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

The British Motor Industry, 1945–94

by Timothy R. Whisler

Why are there are no major car manufacturers in Britain anymore? Politics? Unions? The fog? Could it be . . . path dependency?

First to Fly: North Carolina and the Beginnings of Aviation

by Thomas C. Parramore

There’s apparently more to North Carolina’s place in aviation history—or lore—than the Wright brothers! A local historian lays it all out.

The Royal Air Force: An Encyclopedia of the Inter-War Years

by Ian M. Philpott

From tactics to equipment, the RAF underwent drastic changes at a time the world was making great efforts to avoid or at least manage conflict. A complex story told in a complex set of books.

Turtle: David Bushnell’s Revolutionary Vessel

by Roy R. Manstan, Frederic J. Frese

This exceptionally well-written book examines what barely amounted to a sideshow during the American Revolution—the first-ever attempt at submarine warfare during the age of sail.

Wittelsbach State & Ceremonial Carriages

by Rudolf H. Wackemagel (ed.)

From the Louis XIV period to Bavarian Swan King Ludwig II and from state coaches to children’s sleighs, these books present a first-ever look at some remarkable confections of stunning craftsmanship in use by the royal house of Wittelsbach.

Cord 810/812, The Timeless Classic

by Josh B Malks

Malks’ attention to detail and style of writing certainly makes it easy to sing the praises of his book. He is a former president of the A-C-D club and the tech editor of their magazine.

Why Has America Stopped Inventing?

by Darin Gibby

On the surface, a patent seems like a patent idea. Patent law in the US is almost 200 years old, and older still elsewhere, but is it the best way to encourage and then protect inventiveness?

Road to Valor

by Aili and Andres McConnon

Winning one Tour de France is hard, winning two harder. Doing it ten years apart is harder still and the book’s protagonist is the only one to have done it. But—trust the title—there’s a lot more to this story.

Kidnap of the Flying Lady: How Germany Captured Both Rolls-Royce & Bentley

by Richard Feast

A catchy title—that makes sense only to people who already know the story. Or think they know. Fact is, it will be another few decades before the material facts of this episode will become unsealed.

Watkins Glen, the Street Years 1948–1952

by Phillipe Defechereux

People who like round numbers will know that the year this book was published—2011—was the 50th anniversary of the first Formula 1 Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. That was 1961, by which time The Glen had been successfully hosting races for over a decade.

Porsche: The Sports Racing Cars 1953–72

by Anthony Pritchard

This book covers Porsche’s air-cooled, rear-engined competition models from the 550 to the 917. It also includes F2 and 1 cars because of their connection to the cars in the WSC Championship and GT Prototype classes but it excludes the 911 (except for the 911R) because it is not a dedicated competition model.

Bandini

by Franco Fabbri & Cesare Sangiorgi

Ilario, that is, not Lorenzo, the ill-fated Ferrari pilot. Ilario (1911–1992), known as “Lili” to his close friends, was a remarkable man who during the course of some 30 years created the jewel-like Bandini sports racers.