Doughboy to GI: US Army Clothing and Equipment 1900-1945 [Hardcover]

Kenneth Lewis (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Aviation Books (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0952152304
• ISBN-13: 978-0952152309
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate quick-reference source for WWII American militaria!, May 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Doughboy to GI: US Army Clothing and Equipment 1900-1945 (Hardcover)

The amount of detailed information, photographs, variations and minutiae on American military issue items from 1900-1945 could likely fill an entire room. The beauty of Lewis' book is that it succeeds as a reasonably thorough quick-reference guide for the major items of clothing and issue gear for the U.S. soldier from 1900-1945. Highly recommended for beginner and "expert" alike. Handy reference for dating, placing items in your collection or on auction. As stated in previous reviews, do not buy for specific areas - you will not find exhaustive treatment of any one item, but neither is this a cursory "quick buck" hash you will find on the discount aisle. Color photos would have helped, but probably made the price even more prohibitive. Very well worth the price. Recommended!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Its Kind, February 12, 2001

By 

Clark Burdine (Petersburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doughboy to GI: US Army Clothing and Equipment 1900-1945 (Hardcover)

I find Doughboy to GI to be one of the best books ever done on this subject. I have dozens of volumes on this and related subjects and do not hesitate to recommend Doughboy To GI to anyone in the collecting and reinacting communities. I personally own two copies and it is one of only two titles I have ever carried as new items in my shop (The other being Stanton's WWII Order of Battle).

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book unless you are a specific, serious collector., October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Doughboy to GI: US Army Clothing and Equipment 1900-1945 (Hardcover)

This book covers such a huge subject: *everything* military from WWI and WWII. Who buys these books? Well, only people who have a keen interest in military things from these eras. Most of these people are specifically interested in a narrow subject and/or era and they are looking for previously unpublished information to add to their usually extensive database. Oh, well, they are going to be disappointed I think - I was. I'm a collector of gas masks from WWI to modern, so I have a lot of specific (arcane? useless?) knowledge on gas masks. This book has a section on gas masks but it's like all the other sections -- incomplete. This subject alone could fill 1/3 the book!

If you are looking for a really interesting and well researched book on general militaria, this one can't be beat. If you are a serious collector of certain specific items or eras, don't buy this book, it will only frustrate you. Maybe if you are a uniform collector since it seemed to focus on this subject more than others, but a serious uniform collector might point out lots of missing information.

The same is true of the weapons section. There is a photograph of each weapon with a label, but no real information, especially if you are trying to determine anything specific about a certain type or era weapon. When and where were they produced? What serial numbers were shipped and used in what branches of the military, etc.

Summary: The information in this book just wasn't in enough detail for me in the sections I bought it for -- gas masks and small arms. I bought it sight unseen on a recommendation and while it's a very high quality book full of pictures and information, it wasn't for me. Oh, and the dummy used to model the hats and uniforms got downright annoying eventually. This sounds stupid, but it had the goofiest grin on it's face!

It DOES have an original ink signature of the author on the inside of the front cover which is cool.