No comments about Porsche 356: Driving in Its Purest Form.

4 comments about The Wright Brothers: A Biography.

1. Fred Kelly has written the definitive biography of the Wright Brothers, with special emphasis on the 10 years after the first flight. During this time, the brothers worked diligently to explain the benefits of aviation to an unbelieving public and uninterested leaders of military and commercial concerns.
   
   Kelly starts at the beginning, with tales of the brothers as young children and schoolboys, ultimately moving into the world of commerce as circus impressarios, printers, and bicycle builders and repairmen.
   
   By the late 1890's they had selected aviation as a hobby, and started their annual pilgrimages to Kitty Hawk for several months each year to perform experiments. Only after 4 or 5 years of gliding and kite flying, was manned flight considered. By working long hours in the bicycle shop and minimizing all expenses, they were able to pursue this unusual hobby for several weeks each fall.
   
   The obstacles were legendary, but the brothers persevered, usually by arguing (in a friendly way) between themselves, then reading every book on the subject in the Dayton public library, and then, developing new theories and experimental methods. In this way, they broke new ground in fluid dynamics, control and stability, motor construction, and propeller design. For example, they discovered that published tables of data on wind dynamics were wrong, so they built a wind tunnel to generate better data. The brothers had a unique ability to solve problems by applying a sound scientific approach and by going about it in an honest midwestern approach.
   
   Those of us who were at the centennial did not hear the story of how little publicity the 1903 flight received. The press and public were either unbelieving, or unable to distinguish between flying dirigibles and heavier than air self propelled planes. Only after several public demonstrations with flights exceeding one hour did the popular press come to understand the importance of this development.
   
   Kelly's book is unique in its access to Orville Wright, as they were old friends and Kelly consulted extensively with him, writing this book in the 1940's. After Wilbur died, Orville focused on building the various Wright companies around the world, fighting patent infringement suits (including Curtis), and endless battles with the Smithsonian Institute.
   
   The Smithsonian story is told here in great detail, as Orville still sought for the historical record to reflect his view, now universally accepted. The Langely plane (Langely was the director of the Smithsonian) never flew; in fact, it crashed several times in the Potomac in 1902-03, and had obvious design flaws.
   
   Amazingly, Glen Curtis was allowed to attempt experiments years later with the Langely plane, while he had litigation pending over the Wright patents. Curtis made major modifications to the plane, and got it to briefly fly, thus attempting to weaken the Wright patent claims. For years, the Smithsonian stubbornly insisted that the Langely plane was historically significant, and snubbed the Wright brothers, who retaliated by displaying their planes in other museums.



2. Fred Kelly did a wonderful job in bringing the story of the Wright Brothers to the public in this birgraphy. He starts us off by showing us the environment that the brothers grew up in and how the two had a curious and experimential nature about them. We are then shown the methods they had used in their experimentations for developing their flying machine. We can even feel the edge of competition as Samual Langly makes his attempt at manned powered flight only a day before the brothers and is met with failure.

   It has been 100 years since that magical day on the North Carolina Outter Banks, and Kelly manages to bring the experience back to us to relive. This is also an excellent book for children to read. I highly recommend it.




3. Considering that Fred Kelly's biography was first published in 1943, the text has a surprisingly contemporary style and its underlying research is up to today's high biographical standards. There is little hint in the reading that the book is so dated. What will never get old is the fantastic story of the Wright Brothers.

   Kelly begins with a brief history of the brothers' childhood, with parents who nurtured creativity and the quest for knowledge. They were the kind of kids who were fascinated with how things worked. Their interest in flight began when their father bought them a small rubber-band-powered toy kite. That interest slowly grew to a sideline obsession as they matured and began earning a living with their Dayton bicycle shop. They gathered and studied everything they could on the science of flight, including the works of Langley, Chanute, and Lilienthal. This led to the construction of gliders capable of holding a human passenger, with which they began methodical testing to understand aerodynamics and the nature of pressure on wing surfaces. To accomplish this in more efficient manner they invented the world's first wind tunnel, and patented wing warping and ailerons.

   Eventually satisfied with their glider, the Wrights graduated to attempts at powered flight. When their motor didn't seem up to the task, they scratch-built their own. The culmination--after years of tinkering and learning--was the successful and historic flights at Kitty Hawk in 1903. The Wrights had ushered in a reasoned, scientific approach to the quest for man-flight. They had accomplished the impossible in virtual isolation, without financing or institutional support. They embody the can-do American ideal of independence and ingenuity.

   What is almost equally fascinating about their story is what Kelly chronicles after the 1903 flights. The patriotic Wrights immediately foresaw the military potential for the flying machine and wanted America to benefit from their invention. But in 1903 man-flight was considered impossible. It took four years to convince the War Department that they weren't crackpots. It was nearly five years before the general public caught on to their accomplishment. And after others, such as Glenn Curtiss, began building their own planes--and infringing the Wright patent--it seemed to consume the rest of Orville' and Wilbur's lives to prevent history from being rewritten. They became embroiled in nasty feuds with Curtiss and the Smithsonian Institute over credit for their inventions and the right to claim first to fly.

   While Kelly does an excellent job at presenting the case in favor of the Wrights, who undoubtedly deserve the admiration and gratitude of mankind--he was a personal friend of the Wrights and I'd like to read other viewpoints on the legal aspects of their later battles. Kelly may have been too close to render an objective and balanced picture of them. The brilliant brothers did seem to be a couple of characters. Oddly, there is no mention in the book of involvement with women. Were they a couple of male spinsters? --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of BIG ICE and WAKE UP DEAD.




4. A great little book. A must read for every airplane nut!! Wilbur and Orvill Wright show that common sense, Perseverance, and an unshaking belief in the scientific method overcame all obstacles to prove that man could fly while others with more funding and education failed completely. A true American Success Story

5 comments about The Great Dirigibles.

1. Reads like a novel, with enough detail to inform and intrigue and enough good writing to interest. No axes to grind, no unedited overwriting. Just history the way its supposed to be. It left me enjoying everything I read and wishing for just a little bit more: perhaps the true definition of a classic.
   
   The only thing it might have wanted was a few more photographs, but that's what coffee table books like the Time-Life Giant Airships are for, and this isn't one of those.



2. This is one of a relatively few books covering the aviation history of the dirigible, or rigid airship. In the last century it was pioneered by the Germans, then experimented with by other nations. It ended with the Germans as well when the Hindenburg exploded in front of newsreel cameras. Most books look only at the Hindenburg disaster, ignoring the crashes of the R101, Akron, Shenandoah and others. Toland tells the story of them all, including accounts of ten disasters. It will soon become clear to any reader that the airship had more 'tragedy' than 'triumph' of course. It is a wonder they lasted as long as they did.
   
   The only fault I found with this book is that Toland devotes all his efforts to telling individual stories. These are necessary and interesting, but more attention could have been given to other aspects of the matter, such as parallel aviation developments or political events.



3. Good book high in personal details, but lacking in technical insight, basicly describes, a series of airship disasters from individuals personal point of view. Good general reading but not if you want to understand the reasons behind the headlines.



4. Most books on airships are written by specialists, experts, or those who had a part in the development of the great dirigibles. John Toland is a interesting exception, an extreamly accomplished author who turned his attention to the subject. This book is a re-titled (and only very slightly re-edited) version of his book 'Ships in the Sky' from the fifties. Due to the original publication date, he was able to interview many of the principle figures in the stories, most of which took place in the twenties and early thirties. Most everyone is familiar with the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, but this book will introduce them to many other facinating accounts. He covers the R101 disaster, which was the British avaiation equivalent to the Titanic. Also included is a excellent account of the Italian 'Italia' drama at the North Pole (get Wilber Cross's 'Disaster at the Pole' if who want a book entirely dedicated to that event). Also covered is the United States Shennendoah, Akron and Macon crashes. Perhaps the highlight is a minute by minute (more like second by second) account of the Hindenburg crash.



5. This is the first book I have ever come across that painstakingly details the demise of airships. Toland has recreated conversations and personal details from countless sources and testimony. Each accident and triumph is covered in detail. I loved this book. It is a must-read for any airship enthusiast.

5 comments about An Illustrated Guide To Gas Pumps: Identification And Price Guide (Illustrated Guide to Gas Pumps: Identification & Price Guide).

1. While I would like to see more real pics, the drawings do a fine job of identifying the various pumps. Think the glossary could be expanded to include more terms. All in all, I am glad to have the book in my library.



2. We were very disappointed with the book. We were hoping it would have pictures of old gas pumps and how they should be painted. All it shows is old gas pumps but most are black and white and seem to be drawings instead of actual pictures.



3. The book was done very well. It was a great help to me in getting started in the collecting of Gas Pumps.



4. This is an excellent book to provide information, model identity and value of old gas pumps. We have used this book to identify and purchase many pumps. It goes with us on every exploration. I highly recomend it to anyone interested in buying old pumps or just haveing a interest in them.



5. This book has been a great help to me for identifying and costing pumps that I might want to add to my collection. Nothing published to date even compares.

3 comments about Horse-Drawn Commercial Vehicles.

1. the cover of this book is very appealing to me, so I might be disappointed by the contents. but, on the contrary, when looking inside, I was amazed by the quality. In Germany there are very few books on carriages and coaches and, as far as I know, none about commercial. those available are either on luxury coaches, actual sports vehicles and some few containing carriages for personal transport, either mail or private, museum descriptions and reprints of old books. I am positive that I own more than 80 % of all there is on the subject. so it was natural starting to look abroad, and I must be careful not to try to get everything all at once, since temptation is there with so many superb books on the market. to my opinion, this one belongs to the best there is, but I admit having been lucky this far since up to now all were exceedingly good containing exactly what I had been looking for. and at reasonable price, too.



2. A fun and informative little book. Most insightful on pre motor transport technology. Most fascinating for those interested in history or in Horse drawn Transport.
   
   Some of these little carriages, such as the double decker omnibus and the tree transport, blow the mind in regards to the genius of our forbears in how they applied the technology they had. Then there are the dump wagons.
   
   A must for any library of anyone interested in pre-motor technology.



3. A unique book covering vintage horse drawn vehicles of the 19th century. Besides the well written text, I found the illustrations, photos and diagrams amazing in their detail. There are over 250 illustrations. Truly a wonderful reference for anyone into antique transportation history.

No comments about Warman's Lionel Train Field Guide, 1945-1969: Values and Identification (Warmans Field Guide).

5 comments about Winchester: An American Legend : The Official History of Winchester Firearms and Ammunition from 1849 to the Present.

1. One more of my top books for the value on my list. I am still learning about guns form these books.



2. This book is an eye opener for sure! Okay it is a coffee table book rather than a serious reference work, but hey, you cannot deny the shear luminous beauty of the photography and the well thought out layout and design. There is good info to be had as well, this book is a 'faster' reference than Madis' work and leaves you hungry for more. Well done Mr Wilson, I will be buying more of your work!



3. the next best thing to owning a winchester rifle itself.
   
   excellent in every respect and well recommended.



4. Just the pictures in this huge volume are enough to make it worth thumbing through, but the written information is tremendous and the author manages to cover all connections to Winchesters' Fathers, including John M Browning, my personal hero (other than my Father, Uncle, Grandfather and all other veterans of WWII and Korea). Probably not all the information on Winchester firearms and ammo history but all that I can absorb and still have a social life.



5. Beautiful to look at. Not heavy in the way of company or technical history, but what a great coffee table book. Costly - if you can find it - but wow!

1 comments about The Great Book of Harley Davidson.

1. This is a huge and heavy book, well printed in Indonesia on what seem to be top-notch materials. Except for a bit of excessive contrast in some of the old black & white illustrations, you really couldn't ask for higher production values. The work is a repackaging of two earlier works, "Harley Davidson, a Way of Life, a Hundred Year Old Myth" (2002) and "Harley Davidson, Evolution of the Myth" (1999), which in turn seem to be related to a number of similar titles published by the same authors in English, Spanish and French over the past ten years. But none of that detracts from the current title, at least for those who, like this reviewer, don't already own the earlier works. If this is an English translation, it is a fluent one.
   
   The first third of the book goes over the history of the company and its products - even bicycles! - in good detail, with extensive photos of personalities, machines and even period literature. The photos are generally very good or better, and they alternate between close-ups, detail shots and typical advertising brochure-type product overviews to maintain your interest. There are many, many other Harley books that cover this same ground with equally good photography, but I am not aware of any which actually do a better job.
   
   The accompanying narrative seems to be equally comprehensive and balanced, although I've not yet read it all carefully enough to say how accurate it all is with any certainty. It certainly seems to be well done, though, and I found the parts I read interesting as well as keyed in well with the nearby photos.
   
   The remainder of the book, however, really makes the whole project for this reviewer: The authors have not only a love of beautiful restorations and classic, factory-stock Harleys, but also a passion for the infinite variety of "customs" that Harley owners and professional builders have churned out in great numbers over the past half-century or more. The illustrations chosen run a fantastic gamut from the bizarre to the beautiful... well illustrating the creativity and individualism which have come to be identified with this quintessentially American marque.
   
   Does this review sound like something written by the stereotypical "outlaw biker" or Harley fanatic? Well, no, actually... I've ridden "most vroom for the buck" Japanese bikes and über-practical BMWs for most of my life! But unless you have no soul at all it's impossible not to appreciate the Harley as both a riding "experience" - pretty unique until quite recently, when the Japanese finally got their American-style V-Twin clones "right" - and as an art form and starting point for individual expression - for which H-D is still unmatched. This book, by two French admirers, very admirably conveys the feeling so many have for Harley-Davidsons of all sorts... and will encourage a lot of new purchases!

5 comments about The Art of the Motorcycle (Guggenheim Museum Publications).

1. This book is a must have for the serious motorcyclist who wants to somehow broaden her two wheel horizon. It is also a very stylish reminder that many innovations are 60 year old ones. While pictures are of high quality and the prints very good, I can only regret that this particular selection of motorcycles may be seen by some as The ultimate bike park. It is not! A true exhibition catalog, the book remains unique: I do not know of any other printed material of this quality, show-casing motorcycles in this manner.



2. This is a nice "coffee table" book about their recent exhibit. As a rider since '59, I couldn't wait to get into the text, which is divided by time periods.
   Alas, the print is a super thin, "artsy" typeface, very faint and grey colored- not a rich, easy to read, black Courier, for example. And the white space is excessive; they could have increased the typeface size by 4 or 5 points and still have more than enough border on each page!
   Conclusion- a fine book marred by it's designers to make it less readable and useable!



3. Museums, exhibits and the books devolving from them only hint at the mysteries they purport to show but rarely reveal. This is particularly true of exhibits of things that move, whether airplanes, cars and motorcycles on one hand, or people on the other. Once mummified via restoration and encapsulated in historical review, these lively subjects lose their kinesthetic value and become dessicated.
   Within the limitations of those realities, here is a book that is endlessly fascinating and pleasing, replete with photos that while technically excellent are for the most part static and thus devoid of context. The essays, although pleasant, lack edge and passion, thus failing to evoke the adrenal glands (which operate at high levels when pushing a motorcycle to the limit).
   The descriptions of the machines, from knowledgeable masters such as Kevin Cameron, capture the essence of what the designer tried to do and how well he (no known female motorcycle designers, but correct me if I'm wrong) hit his target.
   This is a book to which one can return again and again with pleasure. For a rider who has survived (I confess, in context, that I'm the survivor of 1.6m miles on two wheels) and ridden any of these wondrous devices, the book is a channel back in time that the book conveys magnificently.
   It is to the credit of the Guggenheim and the sponsors, such as BMW, that the show/book could be produced and could demonstrate to a wide public the fascination of motorcycles and riding them.
   Even non-riders, who have seen motorcycles on the road or who may know motorcycle enthusiasts, will start to comprehend the addictive fascination that possesses riders who can't stop. If you are persuaded to ride, please wear the best gear you can afford, get training and realize that roadcraft only comes from mileage undertaken humbly but decisively, the kinesthetic realities no book, however good, can convey.



4. This book contains a good overview of motorcycling history, but its claims to fame are the wonderful photography and the high production values with which it was printed. It is a wonder to think that the photos are of bikes that actually exist today.

   If you are searching for something to give to a person you know who enjoys riding motorcycles, who used to ride or who dreams of one day riding this is a can't miss gift. I received my copy as a gift two years ago, and I still enjoying reading it.




5. more than onehundred pages of motorcycle history, culture and sport,hundreds of high quality pictures with more history on specific makes & models. this book 'll look very "chic" on your coffeetable. . must be the finest in it's kind. ( & at 1/2 the expo price. .)

No comments about 2008 Collector Car Price Guide.