Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Praise for ROSEBERY:
(. 20051203)'Stunning ... As well as being meticulously researched, it is beautifully written and has tremendous pace' (Literary Review 20051204)
'Absorbing ... McKinstry has here proved himself to be a first-class historical biographer' (Mail on Sunday )
'With masterly skill and sympathy, Leo McKinstry resurrects him as the Hamlet of late Victorian England' (Daily Mail )
An authoritative and original biography which is also a riveting read'
(Spectator )'Superbly well-researched and well-written ... A truly first-class addition to the genre of Prime Ministerial biography' (Sunday Telegraph )
'An absolutely wonderful biography ... gripping and entertaining'
(Evening Standard )'A first class biography, scholarly, judicious and always interesting'
(Glasgow Herald )'Remarkable'
(Country Life )'Judicious, well-researched and engrossing'
(Sunday Times )'This is undoubtably the definitive biography of Rosebery. Written with elegance, clarity and well-judged colour'
(Jonathan Parry, Times Literary Supplement )'It does a wonderful job of conjuring up the lost world of late Victorian politics'
(Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph )'Admirable biography of a paradoxical figure whose tenure at No 10 was a disaster'
(Jeremy Lewis, Sunday Times )Product Description
In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Göring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born.
Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry's vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich cast of characters and first hand testimonies. It is a tale full of drama and heroism, of glory and tragedy, with the main protagonist the remarkable plane that played a crucial role in saving Britain.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am currently reading this book, and can assure those who are considering purchasing it, that the author does in fact discuss the Spitfire in a fair manner. I have heard the author speak about the book in London, and the comments of two former Battle of Britain Spitfire pilots, who were both convinced of the accuracy of this work. Contrary to what Sean has written, the author does discuss radar and the early warning system, Dowding and RAF command, the change in German strategy during the battle, the role of the Hurricane, and other aircraft, as well as many other points including the politics behind the project. I have not yet finished, but from what I have read so far, I can strongly recommend to anyone who has an interest in both the legend of this famous aircraft, and the true story behind it. I would suggest not taking too seriously the comments of someone who has based their opinion of a 417 page book on a 7 line synopsis.
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Like the aircraft itself, this is an elegant piece of work with a depth of sophistication and understated complexity, totally befitting the subject matter! Unlike 'Mr Tuffet' below, I believe one needs to at least read the subject matter at hand before making such unqualified sweeping statements. Shame on him!..But more importantly, more fool him, as this study of R J Mitchell's finest hour tells the lesser known 'warts and all' story of this historic plane without the usual romanticisms.
From Beaverbrook, to the enlisted men on the ground who all worked so tirelessly to get, and then keep this legend in the air, I found this an enlightening and, at times, somewhat disturbing account of a national icon that quite literally may NEVER have been! One can scarcely imagine it now, but the pre-war blinkered adherence to the 'total bomber' doctrine, the factory workers who at times even refused to put her together mere weeks before The Battle of Britain, and the governments hell-bent attempts to cancel the project, give a huge insight into the somewhat darker 'unglossed' days of this extraordinary aircraft.
The research that has gone into this work is extensive. As a result, the author offers a refreshing new perspective on the conceptualisation, manufacture, and implementation of the beautiful Spitfire design. Fluid, and engrossing, this work is a compelling read. I was sat on my 'Maffett' throughout, eager and hungry for the next chapter!
A must for all those who think they know all there is to know about this amazing plane, and those associated with it. A joy to read !
From Beaverbrook, to the enlisted men on the ground who all worked so tirelessly to get, and then keep this legend in the air, I found this an enlightening and, at times, somewhat disturbing account of a national icon that quite literally may NEVER have been! One can scarcely imagine it now, but the pre-war blinkered adherence to the 'total bomber' doctrine, the factory workers who at times even refused to put her together mere weeks before The Battle of Britain, and the governments hell-bent attempts to cancel the project, give a huge insight into the somewhat darker 'unglossed' days of this extraordinary aircraft.
The research that has gone into this work is extensive. As a result, the author offers a refreshing new perspective on the conceptualisation, manufacture, and implementation of the beautiful Spitfire design. Fluid, and engrossing, this work is a compelling read. I was sat on my 'Maffett' throughout, eager and hungry for the next chapter!
A must for all those who think they know all there is to know about this amazing plane, and those associated with it. A joy to read !
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I wanted to give this book four stars, but have given it five to counteract the ridiculous one star review given by Sean Moffat below. What on earth possesses someone to write a review of a book they haven't even read? Mr Moffat is reviewing the Amazon blurb, rather than the book - but surely everyone knows that this is written by the publisher, not the author.
Anyway... now that I've got that off my chest, what I really wanted to say was that this was a good solid book about the Spitfire, with the emphasis firmly on the way the plane was produced and modified, but with plenty of in-the-cockpit action as well. It is well-researched, especially the parts describing the chaos at the Supermarine company in the run-up to the war, which meant that far too few Spitfires were produced in time for the Battle of Britain. The author isn't quite Pierre Clostermann, and it's a bit short on tales of derring-do - and the Spitfire's role in the war after 1942 is glanced over fairly quickly - but, as the subtitle says, this is a 'portrait' not a comprehensive history. Still, I reckon he does discuss just about every aspect of this wonderful machine, if only briefly.
In short, it's worth a read.
Anyway... now that I've got that off my chest, what I really wanted to say was that this was a good solid book about the Spitfire, with the emphasis firmly on the way the plane was produced and modified, but with plenty of in-the-cockpit action as well. It is well-researched, especially the parts describing the chaos at the Supermarine company in the run-up to the war, which meant that far too few Spitfires were produced in time for the Battle of Britain. The author isn't quite Pierre Clostermann, and it's a bit short on tales of derring-do - and the Spitfire's role in the war after 1942 is glanced over fairly quickly - but, as the subtitle says, this is a 'portrait' not a comprehensive history. Still, I reckon he does discuss just about every aspect of this wonderful machine, if only briefly.
In short, it's worth a read.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A must for Spitfire addicts
No collection of Spitfire books is complete without this book.
It takes you from the beginning of the design of the Spitfire, through the problems of manufacturing, and to the... Read more
It takes you from the beginning of the design of the Spitfire, through the problems of manufacturing, and to the... Read more
Published 6 days ago by Finn Rosenloev
Excellent
Leo McKinstry's aviation books offer possibly the most balanced view of his topics . Unlike many others they spend as much time discussing the the political, operational and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by VinyltoCD
Very informative book a good read
A very informative book for anyone interested in this period of history, to discover how Britain very nearly did not have one of the greatest planes due to goverment bungling,... Read more
Published 7 months ago by cyprustraveler
Superb read but no photos in Kindle edition
A very enjoyable read but (and I get fed up saying this) the Kindle edition has no photographs. Why? Read more
Published 11 months ago by J. R. Clarke
My Read of Spitfire
I found parts of the book riveting and others confusing. The book is a very good historical record of the birth and life of this great aircraft, unfortunately it does tend to jump... Read more
Published 11 months ago by R. C. Helle-Lorentzen
A TRULY LEGENDARY AEROPLANE
Superbly researched story of one (if not the most) famous aircraft of all time. Fascinating facts regarding the development, manufacture and service life of 'The recipient of more... Read more
Published 20 months ago by TANGO BLUE LEADER
Unexpectedly good
Having sometimes seen the author's journalism, I didn't expect to get on at all with this book. I was wrong; it is very, very good. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Aces High
Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend
'Spirfire: Portrait of a Legend' gives a good overall explaination of this famous aircraft, which is easy to read and has comparitive information about how it flew in combat... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2010 by S. Douglas
Probably the best book ever written on Spitfires
I have ready many books on Spitfires, this is easily the best book I've read on the subject. Many books look at the Spitfire through rose tinted glasses, this one does not. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2009 by M. C. Hickley
A good social history of the Spitfire
If your expecting a micro-analysis of dimensions and performance specifications this is not for you, if you are more in tune with the social aspect and impact that the Spitfire had... Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by C. Irons
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
