B-36 Photo Scrapbook (Paperback)

~ (Author), Mike Moore (Author), Don Pyeatt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was the last of the classic heavy bombers, bristling with gun turrets and piston engines driving huge propellers. Born in the desperate days of World War II, the B-36 became an icon of the early Cold War when it represented the only weapon that could reach the Soviet Union from bases in North America. But technology was changing rapidly, and the advent of all-jet-powered bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles conspired to make the B-36 obsolete after only a few short years of service. The airplane was retired only a decade after it entered service, and nobody who ever heard the thunder of the six Pratt & Whitney engines will ever forget the experience.

An in-depth history of the B-36 may be found in "Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36", by Dennis R. Jenkins. This scrapbook began as a collection of illustrations that were assembled for "Magnesium Overcast" but would not fit into the finished work. Since many of these are significant--or at least interesting--and most have never been published previously, it was decided to print the scrapbook as a companion volume to "Magnesium Overcast". However, as work went into the scrapbook, additional images and illustrations were discovered and are also included here. With more than 300 b&w and color photos, this scrapbook provides an excellent visual look at a very exciting period of the Cold War.

About the Author

Dennis R. Jenkins is a consulting engineer in Cape Canaveral, Florida, working on various aerospace projects including 20 years on the Space Shuttle and several on the stillborn X-33 program. He is the author of "Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System: The First 100 Missions" in addition to more than 30 other works on aerospace history. Don Pyeatt is a member of the Aviation Heritage Association, Inc.'s B-36 Restoration Team. A native of Fort Worth, TX, he has childhood memories of the giant B-36 Peacemaker bomber as it flew over him, rattling the walls and shaking the ground he stood on. A noted historian and webmaster, Pyeatt is also the author of "B-36: Saving the Last Peacemaker" and "B-36: Saving the Last Peacemaker Second Edition".

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Specialty Press (January 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580070752
• ISBN-13: 978-1580070751
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #722,207 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent photos, August 7, 2004

By	Jon Konrath "Jon" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This book has some great photos, mostly of items that were left out of the Magnesium Overcast book by the same authors. It's much smaller and paperback, but with quality print and paper, and a color section in the center. My favorite photos are some of those of the interior of the B-36 taken by set designers for planning of the movie Strategic Air Command. There are many angles from the belly of the beast, with all of the knobs and dials and uncomfortable seats, all uncensored by nervous Cold War editors that usually white out details like the atomic bomb controls and ECM gear. I also loved the "family portrait" shots that contained one of each plane in the Air Force back in the 50s. Any photos with both the B-36 and B-52 (my other favorite) are always excellent.

This book is worth every penny of its low price for the photos. The only reason I do not give it a perfect score is that the Magnesium Overcast book is the one worthy of five stars. It has far more information and photos, and if you can only get one of these books, get that first. But you should get the set of the two if you are a fan of the old B-36 or old planes in general, because these are some of the best-reseached and written books of this sort I've ever seen.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A View of the Past, December 9, 2004

By	Garner - See all my reviews

Anybody looking for a history of the B-36 will be disappointed in this book - go buy Magnesium Overcast by the same authors instead. But if you want a companion to Magnesium Overcast, or simply to look at a hundred pages of terrific photographs, then this is the book for you. The author says this book was compiled from some of the photos "left over" from his larger book, and I am glad the publisher had the good sense to print this book. Many of the photos have never been seen before, and are reproduced crisply on good paper. There is very little text - just expanded captions and a few paragraphs here and there to explain things. If you are interested in the B-36, buy this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Photos, November 8, 2003

By A Customer

As you would expect from a book advertising itself as a "photo scrapbook" this small publication is crammed with a wide variety of color and B&W photos of the B-36 (and a few of the XC-99 and YB-60 thrown in). A small percentage of these photos were published in the author's Magnesium Overcast volume (a great in-depth history the B-36 for those interested), but most of the photos here are new and several are very interesting.

If you want a glimse into the career of the B-36 this is a great starting place. There is not much text (just a short introduction to several groupings of photos) but the paper is first rate and the photo reproduction is up the the standards this publisher has been maintaining in recent years.

Highly recommended.