This book is nothing short of captivating. The author provides brief explanatory narratives to connect entries from Edwards' diaries, beginning with flight training, then combat in North Africa, and the early post-war years in America.

Just ferrying his airplane from the States to North Africa was a big adventure, considering the rather primitive nature of navigation aids and weather forecasts in that era.

Combat in Africa and Italy is described in detail, some of it surprising. For example, a military advance had a down side. Moving forward to a newly captured air field meant that the American aviators were subjected to more ground attacks by German aircraft.

The second half of the book covers the early post-war years, when American factories were building new airplanes almost faster than the Air Force could flight test them. Many exotic, one-of-a-kind vehicles are described here.

To some extent, the reader has a sense of foreboding at this point, knowing that this story is destined to end as unhappily as the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Yet this knowledge serves to accentuate the daily events described here.

There are many memorable tidbits in this book, such as tales of a man who actually intimidated Chuck Yeager!

Glen Edwards is portrayed in these pages as so heroic, embodying so many virtues, yet so modest and unassuming. This is someone you would want to know and to spend time with. Through this book, you can.

A superb book about Glen Edwards. I thoroughly enjoyed and empathized with his career. The pace was like reading a literary version of Ravel's "Bolero" with the crescendo building to the final flight. The description of the crash was wrenching, superb.

A pilot's read! Bravo Zulu!

Paul M. (USN Ret.)

"The amount of reseach Ford wove into Glen Edwards: The Diary of a Bomber Pilot" is remarkable. The result is a wonderfully readable tale of one man's contribution to freedom and flight. Nice to 'know" such a man as Edwards and to have Ford, a historian/author who brought him back to life."

As an owner of a recently restored Model A this book is a MUST. Contained in it are all the fine points regarding the various body types and accessories. No wonder this book serves as a primer for the expert judging of Model A's.

This book is a "keeper" for anyone with an interest in the Ford Model "A". All of the various body styles from 1928 to 1931 are covered in detail. High quality photos accompany descriptions of both "standard" and "optional" features found on each body style. Kudos to the author and the photographer for a high quality book.

I have read a lot of books about early aviation and especially Glenn Curtiss, and Mr. Carpenter's book is among the best. It has been very helpful to me to put the entire chronology of the Wright brothers and Curtis and the development of flight in perspective because of the way he organizes his information. This book is most helpful when read AFTER a Curtiss biography, such as Roseberry's book on Curtiss.

Pendulum is written for the serious student of early aviation history. Unlike most stories that focus on the Wright brothers' struggles before Dec. 17, 1903, this book delves into what happened AFTER Kitty Hawk.

In 1908 Glenn Curtiss won the Scientific American Magazine trophy for the first public flight in America. It was he, not the Wright brothers, who received instant fame and glory. He built and sold civilian airplanes while they focused on a single sale to the American, British or French Army.

The book explains how early chronicles touted Glenn Curtiss, not the Wrights, as the pioneer of aviation. Thousands of Curtiss JN-4 "Jennys" were used to train WW-I pilots. Today the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. Few people know of Curtiss, inventer of the flying boat and father of naval aviation, but everyone has seen the photo of Orville Wright's famous "First Flight" at Kitty Hawk.

In a sometimes dry account, Jack Carpenter meticulously compares step-by-step progress of the three men, with more rare photos than any other book. He tells how they were influenced by Alexander Graham Bell, inventer of the telephone, and Henry Ford, the father of mass produced automobiles.

Having studied the lives of all three men, I think Pendulum is the only book that gives an unbiased account of the bitter patent lawsuit that delayed the growth of American aviation for 10 years.

If you are a fan of 1950's Fords, you NEED this book. I really enjoyed seeing the up grades that were included with each new model year and the latest and greatest options. I liked the way that the author used unrestored autos to show the different models. Good addition to any automobile enthusiest's library.

For a T-Bird restoration enthusiast, this book is an amazing resource. The pictures are mostly in black and white. Color would've made it '5-stars'. Nontheless, without a shadow of doubt the book itself is truly a T-Bird lover's collector item. There is a great lot of detail on the A-40 (1954-1957) models. Since I'm doing a 1957, it truly works for me.

I have owned this book for about 16 or 17 years. It is a fine reference piece, but it should not be compared to current Thunderbird books. There are scores of close-up photographs that show the finer points of Thunderbirds, from the Volumatic Radio to the SwingAway Steering Wheel. The black and white photos do not in any way detract from the history or technological correctness of everything that is presented. If you need color photographs then look elsewhere. If you want well-researched data and wonderful close-ups, then this is the book for you. The book itself is a collector's item because of its period correctness and the fact that when it was published there was no other book that could come close to it in lavishness or completeness. I think that still holds true today.

This book has a lot of good information on 1955 thru 1966 Thunderbirds. Although not complete with respect to information on every aspect of a concours restoration, and hindered by mostly black and white photos of the details of each year, it is still an excellent resource for anyone restoring a 1966 or older Thunderbird. It is especially good for those interrested in the two seaters from 55 - 57. This is a good book for the Tbird owner as well as those who just plain love what is probably the most innovative and trend setting car of the post war era. A must have for any Thunderbird lover.

Hard to believe Amazon.com can't keep their years straight when it comes to reviewing this series. Anyway, the latest collection of sports writing was all right but nothing special by the usual high standards. It's a smaller collection than normal, and there are a few hunting and fishing pieces that I couldn't get into. That didn't leave a whole lot, although what was left was pretty darn good. I particularly enjoyed the articles on the parents of a benched high school football player suing the school, and on the 1998 World Cup.

The 1999 edition of "The Best American Sports Writing" has plenty of moments that will enthrall avid sports fans and even those less avid who merely like a good story. The series is a national treasure, which collects the best sports related writing every year and puts it into a single easy-to-read volume. The sports included run the gamut from the traditional team sports of baseball and football to more extreme examples like mountaineering. The main requirement for inclusion is great writing, and that's wht this series delivers consistently.

The best articles in the 1999 edition include Thomas Boswell's account of Cal Ripken's voluntary stoppage of his historic games played streak, Steve Friedman's biographical article on tormented 2nd generation professional bowler Pete Weber, Allen Abel's hilarous tribute to the long-folded World Hockey Association, and Adam Gopnik's insightful explantion of why World Cup Soccer fails to excite American fans. As always, the quality of the reporting means that even if you have only a margainal interest in the sport described, you'll still find it entertaining.

Overall, another fine entry in an outstanding series.

As of 10/17/99 the consumer reviews for The Best American Sports Writing 1999 are actually reviews of The Best American Sports Writing 1998.

Whether you play Traveller or Gurps-Traveller, this is an excellent supplement. The details and game ideas are at the level of excellence that we've come to expect from Steve Jackson Games. Players often spend a lot of time at a world's starport, and this helped me to bring them alive in ways I'd never thought of before. The first time your players goto an otherwise mediocre world specifically because they like its starport, you'll know you got your money's worth. Maps of several starports, buildings, and small craft are included. I didn't give it 5 stars only because the book should really be titled Imperial Starports, as it gives less than a page of data on ports outside the Imperium.