I've been wondering if the book by David Fletcher "Landships: British Tanks in the First World War" from 1984 is worth getting. Perhaps the more specialized books like the one by the same author of the Mk.I and the Mk.IV are better investments? Do any of those titles bring good scale drawings? thanks for the guidance!
I have it in my library. I'll confess I don't use it regularly but that's my mistake. It has perhaps been supplanted by David's later writings, but so long as you don't pay over the odds for it I'd say it's still worth having.
Thanks! Perhaps the newer "The Great War Tank Owner's Workshop manual" is a better investment for a book on the overall technology of WW1 tanks? I'm not that interested on operational history, and perhaps the Osprey titles seem to have more on that.
I have all of Mr. Fletcher's books on World War I tanks. Landships is OK, but when it comes to the rhomboidal tanks, there isn't a lot in there that you can't find in his Ospreys plus his Haynes Workshop Manual. If it was one or the other, I'd get the Hayne's Workshop Manual, as it contains lots of internal photos of surviving vehicles that you won't find in Landships.
On the other hand, Landships covers the non-rhomboidal vehicles too, which neither the Manual nor the Ospreys does. If you have the folding money, I'd get the Landships book too.
Thanks James! Long time since we last met (virtually!) Glad to hear from you again.
I finally settled buying a couple of the Osprey titles (Mk.I and RR armored cars) plus a couple of those old "Discovering..." related to the British Army horse carriages and the XIXth century carriages. I also bought one about WW1 tanks of all types by some other author (whose name escapes me now) but I bought it because... it was cheap!
Oh! How interesting! Now tell me, gentlemen, who would be interested to invest in this wonderful and very promising project? I'm sure that we can win millions with this business enterprise! Just send your money subscriptions promptly to my bank account (or preferably, cash) and we'll get this enterprise running swiftly soon enough!
Edit. 10/11/13: Seeing that my clumsy attempt to humour yesterday has been received by a deafening silence, perhaps I should add something about the characteristics of this Mr. Pennington that I have mentioned... while he was one of the first to think on an armored fighting vehicle, he was also a shady character who had some skill on getting money out of investors, and then run away! Here's a link to a journal clipping that makes a semblance at his colorful career...
-- Edited by d_fernetti on Friday 11th of October 2013 04:29:30 PM
-- Edited by d_fernetti on Friday 11th of October 2013 04:31:19 PM
Yes, War Cars is terrific. Nothing better on the subject IMHO.
Gwyn
Just a brief acknowledgment to say that I've received yesterday this very book "War Cars" and I'm dazzled. Thanks for the advice, guys! Now I have to find drawings and photos of the Pennington cars....
Yes, War Cars is terrific. Nothing better on the subject IMHO.
Gwyn
Just a brief acknowledgment to say that I've received yesterday this very book "War Cars" and I'm dazzled. Thanks for the advice, guys! Now I have to find drawings and photos of the Pennington cars....
What can I say Pennington was an entrepreneur maybe he genuinely thought the ideas had merit, on the other hand maybe he was taking advantage... what you can be sure off is the ideas were mostly hot air
It seems to have been a fairly normal event though in the fledgling car industry if I remember right there was one "inventor" in the USA who patented the automobile before the technology made it practical, his patent was never proven in that no prototype was built but for years anybody who wanted to built a car had to pay him royalties or be sued..... and they did pay...