This is not a full review , just a few brief notes to help anyone wondering if they need to buy a copy.
The history of plane making was pretty much undocumented until 1968 when the late Bill Goodman wrote a brief introduction based on his researches so far. This was followed by an enlarged second edition in 1978. The format was the same - a historical survey followed by a checklist of known makers.
As more research was done a third edition became possible and Jane and Mark Rees produced this in 1993. That third edition - much more extensive than its predecessors - was the reference source most wanted by plane collectors as it was the only way to find out more about who made a plane, where and when. In the last few years it became a rare collectible itself, with copies fetching over £100 on the used book market.
As soon as it was published, collectors and researchers were adding to the available information. They submitted pictures of maker's marks not included in the book, or studied particular makers or centres in more depth.
And so, the fourth edition is bigger than its predecessors and contains many more entries in its checklist of makers - there are now more than 2400 listed.
Also, the introductory chapters have been expanded and provide over 160 pages about the trade, the different types of planes and how they were made.
The maker listing has life-sized photographs of thousands of marks, alongside brief histories. Some of these now include photos of examples of planes, catalogue listings and other historical information.
Overall, it's an improvement on the third edition in every way, with one factor above all others - it's actually possible to buy a copy, at a sensible price. So if you think you might like one, order it now.
A few pictures:
A chunky book, 684 pages.
sample history pages
There's more about British metal planes than before
These are some of the wonderful plane maker's planes belonging to Andy (Tools'n'tat) as discussed in goodman-4th-edition-t62220.html
Here's a page with extra details of a rarity
And here's one of the new entries about a living legend
There's more info at the publisher's site here
http://astragalpress.com/books/9781931626446
and the book is available through all normal channels.
I should mention that I do know Jane Rees and some of the other people who have contributed information to this book, but they have not asked me to write this review. When I say "Just buy it" that's my own unbiased advice!
The history of plane making was pretty much undocumented until 1968 when the late Bill Goodman wrote a brief introduction based on his researches so far. This was followed by an enlarged second edition in 1978. The format was the same - a historical survey followed by a checklist of known makers.
As more research was done a third edition became possible and Jane and Mark Rees produced this in 1993. That third edition - much more extensive than its predecessors - was the reference source most wanted by plane collectors as it was the only way to find out more about who made a plane, where and when. In the last few years it became a rare collectible itself, with copies fetching over £100 on the used book market.
As soon as it was published, collectors and researchers were adding to the available information. They submitted pictures of maker's marks not included in the book, or studied particular makers or centres in more depth.
And so, the fourth edition is bigger than its predecessors and contains many more entries in its checklist of makers - there are now more than 2400 listed.
Also, the introductory chapters have been expanded and provide over 160 pages about the trade, the different types of planes and how they were made.
The maker listing has life-sized photographs of thousands of marks, alongside brief histories. Some of these now include photos of examples of planes, catalogue listings and other historical information.
Overall, it's an improvement on the third edition in every way, with one factor above all others - it's actually possible to buy a copy, at a sensible price. So if you think you might like one, order it now.
A few pictures:
A chunky book, 684 pages.
sample history pages
There's more about British metal planes than before
These are some of the wonderful plane maker's planes belonging to Andy (Tools'n'tat) as discussed in goodman-4th-edition-t62220.html
Here's a page with extra details of a rarity
And here's one of the new entries about a living legend
There's more info at the publisher's site here
http://astragalpress.com/books/9781931626446
and the book is available through all normal channels.
I should mention that I do know Jane Rees and some of the other people who have contributed information to this book, but they have not asked me to write this review. When I say "Just buy it" that's my own unbiased advice!
