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Forums - News / General |
For General modelling or hobby-related topics that are not covered by any other specific forum. Please keep to topics concerning the hobby. |
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| Messages | 23120 |
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| Subject: | Beware of "Modern" Books! (Long as usual). |  |
| Date: | Jun 17, 2003 |
| From: | Peter Ong | |
I skimmed over Cookie Sewell's wonderful review on the Salamander Book "Great Tanks of the World."
Cookie's comments about how this book's information are correct since I saw this book a while back. Yet there's a story as to why the content is so inaccurate and outdated.
First off, I must caution modelers that Salamander Books of U.K. and Motorbooks of Hong Kong reprint a lot of books and recycle content, but just add new covers.
The best way to avoid falling into this trap is to check out www.amazon.com. In most cases, the "To Be Released" date shows if the book has been printed before. Also, if there's a photo of the cover and the book hasn't been released yet, then be very suspicious since this may mean that the book is a reprint and the cover is from the previous edition. Be VERY suspicious if you see photos of soldiers in steel helmets, carrying M-16A1s, M113s, Chapparrel SAM, M151 jeeps, and all the outdated equipment NATO no longer uses. That's probably a cover from the Cold War days and if the summary doesn't say "Completely Revised!" then wait to see the book in stores before buying it blind online.
I know a company (Salamander, I believe) is printing out books with content from the Cold War days, meaning the mid-1980s. (Salamander was the KING of Cold War land, sea, and air books in the 1980s. During the end of the Cold War, the Salamander/ Jane's authors just kind of branched out and never got together or wrote many military photo books). These books are often thin with white covers and red block letters saying: AK-47, M4 Sherman, MP40, etc. The reason why modelers never saw these books on the shelves before was because they were "Monthly Paid Book Club Offers," part of the "Combat Survival and Training Series" (I have one free copy from back in the 1980s). The book club sends me a book in the 12-book series each month ("Collect all 12! Cancel at Any Time!) and if I like it, I pay say $16 for the book. If not, I send it back, free of charge and no questions asked.
Most of those white books in the bookstores are *articles* within the series, meaning Salamander just gathered all the articles in the 12 1980s books and packaged them into one book under AK-47 C 2002. The content and photos are not new.
To my knowledge, the ONLY NEW color drawing gatefolds that are being produced are for modern airplane books and magazines. New AFV books often contain an actual photo of the AFV. Most of the color armor gatefolds have been made in the mid '80s to '90s. So when the book says C 2003, the content may really be 1980-1990. Furthermore, a lot of those thin white pocket books (not Jane's Tank Guide) use new photos but the text is rehash. Yes, it's very hard to buy new and modern AFV and infantry books these days!
To be safe, Concord books (and the then "Journal of Military Ordnance"/ Darlington Publications) generally have all new content. Also, check Amazon.com for reviews and reprint dates or go to your local bookstore.
I did a synopsis on the history of modern military books in my "Modern Special Forces" book review on this site.
Pete |
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