“Form follows function,” as it has been said; when that form enters the realm of Art, we have something timelessly memorable.—Iain Oughtred Albert Strange (1855-1917) was an accomplished artist, teacher, yacht designer, sailor, and writer, and he left his indelible mark on all these fields of activity, with levels of accomplishment, modesty and humour which have endeared him to so many, from his own lifetime to the present day. In this book, first published in 1990 by The Albert Strange Association and long out of print, John Leather provides a biography of Strange and a commentary on many of his designs. The book also includes: Drawings of 27 yacht designs; an appreciation of Strange the artist; a selection of his cruising yarns reproduced in facsimile from The Yachting Monthly of a century and more ago; an updated selection of recently located images of his paintings; and photographs of Strange yachts afloat today. This is the first of two volumes originated by the Albert Strange Association and to be updated and re-issued by Lodestar Books, and it deserves a place on the bookshelves of anyone who appreciates the design and enjoyment of the classic British cruising yacht, and the 'complete' example of humanity represented by Albert Strange.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 210 x 275 mm

Publication Date: 06-03-2015

The third of George Millar’s masterful sailing and travel narratives to be republished many decades after their original appearance. On the face of it, this voyage from Lymington to the Riviera should not be noteworthy, but this is a world recovering from war, and the author a man ‘incapable of writing a dull sentence’. As Peter Bruce states in his Introduction, “One soon becomes captivated, as one always is, by George’s unusually acute powers of observation and his ability to ascertain and record exactly what was going on at every stop… George Millar’s accounts of his adventures are always like a box of jewels each giving dazzling pleasure and glorious entertainment, and never better than in this deservedly revived book.” George Millar DSO, MC (1910-2005) read architecture at Cambridge.He became a journalist, first on the Daily Telegraph, then as Paris correspondent for the Daily Express. During the war he joined the Rifle Brigade, was captured in North Africa, escaped from a German POW camp and returned to England via occupied France and the Pyrenees, later recording these events in Horned Pigeon (1946). He returned to France as an SOE agent to work alongside the Resistance, an experience he described in Maquis (1945), and for which he was awarded both the Legion d’Honneur and the Croix de Guerre. After the war Millar and his wife Isabel farmed in Dorset, and made a number of voyages under sail in Baltic and European waters, and the Mediterranean. Three of these were recorded in books: Isabel and the Sea, Oyster River (both reissued in recent years by Dovecote Press) and A White Boat from England.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 288

Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm

Publication Date: 03-07-2015

Dr Thomas Harrison Butler was a skilled, yet amateur, designer responsible for some hundreds of classic English cruising yachts which still grace our seas. Cruising Yachts, his design manifesto, first appeared in 1945—the year of his death—and last appeared in print in 1995. This long overdue Fifth Edition has been produced in collaboration with the Harrison Butler Association, and is a complete re-setting of the original text, drawings and mono photographs, documenting in detail HB’s approach to the design and equipping of a yacht, providing an annotated catalogue of notable designs, and including a biographical portrait by HB’s daughter, the late Joan Jardine-Brown. New for this edition are a modern gallery of colour photographs of HB yachts, and a thoughtful and illuminating Foreword by the late Ed Burnett, who was our foremost designer of modern yachts in the classic English idiom.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 184

Publication Date: 04-09-2015

By producing the A300-the first twin-jet, wide-body airliner in the world-the European Airbus consortium succeeded in joining the league of leading aircraft makers. The path was both rocky and exciting. Filled with detailed text, including historical, technological, and flight information, as well as colorful photos, this volume provides a fascinating insight into the history of commercial aviation. The first aircraft designed, built, and sold by Airbus, the A300 airliner debuted in 1974 with Air France and was in constant service throughout the world. Among the many past and present airlines flying the A300/310 are Air Hong Kong, Air France, Air India, American, China Airlines, Eastern, EgyptAir, FedEx, Finnair, Iberia, Korean Air, Pan Am, SAS, UPS, and many others. Though it is no longer produced, examples of the aircraft still fly today.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 144

Dimensions: 229 x 229 mm

Publication Date: 30-04-2021

The Boeing 737 is undoubtedly one of the best known of all passenger aircraft and has been built in greater numbers than any other commercial aircraft in the world. There are few airline passengers of the last decade who have not yet flown on one of these aircraft. More than 10,000 examples have been built in all its variants-an unbelievably high number for an airliner. This book describes the aircraft's early development-from the first concept drawings in the early 1960s to construction, testing, and first flights-to the present, with exciting photos, drawings, and information from the Boeing company archives. From the 737-100 through to today's 737MAX, all versions are covered in detail, including its use by many of the world's airlines, including Air France, British Airways, Delta, Easyjet, Lufthansa, SAS, Southwest, and many others.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 144

Dimensions: 229 x 229 mm

Publication Date: 30-04-2021

Though it barely missed being caught and destroyed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Navy's USS Enterprise (CV-6) aircraft carrier took part in every major action of the Pacific War, from the Doolittle Raid to the battles of Midway, Santa Cruz, and Guadalcanal to the Philippine Sea and Leyte. Affectionately known as the "Big E," as well as as the "fightingest ship in the Navy," the Enterprise racked up one of the most impressive tallies of damage to the enemy of any Allied warship during WWII. This book explores Enterprise's design and construction, wartime activities, and ultimate postwar decommissioning and scrapping through carefully researched photos, many of which have never before been published. The clarity and large size of many of the photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, put the reader on the deck of this historic warship throughout its famed history.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 128

Dimensions: 230 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 28-11-2020

Founded in 1953, the US Air Force Thunderbirds flying-demonstration team has performed in air shows in the United States and around the world. The team is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where it has been honing its skills since 1956. This book details the origins and early formation of the team, as well as describing the different model aircraft that the team has flown during its nearly 70-year history-F-84 Thunderjet and Thunderstreak, F-100C Super Sabre, F-105B Thunderchief, F-4E Phantom II, and T-38A Talon, to the present-day F-16A Fighting Falcon-mirroring the development of US Air Force fighter aircraft during this time. The book also presents graphic and photographic descriptions of some of the team's signature maneuvers that are performed during a Thunderbirds air show, in stunning imagery.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 144

Dimensions: 230 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 28-11-2020

Currently, Wellington suburban train services are operated by Matangi electric multiple-units, all virtually visibly identical. But as recently as 2011 there was a wide variety of electric units in use, as well as one set of locomotive-hauled carriages, providing a much more colourful and varied operating fleet, including colour schemes of an earlier era. This was not by deliberate planning: it was rather that a lack of timely decisions on new stock had led to hurried re-introduction of previously withdrawn multiple-units and locomotives. This book tells the story of this era, with an emphasis on the variety of equipment and liveries that could be seen up until 2012. The story is lavishly illustrated with photographs illustrating the visual diversity within this period.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 64

Dimensions: 210 x 145 mm

Publication Date: 21-09-2020

First flown in 1963, the Boeing 727 was skillfully designed to outclass its competitors and remained without a direct rival for nearly two decades. This jetliner was capable of being operated from short, unimproved airfields, while requiring minimal ground service equipment. In flight, it was a dream--fast, efficient, quiet, and comfortable. Although this book is about an airplane, it is as much about the people at Boeing who were undaunted and took the financial risks necessary to build a truly outstanding machine. Readers will learn technical aspects of the 727, along with taking a close look at the brilliant minds and reasoning behind the design through personal interviews and examining archival data. For the hobbyist, a model-building chapter is also included, which covers techniques for both first-time and experienced modelers.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 352

Dimensions: 215 x 279 mm

Publication Date: 28-09-2020

In July 1944 the Allies were stunned by the appearance of the Messerschmitt Me-262, the world's first operational jet warplane. This new German fighter was more than 100mph faster than any other aircraft in the skies. Although always greatly outnumbered, the Me-262 gained scores of victories over Allied fighters and bombers, and by the end of the war, many of the Luftwaffe's greatest aces had clamored to be in their cockpits. No wonder military leaders believed that if it had been introduced earlier, this jet could have changed the outcome of the war. Sharks of the Air tells the story of Willy Messerschmitt's life, and shows how this aeronautical genius built many revolutionary airplanes - not excluding the Luftwaffe's mainstay, the Me-109 - and culminating in the Me-262. It describes how his various warplanes fought in Spain, Poland, France, Britain, the U.S.S.R., and over Germany, and it provides thrilling accounts of air battles drawn from combat reports and interviews with veterans. This book also shows how Messerschmitt - like other geniuses such as Porsche, vonBraun, and Speer - was affected by cutthroat Nazi politics, and describes his intense rivalries with other aircraft designers. It reveals aspects of his life never before made public, including his love affair with the beautiful Baroness Lilly Michel-Rolino, a rich aristocrat who left her husband to live with Willy. And finally it shows how in World War II Messerschmitt believed he was loyally supporting the Fatherland, until he realized too late that Hitler was a madman. Like many of the technical innovations of Nazi Germany in the war, production arrived too late in order to change the final outcome. If Messerschmitt had been given free rein from the start, however, Allied air superiority might never have occurred.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 408

Dimensions: 152 x 228 mm

Publication Date: 15-08-2020