One type of book that is quite popular amongst most aviation enthusiasts is the compilation. It can be of many different subjects, like Allied fighters of WWII, or Air Forces of the World. To my knowledge, this is the only book of its type on Transports and Training aircraft. I know, not exactly a rousing and exciting subject, but if you think about it, there are probably more aircraft those two categories than just about any other.

The book itself is in the same format as the 'In Action' series, the major difference being that this one is a hardback. The aircraft are listed in alphabetical order starting with Aero Commander and ending with Yakovlev. There is also a small addendum that includes new aircraft or designs. In that listing is the Do-31, Fiat G.222 and Piaggio PD.808. Of the three, the Do-18 was never built, the G.222 is still in service, and the PD.808 was only built in small numbers.

In fact, due to the age of this book (over 35 years), there are quite a few types in there that are no longer in service! However, its usefulness is not diminished by this as it gives a very good rundown of a number of interesting types. Most aircraft get a couple of pages of which one is devoted to a large photo and the other shows various subtypes. Aircraft description gives a brief history, performance and dimensional information, as well as a rundown on the variant differences.

Images are quite good, but not up to the clarity of some other books published around the same time frame. They seem slightly washed out in some cases while in others there is too much contrast. That doesn't make them unusable and they are generally superior to what you often find in books today! Besides, where else will you generally find information on the Argentine Dinfa Huanquero!

For those wishing a nice reference book on older types, I can highly recommend this book. Of course, finding it may be a problem, but there are various services that can help. You can also do well by snooping through used book stores. I found this book in pristine condition about 15 years ago by doing just that!

Review copy courtesy of me and my wallet! 

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