Customer Reviews

Merlin-Powered Spitfires - Warbird Tech Vol. 35

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The information contained in this book is better than many of the WarbirdTECH series, and it is a valuable reference on the Spitfire.

However, it is very poorly written. The author never uses one word where three or more can be crammed in--and sometimes uses the wrong word (a severe case of Thesaurusitis). The grammar is often poor, and occasionally terrible. These faults make the book a very difficult read, and they are not merely due to the differences between British and American usage and style. That the editor chose not to work with the author to correct these problems is unfortunate, as the book could probably contain twenty-five percent more information if the editor had done so.

If you need a succinct guide to the Spitfire, this book will do--but you will find the reading like wading through a swamp: one stumble, trip, and slip after another. [...]

Mr. Darling had chosen a fascinating, albeit challenging task: describe a legend of the air in synthesis, given the restricted space of the book. In my opinion the task is successly accomplished, especially considering the good amount of technical infos delivered to the reader, i.e. all main difference between so many marks. Surely some chapters on genesis and combat use could be wider, but I like very much the technical analysis so well described, in both authoritative and straightforward manner. A good addition to many other books on the "Spit"!