Customer Reviews

The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: From World War I to the Present Day

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This is truly a complete encyclopedia of Tanks from WWI to the Present Day. I own the Christopher Foss encyclopedia (Nov. 2002) and this encyclopedia is a lot more updated than that volume. For example, there is a lot more information and more recent photographs on the latest Chinese MBT, the type 98 tank. This volume also describes the latest Merkava Mk 4 tank. The most recent Russian tank, the type 90 is given a lot fuller treatment.

What I enjoyed the most are the wonderful photographs / color plates and descriptions for each tank and AFV. Notable tanks are given a feature article, such as the Panther, the Sherman, the Centurion, the Challenger I, the Abrams Tank, etc. I really enjoyed some of the feature articles that described the combat performance of these notable tanks. For example, for both the British Challenger I and the Abrams tanks, there was a brief feature article about how each performed during the 1st Gulf War.

Besides covering tanks, this reference also describes the various armored personnel carriers, light tanks, motorized gun carriages, along with specialized vehicles.

It is truly a monumental work. Tank buffs and modelers will love this reference!

Do not be decieved by the title, it has tanks, trucks, armored cars and armor of all types. It is a very good reference book for the collector or historian. Lots of stat and photos and drawings. Covers a lot of vehicles, First class all the way.

I purchased this book several years ago and I must say it is the very best in its descriptions and information on military tanks. Both my son and I are interested in military history, primarily WWI and WWII. I purchased this book for my son not only as a book for entertainment, but for reference and academic reasons. Both of us use it often to enhance our knowledge on particular tanks. The book is detailed enough and has excellent photos and supporting material for each tank, along with enough historical information to keep anyone's interest. It is a heavy book and thick and the price is justified by the quality and the degree of information it contains. My son was 10 years old when I purchased this and he had no problem reading or understanding it. He is now 15 and can from memory remember intricate details about various tanks where he can hold conversations with experienced military tank personal. Our next investment will be visiting the various tank museums in the USA. This is a book we will keep forever in our library so it is to us a real investment.

"The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: From World War I to the Present Day" it's a great book with nice photos aimed not at tanks experts but mostly for those who just want to know more about the history and evolution of the tanks and armored fighting vehicles.

This is a big book. However a little confusing. Why are Jeeps and vehicles like them in this book and Self propelled artillery like the M109 not? They show a TAM tank and call it a Leopard, an M41 and call it an M48. The text is good however the reasearch is questionable given what I mention above.

Two outstanding references are top picks, packing in pages of value for their price tags and providing a wide-ranging history. Chris Bishop edits ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TANKS & ARMORED FIGHTING VEHICLES FROM WW I TO THE PRESENT DAY (159223626X): an exhaustive reference that may appeal to general readers, but is a special pick for military collections. Over 300 tanks and vehicles are presented in a pairing of vintage and action photos and detailed drawings, with descriptions including extensive and in-depth service histories of specs and tanks.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Excellent reference resources. Good pictures and discussion. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the development of armored vehicles.

My husband is infatuated with army tanks (and anything else related to)from WW I and WW II. There is not a week that goes by that he is not reading about the war or watching the Military Channel. If you have any interest in the war, this book is very informative and the photographs are very well preserved. Educational at best!