Archive for Items Categorized 'History', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

American Cars: 1946 to 1959 and American Cars: 1960 to 1972

by J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr.

Flory’s life is awash in numbers about cars. His dedication to gathering encyclopedic detail about every car sold between 1946 and 1972 is evident in these two 1,000-page (each!) books. No bit of information is too small, and none has been overlooked.

The Roycean: From Manchester to Crewe, via Derby – Vol. 1

The Roycean is a new annual journal containing scholarly articles on the history of Rolls-Royce and (Derby- and Crewe-built) Bentley motorcars up to the 1960s, as well as articles on coachbuilders, dealers, the personalities involved with the cars, individual models of the cars made, and interesting owners.

The Battle of Britain

by Kate Moore

You could go broke buying every single book about the Battle of Britain, and blind reading them all. This one is easy on the wallet, easy on they eyes, and a well-rounded overview. This book’s particular appeal lies in the sensitive weaving together of individual human voices and the maelstrom of history.

100 Years of Flight, A Chronicle of Aerospace History 1903–2003

by Frank H Winter & F Robert van der Linden

Published by the two most prestigious institutions in the field, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, this compendium chronicles in timeline fashion the century of endeavor since the Wright Brothers’ first heavier-than-air flight in 1903.

Merchants of Speed: The Men Who Built America’s Performance Industry

by Paul D Smith

One of the many cultural developments that accompanied the end of WWII was the rising interest (some might say craze) for automotive performance that continues to this day. Read about the automotive visionaries that made it so.

The Bahamas Speed Weeks

by Terry O’Neil

At six years in the making, this book took almost half as long to compile as the event itself lasted—13 years, starting in 1954. It is the first and to date only book to chronicle an event whose importance on the motorsports calendar is difficult to peg.

Sunderland Over Far-Eastern Seas: An RAF Flying Boat Navigator’s Story

by Group Captain Derek Empson

This autobiography is the first account of post-WWII operations conducted by Sunderland flying boats assigned to the British RAF’s Far East Air Force Flying Boat Wing (FEFBW). Empson was 21 and a newly minted RAF navigator on his first tour of duty with just 450 flying hours under his belt.

The Marmon Heritage

by George Philip & Stacey Pankiw Hanley

Marmon approached the auto industry methodically by hiring university trained engineers and building thoroughly tested prototypes. They then designed bespoke production facilities to build the end result.

SM: Citroën’s Maserati-Engined Supercar

by Brian Long & Philippe Claverol

How many cars do you know that were both state vehicle and rally car? The SM was a tour de force par excellence. Or, in ‘Murrican, it was out there, big time.

Abarth: The Man, The Machines

by Luciano Greggio

As with several other automotive histories author Greggio has to his name, this one too ranks among the serious, reference-level literature. It is the story of Alberto Abarth whose name and accomplishments are not nearly as well known as the staggering 7300 races between 1958 and 1971 in which cars built or enhanced by him were victorious.

La Carrosserie Française: du Style au Design

by Serge Bellu

(French) Right from the cover photo the book leaves no doubt that French cars look, well, different. This distinction—and it is a distinction—is as true today as it was at the very beginning of the automobile era.

The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History

by Jack Connors

The title of the book may not be showstopper but the book is commendable on all counts that matter to a reader: it is written in an uncommonly engaging style, introduces new material to the record, makes it easy for the reader new to the subject to develop an interest in it.

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