New fare for enthusiasts
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• Three new road transport books published by Ian Allan Ltd, Terminal House, Shepperton, Middlesex, lean heavily on nostalgia for their appeal. The Compleat Traction Engineman by E. E. Kimbell (£2.50) is an illustrated 144-page first-hand account of what it was (and for that matter still is) like to drive a steam traction engine — ranging from the stark agricultural variety to the haulage wagon with cab. The hints and tips on how to get the best out of an engine and how to avoid the dire disasters of ineptitude will have every enthusiast itching to get a hand on the regulator.
British Lorries 1900-1945 has a broader appeal, as many present-day hauliers will find their one-time mechanical workhorses described and illustrated here. Written by Charles Klapper, and costing £2.95, it traces briefly, but with some nice little exclusive touches, the development of an alphabetical collection ranging from AEC to Vulcan. Predominantly pictorial. The third is Buses Annual 1974, by Gavin Booth (£1.50) which will not be published until August 20. "I was a teenage bus-spotter" is a chapter heading which may convey the atmosphere of the publication, though one or two of its decade-bydecade reviews deal more broadly with the progress of bus transport. Many pictures of buses old, a few of buses new. B.C.