a turnoff. If he's writing for non-flyers, he doesn't provide enough background information on the many wonderful flight museums and collectors around the world to frame the subject adequately (his superficiality about, say, Kermit Weeks, is a huge disappointment, as just one glaring example). If he's writing for readers who enjoy literature, his lack of polish is a disappointment--much of the book reads like a first draft. It seems that Hoffman's approach to flying is skewed to the gee-whiz and away from the magnificent, mysterious realities of aviation.
   Offering credentials like AIR & SPACE and SMITHSONIAN doesn't induce confidence in the reader. Both these publications often use materials from staff or stringers that are deeply disappointing and too often read like the work of somewhat talented amateurs, matched by editorial positions that seem to be issued--without justification--ex cathedra. If Hoffman had written for AVIATION WEEK or FLIGHT JOURNAL one could be sure of its quality.
   If some genuinely competent pilot-writer could approach this subject--someone like, say, Walter Boyne or Richard Bach--it would result in an important historical document with breadth, depth and authenticity. Such a work is urgently needed. Sadly, HUNTING WARBIRDSA is not that book.



3. I think this book was terriffic. Of course there are going to be some mistakes in the technical areas of the planes...the author never claimes to be an expert of every part of every plane that is covered...get over it. The book lets everyone have a small taste of a hobby (or addiction) that isn't available to eveyr person. I'd love to own a ME109, but can't. I like to read about the salvage and saving of these wonderful machines, and I think this book does a marvelous job of doing that. If you are reading to get a 110% account of airplane facts, buy a manual. If you want a story of a dying part of American history and culture, read this book.



4. I thought this a great book. It seems that a new generation of writers that often publish in the outdoors magazines like Backpacker or Outside are discovering the WW II eccentrics who are well known to us, their sons and nephews, as being the aviators and mechanics of the past who won the air war over Japan and Germany. As a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, these men were our former mentors and role models. We went where we were sent and didn't question the duty or the reality of it all. Later, after finishing my tour in the Army, I flew the bush in Alaska, and this book reminded me of my early days on the North Slope, flying a Bell Jet Ranger with a seismic crew in the Colville River Delta. I was the furthest west chopper pilot during those spring months of 1969, and about the third youngest Army pilot to arrive on this edge of the Arctic Ocean. We flew around Prudhoe Bay and astonished many of the old bush pilots with our know-how and amount of flight time at such a young age. The B-29 story made me reminisce about those months up there, when anything could happen and did. Lot of fun and a lot of misery! Somehow, one has to go through these extremes in a swashbuckling manner to relate to these early aviation stories before GPS and much safe devices came about today. Good reading and a great young writer is Carl Hoffman.



5. My immediate enthusiasm for this story waned pretty quickly, under the influence of Hoffman's many errors of fact, so disappointing from one with his aviation credentials. Such obvious and simple errors, which should have yielded to even the most superficial research (You're standing there in front of the engineýJust count the cylinders, fer Chrissakes!), cast a nagging doubt over everything else he has to say. And why the hokey cloak-&-dagger act concerning the obsessive collector "somewhere in the midwest"? The Walter A. Soplata Collection in Newbury, Ohio was written up in Jon Allen's "Aviation and Space Museums of America",
   and has been known among warbird buffs throughout the world for more than a quarter-century!

No comments about Uniforms of the Waffen-SS 1942-1945 Ski Uniforms, Overcoats.