Each 96 page, hard cover book in the series is 10 1/2" x 7 5/8" and contains color and black and white photos, drawings, charts, and catalog facsimiles. Each classic model is presented in its historic and developmental aspects.

The many events held and publications produced to celebrate the centenary of Southdown Motor Services in 2015 all went to emphasise the high esteem in which the Company was, and still is held, not only by enthusiasts but by those to whom the apple green and cream buses were an integral part of everyday life. It is remembered particularly for the exceptional quality and comfort of its vehicles, its superb maintenance standards, its superior service and its pride in the presentation of vehicles and staff alike. This book attempts to illustrate, in words and pictures, the various elements which went to create the Southdown style and to explain why, almost fifty years after the 'true' Southdown was swallowed up by the National Bus Company, it is still held in such high regard by enthusiasts, former employees and the general public alike. In the words of Brighton's own Max Miller, 'there will never be another'.

The two-stroke engine has been developed to a degree that was not thought possible a few years ago. One of its virtues is that it is mechanically very simple, which is a contributing factor to its widespread use and varied application. Here, engine-tuning expert A. Graham Bell takes the reader through the various modifications that can be made to a two-stroke and its components to give maximum useable power output and mechanical reliability. 'the words happily avoid textbook syndrome'

The arrival of aerial photography came at a particularly significant moment in terms of the visual appearance of England. This selection of photographs makes use of the Aerofilms collection, acquired by English Heritage in 2007 and subsequently digitised and made available on the Britain from Above website. When Aerofilms fliers first went up in the skies in 1919, they captured a country that, with the obvious exception of some large scale structures such as aircraft hangers and munitions factories, had more or less been preserved in aspic in 1914. What we are looking at in many of the earliest photographs in this book is essentially Edwardian England, with towns and villages generally quite compact, with fields reaching almost up to the High Streets in many cases, and little sign of the sprawl that was to engulf them in the 1920s and 30s. The streets of many towns, especially the seaside resorts that provided the aerial photographers with many of their earliest subjects, have an orderly, almost pristine appearance to them, with the Victorian and Edwardian houses undisturbed by any out of place redevelopment. The purpose of this book is to show just how radically that position changed over the ensuing half century. We trace the outward expansion of places brought about by the availability of the car: the new suburbs and ribbon development. We see how new arterial roads came into being to meet the needs of motor transport and how the centre of cities start to be rebuilt to accommodate it. We witness the growth of sprawl around road junctions on the edge of built up areas and the arrival of new types of building there to service both cars and people: the filling station, the roadhouse. We see how the car encouraged more people to go further afield for sport and pleasure: to the seaside, the races or to new forms of attractions such as the amusement park in the country. And we see how public transport changes over the period from trams to buses with the advent of new facilities such as bus stations. The scale of traffic congestion becomes apparent by the late 1930s. In addition, the impact on the landscape of large motor factories and provision for motor sport is made clear.

"Ford at Dagenham" is a fascinating record of car production techniques and processes at Ford as they have evolved over the years. This illustrated history gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into the past and present of Ford's Dagenham factory, famous for producing some of Britain's favourite family cars - the Anglia, Cortina, Consul and Zephyr. A revealing record of the evolution of Ford in Britain, it offers an intimate portrait of the people who have worked at Dagenham and depended on it for their livelihood over the past 70 years. Burgess-Wise tells the story of the fluctuating fortunes of the company and provides a revealing account of the relationship between Dagenham and the American headquarters of Ford at Dearborn. His book is a fascinating record of car production techniques and processes at Ford as they have evolved over the years, and it offers an intimate portrait of the people who have worked at Dagenham, and depended on it for their livelihood, for generations.

The car world is full of fascinating characters, but few have a story to tell quite as remarkable and inspirational as Tom Hartley. Walking out of school at the age of 11, unable to read or write, Hartley set up his own business buying and selling cars. From that moment on he defied logic and ripped up the rule book on his way to the top.Today, he heads one of the most successful independent family-run luxury, performance and classic car businesses in the world, and has built an unrivalled reputation as 'The Dealmaker.' Tom has been at the top for over 40 years, survived and thrived through four recessions, and overcome three life-threatening illnesses. In his own brutally honest words Hartley tells his gripping story of a boy from a traditional Romany family who swapped the classroom for the cut-throat world of Glasgow's car auctions, buying and selling his first car at the age of 12. Having decided to illegally drive himself, he was only 15 when he had his first car crash, and they don't come more spectacular than writing off a Ferrari Dino - nothing has ever been mundane in the world of Tom Hartley! Hartley had made his first million by the age of 17, but soon suffered major setbacks as his business went bust, and he found himself at risk of losing his sight without major surgery. Hartley started all over again, living with his wife in a mobile home, and working from the back of a car. He had gone from hero to zero, but his burning desire to be the best saw him climb his way back to the top. His ability to clinch deals in some of the most bizarre places has become legendary, like buying a car in a sauna, while stuck in a traffic jam on a motorway, and even in a swimming pool! Family has played a key part in the Tom Hartley story: his wife, Priscilla, has been at his side all the way, and his two sons have followed closely in their father's footsteps. Indeed, Tom's belief in family is just one of the inspiring messages that comes through in his book. Hartley's inspirational story is about his unshakeable belief in his own abilities, from a precocious schoolboy who had a dream, and then through sheer hard work and a burning desire made the dream come true. This is not just a book for car enthusiasts but for anyone who has dared to dream. It's a story that will inspire and motivate, and proves you can make the wildest dream come true if you want it badly enough ..

A commemorative history of fifty years of the iconic Ford Transit van, from the launch of the first-generation Transit in 1965, right up to the present day. Covering the full range of Transit models and with over three hundred photographs (including previously unpublished pictures from Ford's picture archive), Ford Transit - Fifty Years is an ideal resource for anyone with an interest in this world-beating commercial vehicle. Written by acknowledged Ford Transit expert Peter Lee, the book covers the development era - light commercial vehicles in the 1950s, the 'Project Redcap' prototypes and the first Transit. Production and development of all eight generations and variants of Transits are also covered, including custom vans, camper vans, minibuses and special vehicle options. Specification guides, awards, sales figures are all included as well as marketing worldwide. Finally, there are interviews with designers, engineers and Ford employees, along with owners' experiences. The Transit has and continues to receive numerous awards, voted 'International Van of the Year' in 2001 and 2013. With the 2014 launch of the all-new two-tonne Transit and its pioneering technology, this looks to be only the first fifty years of the Ford Transit story.

The Roads of Roman Italy offers a complete re-evaluation of both the evidence and the interpretation of Roman land transport. The book utilises archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence for Roman communications, drawing on recent approaches to the human landscape developed by geographers. Among the topics considered are: * the relationship between the road and the human landscape * the administration and maintenance of the road system * the role of roads as imperial monuments * the economics of road construction and urban development.

The archetypal Routemaster is arguably the most recognised vehicle in the world, as witnessed at the recent Beijing Olympic handover ceremony. Buses have been operating on London's streets since 1829, originally with horse-drawn omnibuses, and the London Omnibus Company was founded in 1855 to regulate the various services. The first motorised buses made an appearance in 1902 with the LGOC beginning to manufacture the buses itself two years later. For six decades London went its own way with specially designed buses. More recent innovations such as the 'bendy' bus have not been popular, but today practicality of pushchair and wheelchair access has consigned the Routemaster to a nostalgic, but much-loved, position. With full-colour photographs, this book comprehensively tells the story behind London's famous red buses.

It has long been accepted that the social and cultural meanings of the car far exceed the practical need for mobility. This book marks the first attempt to contribute to road safety, considering, in depth, these meanings and the cultures of driving that are shaped by them. In the Company of Cars examines the perspectives that young people have on cars, and explores the broader social and cultural meanings of the car, the potential it is supposed to fulfil, and the anticipated benefits it offers to young drivers. From focus-group research conducted in Australia, the book takes up the views of young people on a range of topics, from media to car use to gender performance. The author looks at the ways in which driving has been defined by articulations of the car that emphasize valued features of the car-driver, such as gender, youthfulness, status, age, power, raciness, sexiness, ruggedness and competitiveness. The book takes a global perspective on mobility, considering the impact of cars and road safety policy on quality of life, and the value and significance of other modes of travel, in a range of countries.

Beyond the traditional purposes of moving people, goods, raw materials, and mail from place to place lies a world of unconventional uses of motor vehicles. Rolling grocery stores, churches, classrooms and health clinics have taken traditionally stationary services directly to those who need them. Companies have built vehicles in the shapes of their products (the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile being just one famous example) from the early years of automobiles. This lively history gives a fascinating overview of the many special purposes vehicles have served. The unconventional uses of motor vehicles stretch one's imagination. The author here divides them into eight types based on their purposes and uses. Sales vehicles support a successful sales volume; advertising vehicles retain present customers and attract new ones; education and training vehicles provide skills updates for employees; charity vehicles are used to serve various populations of the needy, suffering, and distressed; religious vehicles promote a particular faith; functional vehicles perform an on-the-spot function normally done by a fixed-base facility; multimodal vehicles have the ability to traverse land, water, and air; and government vehicles provide a host of services to constituencies. Examples are provided for each type of vehicle and examples from other nations besides the United States are included as well.

Each 96 page, hard cover book in the series is 10 1/2" x 7 5/8" and contains color and black and white photos, drawings, charts, and catalog facsimiles. Each classic model is presented in its historic and developmental aspects.

Volume Two of Laurie Akehurst's account of London Transport's country buses covers the nineteen fifties, a decade that opened with the promise of expansion but closed with the services beginning their decline. It was a decade in which the fleet was transformed by the continuing arrival of new RTs and the introduction of the RF, GS and RLH types. As with Volume One, the story is well illustrated.

Midland Red Style is the first book in a new series looking at design in all its aspects in some of Britain's best loved bus companies. The reader is able to follow the visual developments in vehicle, infrastructure and printed publicity design up to the point the company was taken over by the National Bus Company. Over 300 colour and black and white illustrations are included.

Made in England is a book by frame builders, about frame builders. It takes a unique look at the world of bespoke frame building by showcasing the artisans in England who craft these bicycle frames. The authors, Matthew Sowter and Ricky Feather, travelled around the country along with talented photographer Kayti Peschke, to interview the people who are leading this industry. Each artisan shares their methods, their passion, their skills and their quirks. Through these intimate conversations they express what makes them unique in this international art. The book showcases exquisite photography of the frame builders and their working environment, contrasting the raw, rough workshops with sleek images of the beautifully finished final products.

This book is the first comprehensive history of the development of the British bicycle industry from the perspective of business and economic history. Focusing on themes such as entrepreneurship, personal capitalism, and organisational, technological and cultural change, the shifting fortunes of the industry are traced through the business history of one of its leading firms, Raleigh. The history of the company is then set within the context of more general trends in the industry's evolution over three chronological periods: 1870 to 1914, 1914 to 1939, and 1939 to 1960. In addition to the story of Raleigh, the business activities of other leading bicycle firms such as Rudge-Whitworth, Hercules, BSA, J. A. Phillips and BCC, the bicycle division of Tube Investments, are examined to inform our understanding of the business evolution of the industry. The book demonstrates that the British bicycle industry was both tenacious and dynamic, typified by the personal leadership of entrepreneurs such as Frank and Harold Bowden at Raleigh.

The Roads of Roman Italy offers a complete re-evaluation of both the evidence and the interpretation of Roman land transport. The book utilises archaeological, epigraphic and literary evidence for Roman communications, drawing on recent approaches to the human landscape developed by geographers. Among the topics considered are:
* the relationship between the road and the human landscape
* the administration and maintenance of the road system
* the role of roads as imperial monuments
* the economics of road construction and urban development.


eBook available with sample pages: 0203062418

For nearly thirty years, John Haining (under the pen name 'Countryman's Steam') contributed a vast range of designs and constructional articles to the pages of Model Engineer magazine. These covered all types and sizes of engine:- steam traction engines for the road and field and standing engines, and the way they worked with ploughs, cider mills, elevators and threshing machines. The articles were always popular with those seeking steam experiences away from the railways, and as a result the author built up an authoritative reputation for the extent of his knowledge in this area. As a technical consultant to Model Engineer, the author built up an enviable reputation for the extent of his knowledge and the immense trouble he took to reply fully and clearly to readers' queries and problems. This book was originally written in 1982 to expound on some of the problems encountered by engine owners, both in full size and in small scale. It places particular emphasis on design and construction, and the care of steel boilers, with formulae and data used by the top firms. A new and enlarged edition was extended to cover more fully the design, construction and care of steel boilers in general, with formulae and data used by firms of repute. An extra chapter was included covering the author's designs of three vertical boilers, the Sentinel, the Caradoc and a 3 inch scale version.

The last Routemaster to ply a proper London bus route retired to the garage back in 2005. But over 15 years later, this indestructible bus still pops up everywhere! It's just that nowadays merely in London Routemasters are wedding buses, Ghost Buses, afternoon tea buses, mobile yoghurt stalls on the South Bank... And elsewhere, all over the world, they have found new homes and been put to the most unlikely but serendipitous uses. So now, Harry Rosehill catalogues all the possible uses of a Routemaster bus, from a tea room in Essex to promoting a circus in Russia to an office in Bermuda, from offering bra-fitting facilities to a history of the potato, not to mention making history during the Iraq War as a Human Shield in Baghdad. Along the way he explains how Routemasters were built to last so long, why they've become so cherished, and footbrake valves are so hard to come by. Funny, surprising and touching, Routemasters of the Universe is an alternative history of a true London icon, and a celebration of ingenuity, determination and the sheer variety of human life.

Each 96 page, hard cover book in the series is 10 1/2" x 7 5/8" and contains color and black and white photos, drawings, charts, and catalog facsimiles. Each classic model is presented in its historic and developmental aspects.

As quintessentially British as a plate of fish and chips or a British Bulldog, the boxy, utilitarian Land Rover Defender has become an iconic part of what it is to be British.

It is said that for more than half the world's population, the first car they ever saw was a Land Rover Defender. It mirrors many of our national traits, stiff upper-lipped and slightly eccentric. The car has remained relatively unchanged for nearly seven decades and has spawned an industry that includes dozens of publications, car shows, clubs, associations and even model car collectors who dedicate their lives to the Land Rover.

To understand this national love affair, Ben has travelled the length of the British Isles in a Defender, spending time with fellow Land Rover enthusiasts: from visiting Colonel Blashford-Snell, who crossed the jungles of the Darien Gap, to patrolling the streets of Belfast with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Ben has met folk who have converted their beloved Defenders into everything from hearses and coffee shops to works of art and fire trucks. He has travelled from the Red Wharf in Anglesey, Wales onto the Western Isles of Scotland and Islay, the island used as a testing ground by Spencer Wilks in 1947 to put several of the early Series Land Rover prototypes through their paces.

After 67 years and 2 million vehicles the Land Rover Defender has ceased production, and this book is a fitting tribute to this most British institution which has stood as a beacon of durability and Britishness across the world. Every Land Rover has its own unique story to tell. This is the story of the world's favourite car.