What are you reading right now?

[Subnuts]

I'm just about finished with the revised edition of Tupolev Tu-95 & Tu-142 in the "Famous Russian Aircraft" series. It's an absolute beast - 560 pages long, with more than 1,300 illustrations. Every single variant of the Bear and every upgrade program is described, along with many unbuilt projects, the design and development phase, and the operational record of both types. It's not exactly a beach read, but I can't imagine there being a more comprehensive English-language book on either type out there.

I enjoyed this book so much I went on a bit of a book buying binge, purchasing the "Famous Russian Aircraft" books on the MiG-17, Mig-19, and Su-24. I also preordered the revised an expanded volume on the Flanker series, due out sometime around Christmas. I'm hoping the books on the MiGs 15, 21, 29, and 31 get reprinted and expanded, too. They've been out of print for years, and demand prices of $400 and more!

[Catfish]

Now reading "Declarations of war" by Len Deighton, not finished but the first short stories are already very good. Short stories about war, but more declarations on war, though they all have to do with it.

After Roald Dahls "Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying" and then Len Deightons's "Fighter" and "Bomber" i thought Deighton's "Declaration.." and "Blood, tears and folly" were some worthy successors.

Also a lot of german war reports of the time, novels, historical stuff, like e.g. Galland's autobiography a.s.o..

I also remember having read one or the other of Deighton's and Dahl's stories in my teen years, back then from a public library. I must say the Internet is phantastic when it comes to finding and re-discovering those special older books

[ET2SN]

For those who remember the old Squadron/Signal books Lou Drendel created, B-52 Stratofortress Illustrated will feel like familiar ground. Partly a re-hash of the older S/S "Walk Around" and "In Action" B-52 titles, this "version" combines those old books while adding a ton of new photos while also updating the narrative to the present day. A new chapter includes NASA's two BUFFs plus their cargos- the X-15 and the lifting bodies.

Lou's illustrations are good but limited, this book features mostly good quality color photographs A lot of photgraphs..
While its explained that "nose art" was actually rare for most of the B-52's history (SAC believed in uniformity over individuality), there are many examples of "nose art" that have appeared on certain aircraft.
For the historian, it should be noted that the B-52 can be a tough subject to work on. The aircraft were built between 1953 to 1962 and many of the darned things are still flying. Questions have a habit of not centering on "who" or "what", but "when" and several misconceptions have taken root over the years.

The book itself is well printed on quality paper. Color photos look accurate, what's gray is the right shade of gray, what's green is the right shade of green, etc. The cover, however, feels slightly thin for a table top paper backed book and collector's may want to store their copy in a zip lock bag.
I bought my copy from Amazon. There is also a Kindle edition but there isn't an option for a hard-cover book.

Highly recommended if you're a "BUFF buf" or a fan of Lou Drendel's artwork and photo collections.

Update: Well, I started skimming the pages and if this book interests you, you may want to cross your fingers and hope it gets a second printing.

The main package is good BUT there are some sloppy mistakes in page and text formatting. The book really needs another pass past an editor or two. What's written is fine, it just might get repeated on another page (whole paragraphs will re-appear for no reason) or a caption for a photo might not have a photo or its obviously the wrong photo. This may not be an issue in the Kindle edition but its definitely worth noting if you plan to buy the printed edition.

[tmccarthy]

Berlin Embassy by William Russell

[Subnuts]

I'm currently reading Tu-160: Soviet Strike Force Spearhead by Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov. You could say I've been on a bit of a Russian aircraft kick lately, as I've also read the book on the Su-24 Fencer by the same authors recently, and I'm still working my way through their history of the Il-28 Beagle.

I also recently read Saturn V: America's Rocket to the Moon, which I recommend avoiding. It's riddled with techical errors, and basically rehashes everything already said in books such as Stages to Saturn and the Haynes "manual" on the rocket. You can read my review here: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2QOUG...SIN=0764354825

[R_Becker]

I'm reading 50 Battles that Changed the World by William Weir, its a nice book about the importance of the battles along the human history.

[Sailor Steve]

Several months ago I started reading Herodotus' The Histories. I had to set it aside for some other books that needed my attention, and last night I picked it up again. Huge amounts of fun by the world's first real historian. Not too accurate, as many will point out, but well worth the time spent.

[ChrisTayeb]

Very nice thread btw, gives many titles, helps out figuring what to read next

The War Below: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan
By James Scott
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Mémoires de guerre
Book by Charles de Gaulle
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The Great Philosophers
By Stephen Law
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The Failure of Political Islam
By Olivier Roy

[Subnuts]

I bit the bullet and bought a copy of Oscar Parkes' British Battleships 1860-1950 for $65. A lot of money, but I'm never going to find a copy of for less, or in as nice a condition as the one I found. Norman Friedman is coming out with a book on British battleships of the Victorian era next month, and I'd love to do a side-by-side comparison of both books.

[Sailor Steve]

I have Parkes' book. It's good, but I like R.A. Burt's three volumes better. Then again, I use them for research rather than just reading. Friedman, on the other hand, is highly readable. I have his first Destroyers and Cruisers books, and the Destroyers volume is downright fun. He talks about Jacky Fisher's tenure as commander of destroyers in the Mediterranean and what he accomplished in that position. He also not only talks about the River class destroyers but unlike any other book I've read on the subject - and I have a few - he tells the story of the experiences testing the new class against the older ships.

Parkes is perfect. Burt is better. Friedman is fun.

[STEED]

Re-reading probably the first account written the unabridged version of..


The Last Days of Hitler

By Hugh Trevor Roper

[Jeffg]

I am reading Battle Surface:

Lawson P. Ramage and the War Patrols of the USS Parche


Jeffg

[Subnuts]

I've been reading Haynes "workshop manual" on the M1 Abrams (yep, another one!) and stumbled across a funny "easter egg" which I'm amazed got past the editors. On page 124 there's a distant photograph of one of the authors standing out of uniform in front of his tank during the Gulf War. And I mean totally out of uniform. You can't actually see anything, but it's pretty obvious the guy is a bit "scruffy" in well..."certain places." You get the picture.

[tmccarthy]

Red Tobruk: Memoirs of a World War II Destroyer Commander by Gregory Smith

[Subnuts]

After two years of delays, Haynes finally published their "workshop manual" for the Astute class. I'm surprised at how good it turned out. Obviously, it's lacking in "hard" details, and the descriptions of sensors and weapons are kind of lacking, but there's still quite a bit of detail in other areas. The sections on communications equipment, the fresh water and ventilation systems, reactor operation, and signature reduction were more in-depth than I'd anticipated. It's also very heavily illustrated with color photographs and diagrams.


My full review, if you're curious:
https://www.amazon.com/review/R3Q5UU...SIN=1785210718