Reviews (6)

Absolutely the best single volume reference on the market!
After having purchased hundreds of reference books on AFV's over the years, this is the book I keep going back to the most. From WWI up through modern, the sheer amount of information included is staggering, especially considering it features many designs you will not find in even more focused collections.
Superb work for those interested in classic armor
As was indicated in a previous review, if you need up-to-the-minute data on modern Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), this is not the book for you.However, that is just about its only weakness.
More coffee table than reference
I'm a big fan of anything Chris Foss writes, publishes or edits. His facts aren't always spot on - his deadlines for publication obviously have him rush and cut corners. I purchased this book in December 2003 and have spent many hours flipping the pages. Overall - I enjoy owning and reading this book.
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Subjects:  1. Armored vehicles, Military    2. Automotive - Miscellaneous Vehicles    3. Encyclopedias    4. General    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. Military    8. Military - General    9. Military Science    10. Tanks (Military science)    11. Sale Books   

Reviews (1)

GPS for Mariners
This was a most disappointing book. It was not at all helpful and basically a waste of money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Artificial satellites in navig    2. Artificial satellites in navigation    3. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    4. Global Positioning System    5. Military Science    6. Navigation    7. Satellite Communication Technology    8. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    9. Technology    10. Transportation    11. Boating    12. Sports & Recreation / Boating   

Editorial Review

Attention landlubbers: If you don't know your port from your starboard, tacking from jibing, then you need to experience clear sailing with the Dummies. With the usual cargo of good humor and demystifying tone, this mast in the Dummies armada lifts the fog on confusing nautical language, teaches the basics about maneuvering a sailboat from dock to open ocean, floats important safety information, and offers advice and info on a variety of related issues (knots, racing, sailboards, how to buy a sailboat). Whether you want to learn to sail or just talk like a sailor, Read more

Reviews (16)

Sailing for Dummies?That's us!
We are buying our first sailboat and needed to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.This book is easy to follow and really is very helpful in helping the reader to get a solid understanding of what is what and how it works and what to do.I also found it entertaining and humorous.We will give this book a prominent place of honor in our new boat and will refer back to it often.If someone wanted to learn to sail, this is the first book they should read.

Not the best for THIS dummy.
The authors have maybe a bit too much expertise and experience to effectively write for "dummies" like myself.Somehow after reading this, I had just as many questions as before.Part of the problem is this book is way too comprehensive, covering such topics as sail-boarding.I would rather have had more in depth explainations of the basics and more diagrams/illustrations.

Well-organized and incredibly useful
Hard to beat this book if you're just getting your hands on the mainmast for the first time.A wealth of info on every topic you'll need to know, presented in pictures and entertaining quotes and headlines.There are sections that deal with all the tricky details of actually getting the boat out of the dock and into the open sea, as well as a crucial section on what to do if, well, your sailing experience doesn't exactly go as planned.Pay attention to what the Islers say here-- you'll protect yourself from the most common (and often dangerous) mistakes beginners make if you've barely dipped your feet into water, and you'll improve your skills to a surprising extent even if you're more advanced. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Sailing    2. Sailing - General    3. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports & Recreation / Sailing   

Editorial Review

In April 1943, a young physicist named Robert Serber stood up before a small group of fellow scientists in a laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and, as one attendee later recalled, began to speak in "a hazy, uncertain voice" about the project on which they would all be working. "The object," he said, "is to produce a Read more

Reviews (10)

Excellent Intro to atomic weapons
Originally composed of brief notes presented to newly arrived scientists at the Los Alamos research site, then released to the public shortly after WWII, Serber has gone back and added two types of extra material: 1) Additional physics discussion, and 2) some interesting history of personalities and WWII from the point of view of the Los Alamos scientists.
Great book on the physics of the bomb
This is a truly exciting book for people with the desire to understand bomb physics. This book consists out of the original lecture notes from a series of seminars given in 1943 to the bomb scientists at the start of the Manhattan Project. These lecture notes are clearly annotated so that a layman can understand the bomb. Although the book discusses mainly the knowledge of 1943, the clear annotations of the author comments also on the advances since 1943. Excellent!
Excellent book, it takes a bit to stick with it, but the modern day excerpts/perspectives threaded into the book give it a good historical perspective. This is a good combo to go together with Richard Rhodes "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and "Dark Sun". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Atomic Physics    2. Atomic bomb    3. Biography    4. History    5. Los Alamos Scientific Laborato    6. Manhattan Project (U.S.)    7. Nuclear Physics    8. Nuclear Warfare    9. Physicists    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. United States    13. Atomic & molecular physics    14. History / General    15. History of science    16. History of specific subjects    17. Nuclear weapons    18. Ordnance, weapons technology   

Subjects:  1. Computer networks    2. Electronics in military engine    3. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    4. Information warfare    5. Military Engineering    6. Military Science    7. Military telecommunication    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Security measures    10. Technology    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Telecommunication (Engineering)    13. Telecommunications    14. Communications engineering / telecommunications    15. Weapons & equipment   

Reviews (7)

Brilliant
This book is brilliant. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the rigging of ships. Perhaps not so useful in the real world today, but full of great information and lots of practical knowledge should you find yourself stranded on a Nineteenth Century bark with no one else who understands rigging. Also beneficial for those who enjoy building ship models. A very excellent volume to have on your home library shelves with which to impress your friends and neighbors, too. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

A Time Machine to the Age of Sail
When you open the pages of "The Art of Rigging," you step back in time over two hundred years. The language herein is that of mariners of the days of wooden ships. You must learn the language to fully appreciate the treasure that is this book. The Art of Organization
This is a great book poorly organized. I had heard allot about this book from within the wooden, model ship-building circles, and when I found a copy was dissapointed. Primarily, for the retail price, I was expecting allot more book, allot better organized, with much better plates, for allot less money. I decided to wait until I found a inespensive second hand copy and did so for a measely AUD$$$ in perfect condition.Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. General    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Masts and rigging    5. Ships & Shipbuilding - History    6. Transportation    7. Transportation / Ships & Shipbuilding / History    8. Water sports & recreations   

Reviews (3)

Mercruiser Stern Drive, 1964-1991 (Seloc Marine Tune-Up and Repair Manuals)
This is a very useful and informative manual. I will continue to use it for years to come.

Saved A Few Dollars
This book did help me to change a water pump in the lower unit successfully.It was
More detailed information needed
The first thing that I needed this book for was to replace a broken belt.The belt is in a difficult place to get at in the engine.This book does not even address HOW or The STEPS to replace this belt.I was dissapointed; however, the rest of the information in the book looks helful should I need to use it in the future. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - General    2. Boating - General    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Inboard-outboard engines    6. Maintenance and repair    7. Outboard Motors    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    10. Ships & Shipbuilding - Repair & Maintenance    11. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    12. Technology    13. Transportation    14. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (2)

for readers outside EW field
EW101 is a compilation of articles published in the Journal of Electronic Defence, over several years. The level of treatment is semiquantitative. The basic methods in areas like jamming, decoys and simulations are expounded. Readers with an undergraduate background in engineering or science should be able to follow the text. People already in the Electronic Warfare field will find the discussion pretty elementary. But Adamy is writing for those outside the field.
Excellent and very useful!
This book is an excellent reference for those profesionals or specialists who are involved in the Electronic Warfare (EW) world. It's also useful for those who want to learn more about this interesting, complex and important subject. As it can be demonstrated thru the history of the EW, it has played an important role in the military actions related with the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (communications, radar, Infrared, laser and more). I strongly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Electronic Warfare    4. Electronics in military engine    5. Electronics in military engineering    6. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    7. Information Storage & Retrieval    8. Military Science    9. Radar    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Electronics & Communications Engineering    12. Military engineering   

Reviews (1)

A Great Overview
By all accounts, this book should have received 5 stars. It's well written, richly illustrated and covers, albeit superficially, the history and problems the earliest mariners faced as they ventured beyond the sightof land into the trackless sea. Although the book lacks a certain depth(it's only 144 pages), Whitfiled uses an economy of prose to make a numberof excellent bullet points as he walks us through the history of charting.It's also refreshing to see that while he may advise his readers thatcertain theories have been advocated about how the mariners of the pastfound thier way across the seas, he makes a point to say there is noconclusive proof to support a particular claim; he simply gives his readersthe facts and correctly assumes we can use our own judgement to evaluatethese theories.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cartography    2. Charts    3. History    4. Maritime History    5. Nautical charts    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Map making & projections   

Reviews (3)

Excellent technical history of German Uboats
Excellent history of German Uboats.Highly recommended. A few more structural drawings showing engineering development would be nice.

FROM GARY MANSFIELD - TYPE XXI
This book is worth the money! The U-Boat : The Evolution and Technical History of German S
I purchased the book "The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines" used [...]several months ago. The book was translated and published by the Naval Institute Press in 1981 (Hard Cover, 384 pages). The Original book by Eberhard Rossler has been published several times in Germany. The last publication was in 1996 by Bernhard & Graefe Verlang and the title is "Geschichte Des Deutchen Ubootbaus," Band 1 (Volume 1) and Band 2 (Volume 2) Hard Cover, 550 total pages, plus an additional 19 folded blue print sheets in the back of the books.Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military    4. Military - Naval    5. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    6. Germany    7. History / Military / Naval    8. Maritime history    9. Naval forces & warfare    10. STUDY NOTES - SparkNotes    11. Ship design & naval architecture   

Reviews (12)

must have for boaters
excellent and thorough - a real compliment to the spec sheet and manual provided with the engine.Good maintenance tips that were not included in the original manual.

Compton's book covers the basics, but barely
I bought Compton's book based on an ad in [...], a rather heavy duty marine diesel oriented web site. I already had Nigel Calder's marine diesel book and was somehow expecting more, but got less.
this book could be an art book its so beautiful
Wow.........Ok so recently I bought an excavator with some engine trouble,not a sailboatand am and a complete novice at all things related to diesel engines,this book is one of three that I bought , its very easy to understand and the illustrations are fantastic the layout is also very plesant. I read lots of technical books on many different subjects and this book has to be one of the most thought out in terms of explaning a complicated subject to some one with little to no experience,in mantaining an engine.If you had no interest in diesel engines this would still make an excellent coffee table book , as you could read it for a few minutes and learn something or just brouse the lovely pictures.I am thinking of getting a few more copies to give as gifts .thanks ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Internal Combustion Engines    3. Maintenance and repair    4. Marine diesel motors    5. Sailboats    6. Sailing - General    7. Ships & Shipbuilding - Repair & Maintenance    8. Small Craft Maintenance And Repair    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Transportation    11. Boating    12. Engines & power transmission    13. Ships & shipping: general interest    14. Sports & Recreation / Boating   

Reviews (7)

A Good Knot Book
This book gives clearly illustrated instructions on tying many very useful knots.It organizes them under headings of Sailing, Hiking and Climbing in which they are most commonly used.The author includes the strength of most of these knots which describes how much they weaken the lines in which they are tied - often leaving less than 50% of the original strength of the line!Some knots do not hold well when bending (you will learn the definition of this term, as well as "hitch" and "knot") together two ropes of unequal size. Maybe you should use a different knot?Budworth has a suggestion!
A nice introduction to the world of knots...
I bought this book for my husband for Christmas, and we've both come to like it very much. Neither of us are "knot aficionados", as it were, but wanted a book which would allow us to explore some knots we might need in our outdoor activities (horseback riding, camping, sailing, etc.) As the beginners at knotmaking we are, this book has proven to be excellent for us. DO NOT, Repeat DO NOT buy this book
There are better books for the beginner or intermediate. DAWSON'S book is nice, so is the MORROW BOOK OF KNOTS. Neither suffers from the deficiencies of Budworth's book. The faults include:Inadequate, minimal, poorly-written textual instructions;VERY poor illustrations, possibly even errors, make it very hard to figure out how to do the knots;A choice of hard-to-read sans serif type faces, make the text hard to read;Surprising omissions of some of the most useful knots. For example, the Marlinespike Hitch is a quick (1 second or so) way to put a temporary loop around a tool handle or rod anywhere along a line, to give you a 'handle' to pull on.; The author is purportedly a world-class expert on knots. Unfortunately, he is not an expert on putting a book together, and allowed his name to be put on something that reeks of a slopped together 'pastepot' job.Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Hiking    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Knots and splices    5. Outdoor Skills    6. Reference    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Sports & Recreation / Outdoor Skills   

Subjects:  1. Automatic control    2. Automatic tracking    3. Electronics in military engine    4. Electronics in military engineering    5. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    6. Industrial Technology    7. Military Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Target acquisition    10. Technology    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Military engineering   

Reviews (9)

A Great read
I am beginnig to learn about model ship building. I have bought several books on modeling and wooden ships. It seemed that the more I read, the less I learned, UNTIL I purchased this book. I gives more details, more information, and more additional resources than anything I have found thusfar.
Broad But Not Deep
This book is more of an introduction to ship modeling than a comprehensive volume.It might be appropriate as (one of) the first book(s) one reads on the subject, but is not sufficiently detailed to live up to its highly ambitious title.The chapter on gunnery fittings is the most detailed, but still can't impart the detail and volume of information available from other sources.The author communicates his palpable enthusiasm for the hobby.This, combined with the broad but somewhat thin material he offers, will stimulate readers to further and more detailed exploration of ship modeling.This book is a good choice as a gift for someone (early teen or older) who may be interested in the field.

Take a "Bow"...
I'm all new in the modeling wooden ships game, though I have been fascinated since my early childhood and grew up working plastic aircraft models. I always saw wooden modeling as the Holy Grail and finally decided to get on with it. I was captivated at age 7 watching the Cpt from the "Ghost and Mrs Muir", seizing lines and tending to his ratlins whilst educating the youngest boy about the moral to-do's and don'ts.Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Models    5. Ship models    6. Ships    7. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    8. Crafts & Hobbies / Models    9. Model boats & ships   

Reviews (28)

Packed With Info
This book is very good I must have read it 3-4 times the first month I had it and picked up tips each time. It is well written, easy to understand, as I have never built a boat before, still havn't but hope to this winter. Excellent intro to a project like this.

A very handy technical back stop!!
This is a very useful book in terms of getting a handle on wood strip kayak construction. It is well written, concise and clear. It suffers from some unfortunate americanisms (eg material suppliers, wood types, etc). There are also some areas like staple-less construction that are not covered deeply enough - but overall a fine addition to the books in this space.
S. Halgrimson
I have found The Strip-Built Sea Kayak an interesting book.I have not been able to build a boat yet but plan to this spring. I have graphed the forms and found the book to explain it well.I hope the rest of the boat goes as well as the forms did. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Boating - General    3. Canoeing    4. Design and construction    5. Kayaking    6. Kayaks    7. Physical Education    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Canoeing & kayaking    11. Education / Physical Education    12. Shipbuilding technology & engineering    13. Woodworking   

Reviews (9)

All You need
If you want to build a greenland kayak then this is all you need. Instructions are clear and not wordy. It also has sections on making paddles and paddling clothing. The style shown in this book has slight deviations from the original greenland technique but he specifically states all the changes. I built a kayak from this book with my only help being a second pair of hands, and i am only 15. The boat was exactly to his designs and it is fast, fairly stable, and responsive.

Terrific book with lots of details and pictures
This is a terrific book.I bought Robert Morris' book on Skin on Frame building and had many questions.Chris Cunningham's book provides lot of details and answered my questions.Both books compliment each other and since I do not know much about this process, I consider both required reading before I build.
Great detail and instruction
This book was great for a novice builder like myself. The intructions were clear and easy to follow. I like the way the instruction passages started with the result intended followed by detailed instructions.
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Subjects:  1. Design and construction    2. Kayaking    3. Kayaks    4. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Water Sports    8. Woodwork - General    9. Canoeing & kayaking    10. Ship design & naval architecture    11. Sports & Recreation / Kayaking   

Reviews (5)

Germany's Panther Tank
This book provides an excellent technical and developmental history of the Panther. The author has obviously done his research on this vehicle. The book is well worth the price.

Panther Tank in extreme detail
The ultimate guide to the Panther Tank, is full of detail acounting the progress from drawing board to final version of this extremly well designed battle tank of world war two. Excellent for detail for the modeller keen on fine detailing the Panther Tank in any of its versions. Great read and some fine drawinings of all the Panther Tank models built during the war.
This Panther Book is worth the price
Panther Tank the Quest for Combat Supremacy" represents over 20 years of research on the Panther and will remain for some years the definitive single volume study of the development history of the Panther tank.
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Subjects:  1. History: American    2. Military - World War II    3. Military Science    4. Panther (Tank)    5. Technology & Industrial Arts    6. European history: Second World War    7. Germany    8. Military vehicles   

Reviews (2)

Expect more from a $96 book
While Mr. Adamy may be an expert, apparently these books were thrown together a little quickly.Read the text and all will be well.Follow the example problems in the back and you're headed for a train wreck.When he works the problems they are frought with mistakes, big, blatant mistakes.For someone trying to learn EW the first time these are huge confidence deflators.Find an independent source to check your answers.

clear descriptions of measure and countermeasure
This book is the logically titled sequel to EW 101. The style is the same. Namely where very intricate and specialised maths and engineering is deprecated. What Adamy has done is reduce a problem down to the minimum physical model that conveys the essential information. This lets a reader, who might not be an engineer in the electronic warfare field, understand what the various measures and countermeasures are about.
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Subjects:  1. Electronics in military engine    2. Electronics in military engineering    3. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    4. Military Science    5. Optics    6. Radar    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Military engineering   

Subjects:  1. Computer Simulation    2. Military Engineering    3. Military Science    4. Reference    5. Technology & Industrial Arts    6. Yearbooks & Annuals   

Reviews (7)

Ulysses ina world cruising power boat
Although I have never ventured beyond the horizon -- fish for blues out to 25 miles offshore--- I have been fascinated with the modern equivalents of Homer's fabled voyager. This book brings Homer's world-travelling explorer into the 21st century. Make no mistake, this is not a tale of imaginary voyages, but an eminently practical guide for those who would cross oceans
Ocean Going Motor Yachts for Newbies
This is an excellent book for readers who are interested in learning about ocean passages in small motor yachts.Author Robert Beebe explains why these boats are superior to sailboats for comfort and stability, and explains the naval architecture principles that make these vessels his preferred choice for crossing oceans.That might sound dull, but it isn't.The combines practical tips on how to evaluate and/or design boats with basics on seamanship and plenty of war stories to lighten the text.The clear message is that, using this class of yacht, anybody willing to learn the basics of boathandling can learn to become an ocean passage-maker.Whether that's your dream (as it is mine) or you just want to read about it, this is a lively and enlightening book.

The best
Voaging under power is the best naval book I ever read. It is a must to all interested on passagemaking. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Naval architecture    3. Ocean travel    4. Passagemaker (Yacht)    5. Ship Design And Construction    6. Ships & Shipbuilding - Engineering    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. Transportation    10. Yacht building    11. Yachts and yachting    12. Maritime / nautical trades    13. Motor / power boating & cruising    14. Shipbuilding technology & engineering    15. Sports & Recreation / Boating