Boeing 737 - 300 to 800 (Airliner Color History) (Paperback)

by Robbie Shaw (Author) "Although the 737 had already proved an unqualified success, the concept of the series -30 was basically to improve on what was already on offer..." (more)
Key Phrases: current livery, new generation series, launch customer, Next Generation, British Airways, Maersk Air (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Though the Boeing 737's original design dates back to 1967, it is the six series introduced since 1981 that have become the planemaker's bestselling civil jetliners. This new color history examines the design, production and service histories of the 300 through 800 Series 737s. Backstage at the Seattle-based manufacturer's facilities, readers are treated to an inside look at the changes made to each variant and technical specifications. Color photography also shows 737s at rest and in flight, dressed in colorful liveries from around the globe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press (July 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760306990
• ISBN-13: 978-0760306994
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,171,774 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 6 in The Airliner Color History / Airlife's Airliners Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Photographic Look at the Boeing 737 300-800, December 13, 1999

By	Christopher Dennis (Augusta Ga) - See all my reviews

This book gives a nice overview of the 737 300-800 series of aircraft. There are numerous pictures of the 737, which allows the reader to see the airplane in the many different colour schemes of the operating airlines. A chapter listing the detailed production history of this series (300-800) is also included, but it is rather boring as it is displayed in a chart form. I also found this book to be somewhat lacking in techinical information, and the developmental history of the airplane. The books' strengths lie in its wonderful colour pictures, but would be better if it included a little more on the history of the development of the series.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Pictures, LackingText, July 4, 2004

By	Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I needed a general book for some background history on the 737 program. Having read other books from this series (notably the Birtles L-1011 book, the Endres A-300 book, and the Laming and Hewson A-320 book), I ordered this volume in connection with research I am doing for my Master's thesis. In comparison to those other volumes in the series I found this book lacking in detail and accuracy in some cases. The author apologizes right off the bat for this claiming that due to the number of aircraft built, he was unable to be comprehensive in the book. Though the book allegedly covers the B-737-300-800 series, it really focuses on the 300-500, as the NGs were just starting to come off the line when this book was written. There are very few photos of 600-800 series aircraft, and the ones that are here are in Boeing paint or primer. There is essentially no coverage of the -900 to speak of, other than mention that it exists.

If you want to look at color pictures of 737s, this is the book for you. It is really a photo book with a bit of text, rather than an in-depth look at the aircraft. Certainly do not expect any serious discussion of systems here. There is a lot of redundancy between the sections of the book as well: prepare to be told the same information repeatedly, rather than have new information revealed as you progress through the book. There are also several inaccuracies in the book.

I have flown several models of the 737, and my estimation of the book is that it's OK for easy to look up facts, such as launch dates, first flights, etc., but do not rely on this book for technical information. There are even parts of the book where the author is unsure of his material and just leaves the doubt and indecision in the book instead of actually finding out the correct information. For example, in a discussion of painting the aircraft he reveals that the 737s are covered in primer at Renton then flown to Boeing Field for painting, except for the rudder which is painted prior to flight. He explains that the rudder "is finished in customer livery prior to being fitted to the aircraft. This has something to do with the weighing of the aircraft which affects the trim" (p. 16). Two points here: his understanding is close, but no cigar; and second, if you are writing a book that technical people are going to read, call Boeing and ask them why the rudder is painted first. This is not the only gaffe of this sort, but it illustrates the problem.

The coverage of the accidents is spartan, and also contains errors. The book predates the ruling on the UA 585 and US 427 accidents. He does mention that the rudder is suspect (to his credit), but beware that the book contains no real authoritative information on the rudder or those accidents.

Anyone who knows me well knows that of all the airliners I have flown (A-320, DC-9, MD-80, B-727, B-737, B-747-400, B-757, B-767, and L-1011) that the B-737 is hands down my least favorite for many, many reasons. Having said that, I gave this book a fair shake, but it simply came up short. The book largely reads like Boeing corporate propaganda: it seems much more biased than the other books in the series which I have read. It is also the book with the least amount of concrete information on the subject aircraft, and contains more inaccuracies and tenuous information than the others do.

Like I said before, if you for some reason would want to look at color photos of 737s, buy this book; if you are looking for technical information, look elsewhere.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for people who want to learn about 737-300-800, February 15, 2001

By	Daniel Sokolow (CULVER CITY, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I personally love airplanes and I bought this book because it is simply the best book specifically on the Boeing 737. It has tons of details that an aviation enthusiast like me, would want to see. I like the whole series of books called Airliner color history. I am planning on getting a copy of 737-100 & 737-200 as well. The detailed writing and great information as well as very good beautiful color photos makes this book great. Underneath every photo, there is a caption with great information. I also like the production list at the end of the book so that you can look up any 737-300-737-800 and find out when it went into service and other interesting info. I recommend it to anyone who likes airplanes and especially someone who really knows a lot about them and/or wants to learn a lot about them.