No comments about From My Old Boat Shop: One-Lung Engines, Fantail Launches and Other Marine Delights.

2 comments about Bioaerosols Handbook.

1. The handbook deals with the subject of bioaerosols on a broad but in depth basis. It deals with the practicalities of sampling, calibration and sample assay methods without being too theoretical. It's style is both technical but easy to read and understand, being written by experts from around the world. Each chapter has its own approach giving a refreshingly different perspective of each aspect of bioaerosol analysis. It's really a bioaerosol bible for anyone interested in biological aerosols and $... isn't bad for 600+ pages with a limited circulation. By the way it's brief specifically excluded viruses, so they don't get a lot of text devoted to them compared to bacteria, fungi etc.
   
   It hasn't really dated that much either since 1995 (I am writing in 2006). Indeed even classic texts like 'The microbiology of the atmosphere' PH Gregory: Leonard Hill (1973) still pack in a lot of relevent data - I still love reading this book as well. By the way I wrote the chapter on Modern Microscopic Methods in the handbook - but I get no payment for sales or endorsement and I think the other twenty chapters are great. The pioneering UK image analysis manufacturers mentioned in this chapter are now long gone, so these days try the likes of MetaMorph, Leica QWin, Image pro Plus, Andora Technology and Openlabs image analysis software (they all work on the same basic principles anyway). Plus confocal microscopes, and other new types like TIRF, are now far more widespread in use.
   
   Why not also try a library loan of :
   1. Atmospheric Microbial Aerosols, B.Lighthart, A.J.Mohr, Chapman & Hall, 1994
   2. The Aerobiological Pathway of Microorganisms, C.S.Cox, Wiley Press, 1987
   3. Architectural Design and Indoor Microbial Pollution, R.B.Kundsin, Oxford University Press, 1988
   Or check out the long reference lists in the Bioaerosol Handbook.



2. Considered by some to be THE overview reference book for bioaerosols, it covers their physical aspects, sampling, sample stability, instrument calibration, and multiple measurement approaches. It also describes problems specific to residential and industrial environments, including laboratories, hospitals, animal houses, and the particulars of pollen, fungi, molds, and bacteria.
   
   I'm writing this review in 2005, and some of the material is a bit dated. The review of laser and optical measurement techniques gives some good background, but is no longer state of the art. Nevertheless, it is a very valuable reference for anyone studying bioaerosols for environmental or homeland security considerations.

1 comments about Captured French Tanks Under the German Flag (Schiffer Military History).

1. One volume in a series on German employment of captured equipment--the so-called "booty panzers"--during the Second World War. This is about 50 pages of text and contemporary photographs showing the armor in German service or immediately after recapture while still showing German markings. The illustrations are plentiful and possibly comprehensive. The text includes material on how the tanks were reconditioned, modified, painted and marked and employed by German forces. There are also five drawings and a cover painting to show how particular types looked in German service. Considerable time is spent on any changes to the shape of the vehicle--stowage containers and the replacement of cupolas with hatches, for instance--making the book invaluable for the military modeler interested in the topic. There are other books on the topic outside the series, but this is far and away the best volume I've seen on Germany's use of the 1940 windfall.
   Nits to pick: really very few. Since the work isn't footnoted one doesn't know quite were to go on disputed points: Regenberg says the Renault factory reconditioned captured R-35's. I've also read the opposite. I would have appreciated a bit more on the tanks given to the rest of the Axis. (It's not as though I could reasonably expect CAPTURED FRENCH TANKS UNDER THE ITALIAN FLAG as a companion volume.) Regenberg also seems a bit inconsistent on the fate of the R-35's--all converted for towing vehicles in 1942? Still guarding the Channel coast in 1944?--and he clearly has some sort of early 1945 list of all German tanks, which I wish he would print once and have done.
   All of which said, there is no better volume on the subject, nor likely to be one. Strongly recommended for military modelers and wargamers.

1 comments about deHavilland Mosquito in action Part 1 - Aircraft No. 127.

1. Typical Squad/Sig profile on this famous aircraft. In this case, the focus is on the bomber versions. Lots of pictures with minimal text at a reasonable price. Not alot of detail but a good starting point. Highly recommended.

No comments about Methods of Air Sampling and Analysis.

1 comments about Forest Mensuration.

1. First, let's correct an error. The 3rd edition was published in 1982 by John Wiley & Sons so the date of "February 1993" is not when the edition came out (maybe its when Krieger Publ. took over).

   This is a classic text dealing with all aspects of forest measurements - from individual trees to rather sophisticated forest inventory techniques. It is the ONLY text that contains associated mathematics beyond the basics. It is the ONLY text that deals with metric scale of measurements, especially with point sampling.

No comments about B-17 Flying Fortress (Warbird History).

No comments about Theoretical naval architecture,.

1 comments about Egyptian Boats and Ships (Shire Egyptology).

1. This book comprehensively outlines the latest findings of nautical archaeology with regard to Ancient Egyptian boats dating between the Predynastic to the end of the Ptolemaic period. New boat remains have been excavated at places like Abydos, Trakhan, Lisht and Heliopolis. Interestingly enough, the author includes a fascinating section on the natural environment in Ancient Egypt, which shaped its boat building industry. Apart from describing and interpreting the actual physical boats remains, he also draws on artistic representations and historical sources. The book ends with a look at the place of boats in ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and practices. Recommended for all scholars and interested students.

5 comments about Ultralight Boatbuilding.

1. This is one of two books I recommend as essential reading for anyone attempting to bulid a glued plywood lapstrake boat for the first time. The other book is "The Plywood Clinker Boatbuilding Manual" by Iain Oughtred. There are several approaches to building a plywood glued lapstrake boat, and in my opinion the technique presented in this book gives the greatest chance of producing a high quality, fair hull. This book is not a set of instructions for building a particular boat design, but rather a set of procedures for building ANY lapstrake plywood hull. It is an easy read and has lots of detailed information on tasks that are not generally covered elsewhere, such as cutting a rolling bevel. The technique of using stringers on the mold makes getting the plank shapes right a snap. If you are thinking of building a lapstrake boat, read this book first. It gives a comprehensive overview of the process and may give you the confidence you need to go ahead with the project.



2. I am very happy with the books you have but one of the books on the order came from some one else, I waited 3 extra weeks although I got the confirmation a couple of days apart and then recieved the wrong book. Of course it was the book I wanted the most. I am in the process of returning it now and ordered it from wooden boat publications rather than trying you again. I had my confirmation in under 45 min. and the book will be sent within 24 hrs. That will be today so I will see how long it takes.
   John Paterson



3. This was the first book I purchased on the topic of building clinker ply boats, and I wasn't terribly impressed. If I was building one of the two boats he describes, it would probably be more useful, but it doesn't cover anything about round bilged dinghies. It goes over a flat bottomed skiff and a round bilged but very lightly built canoe.
   
   The author only covers one way of doing everything, and his methods usually struck me as tedious. For example, to spile a plank he clamps an entire 2'x16' sheet of plywood to his building jig and then the shape out from underneath.
   
   I found John Brook's "Building Ellen" article in woodenboat magazine issues number #156, 157, 158 to be more helpful than this entire book. While I don't have John's book, if it's anything like the article it is probably much more useful.
   
   I'd recommend buying Iain Oughtred's book "Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual" instead. It covers a whole variety of techniques, including Tom Hill's, and also covers a much wider variety of hull types (prams, dories, round bilges, etc).



4. I've owned this book for several years and find it to be a very usable guide to building light and durable boats fairly quickly. Having just spent six years of occasional weekend work building a larger plywood boat, I think that Hill's approach is one of the best. He tells you all you need to know about this construction method and you don't need special skills or tools to make one. It is not at all, as one reviewer said, just an ad for Hill's plans. He does offer some that you can purchase at the back, but the majority of the book is about how to build a boat in this method -- setting up the molds, cutting and attaching the planks, etc. Overall, a very good book.



5. I too, was under the impression that I could build at least one boat from this book. I was surprised to find out that I would have to purchase "plans" in order to build any of the craft in the book. Had I been aware of that, I would not have wasted my money.
   (I already know how to build this type of construction.)
   HINT: Read the reviews completely before ordering any of these books.