BOOKS
Page 32
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Echoes from the past
• By coincidence rather than design, three new road transport books provide a fascinating trio of accounts of the development of the commercial vehicle.
Modern Steam Road Wagons 1906, by William Norris, is a complete reprint of a book published in that year — the first to deal exclusively with heavy steam motor wagons. Illustrated with 79 photographs and diagrams of the period, it not only goes into great detail about aspects of design and the principles of engineering involved, but describes some of the early trials — at Liverpool and elsewhere, with their results and a resume of the then-current Board of Trade Regulations.
Overlapping the period of the steam wagon book is Lorries, Trucks and Vans 1897-1927 by P. Marshall and D. Bishop. The coloured illustrations of British commercials of the past are a strong feature of a book which also draws upon advertisements of the time to illustrate its story of the prominent makes of the period. Most of them have survived, but such as Gilford, De Dion and Sentinel survive only as vintage vehicles.
The third volume, A Source Book of Commercial Vehicles, by B. H. Vanderveen and D. N. Miller is a make-by-make illustrated catalogue of significant commercial vehicles, arranged in chronological order so as to provide a developing theme from the turn of the century to the present day.
It is salutary to be reminded of such machines as the ACLO, a South American brand name for AEC which included 30 lightweight Marnoth Majors with Bona!lack bodywork for Brazil, and the 1928 Dennis 30 cwt van which ran on pneumatic tyres but had a solid spare. The book also covers Continental and American makes; it would have been useful to have manufacturers' addresses, and the compiler of the index has paid less respect CO correct spelling of makes (Magiros, Maudsley) than the writers of those sections. This apart, it is an interesting reminder of road transport milestones and
miss-hits. B.C.
Modern Steam Road Wagons 1906 is published by David and Charles, Newton Abbot, Devon, price £2.95. Lorries, Trucks and Vans 1897-1927 is published by Blandford Press, 167 High Holborn, London WC I, price 11.50. A Source Book of Commercial Vehicles is compiled by the Olyslager Organisation and published by Ward Lock Ltd, 116 Baker Street, London WI price 95p. data into an easy-to-read form without -passing essential information. A 30-page ta le of engine data gives the vital statistics of ver 300 engine models produced in 13 coun les that include Japan, Switzerland, Russia, Czechoslovakia and Austria.
The fundamentals of diesel technology are briefly but authoritatively covered in earlier sections of the book, and there are chapters on diesels for industrial, rail and marine service. P.A,C.13.