The Modern Cruiser is a very detailed book covering every aspect of those vessels from drawing board to combat performance. Stern examines individual ships and classes throughout, highlighting improvements but also their problems. The result is a real sense of evolution, befitting the book’s subtitle. Stern’s discussion of the politics of Cruiser building is well-balanced and informative, particularly the chapters on between-the-wars initiatives. A superb collection of photographs illustrates Stern’s thoroughly researched and well-written book. Anyone interested in 20th Century warships will enjoy this book. Read the full review [link=https://hamsterwrangler.com/beating-tsundoku/the-evolution-of-cruisers/?fbclid=IwAR1wBDYS7cl_foWi4suVVe1BjEZFhLOQX-whZO4vBMmWKEuF_MIgOVBliM0]here[/link]
Beating Tsundoku

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Scale Modelling Now

Cover to cover a really good read. This is the story of the Yangtze incident in the round, the military and political machinations prior to, during and after the event. If you know the gung-ho 1957 film with hero Richard Todd then prepared to be shocked by the truth. There are action heroes a plenty but there are also ‘politicos’ who are anything but heroes. The first sentence of the book is ‘A couple of shells whistled overhead and a group of sailors on board HMS Amethyst came to the same conclusion “They couldn’t hit a barn door”. The story goes on with the same engaging vitality. As for the Chinese hitting barn doors I remember newspaper photographs at the time rechristening HMS Amethyst as HMS Pepperpot. Supporting the text are two useful maps and an informative set of photographs. Also the set of five appendices complete the information given in the story. Well researched and beautifully written this book will be informative to military buffs and students of cold war politics... Read more
Clash of Steel

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Scale Modelling Now

This substantial book contains more than 550 pages of interesting and entertaining text, interspersed with numerous, equally interesting photographs. Right from the beginning, the author’s personal experience with the Fleet Air Arm, and his continuing enthusiasm is obvious. Nowhere is this more obvious than when describing the period of time during which he served with the Royal Navy. His enthusiasm is infectious, and the reader feels a personal involvement in the highlights and troughs of this 70 year long story, which still continues. Although much of the book is about meetings and decision making by politicians, it is far from tedious. The author’s enthusiasm comes through the text, and the narrative is interspersed with accounts of various conflicts making this a very good read, not only for those with an interest in the Fleet Air Arm but also for anybody with an interest in the defence of this country in the second half of the 20th century.
Les Brown, Small Warships, September 2020