British Cruiser Tank A13 Mk. I & Mk. II - Armor PhotoHistory by Peter Brown.

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Topfmine, Dec 7, 2019.

  1. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Anyone know when publishers are going to do a re run of the book
    British Cruiser Tank A13 Mk. I & Mk. II - Armor PhotoHistory by Peter Brown.
    Every where its sold out, they either made a small run or everyone went mad and has a copy. Seen this book in the US at a 1,000$ unless its a typing error.
    Is it a good book worth having.
     
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  2. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    I'll ask Peter (Brown).
     
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  3. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    These modelling books are mostly never reprinted

    Edit: I assume because they tend to be small presses and better for them to sell out a small run than be left with unsellable returns.
     
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  4. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Look a good book, thanks for asking.
     
  5. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Peter's just told me the original print run sold out about two years ago and that the chance of a reprint are 'slim to none'. He also commented that the book is difficult to get with large sums being asked so all he can advise is look out for a 'chance buy on eBay'.

    Edit: Peter has also told me that the book on the A9/A10 is also now out of stock at the publishers but there are still a few in various bookshops.
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2019
  6. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Thanks for asking Peter. Bit of a shame but not to worry i will look out on eBay and the shows, they always turn up there.
    Its a shame Peter is not on the forum as i would have asked him if there are any factory construction drawing blue prints showing sizes of hull, turret, and running gear etc, did he come across any, if so where.
     
  7. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    If you want blueprints etc, I would have thought Bovington Tank Museum Library/Archive would be a good start. They do Plans Packs of various vehicles and hold masses of information including workshop Manuals etc.
     
  8. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Unfortunately they seem of late not to respond to email requests and when i rang the archive department, they said send them an email. So not sure what is going on there.
    I have also dealt with them before and you have to give them a history lecture so they understand what you want, they don't seem to know the concept of and history of tanks, quite bizarre. Bring back the old days when you could speak to people that knew their subject. Looks like a trip to Bovington with a tape measure then.
     
  9. Gary Kennedy

    Gary Kennedy Member

    I've actually had some stuff through from the Tank Museum in the past week or so.

    As SDP mentions they offer Plans Packs and Drawings Packs but the A13 only appears on the Drawings Packs list. They have one entry for the A13 (Cruiser MkIII and MkIV) costing £5.00, which is the same price as the minimum order. My list was up to date a few days ago for other items so hopefully the A13 would be too.

    I did have some trouble getting an email to them. I tried the one from an order I placed about a year ago, got no response, so rather than be patient I tried another one off the Tank Museum website, which came back as undelivered. So again being impatient I tried the shop email, which likewise bounced back. I then got a reply from the first one I sent to. Patience is a virtue...

    My previous order came by post, so add at least £3.50 for P&P, while this second one came as a download, using wetransfer, which is free.

    I don't know what's in the A13 pack if you order it. The ones I've had are for various carriers (Universal and Loyd), scout cars and armoured cars. You can ask if they can give an indication of what the pack contains. Mine have been a bit uneven, some of the stowage schemes for cars and carriers are extremely detailed, others have 'exploded' diagrams with every item numbered, but no key as to what the items actually are (I had to decipher the interior of the Humber LRC MkIII myself, which thankfully was of a somewhat spartan nature). The A13 might be 8 or 10 stowage schemes rather than blueprints, but could be padded out with some engine or suspension drawings. The A9 is £7.00 and the A10 is £8.00 if there's any common ground between the three for you.

    Gary
     
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  10. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    I've had more feedback from Peter and yes, it's all to do with length of print run and time to sell it while trying not to end up with final slow moving stock which would consequently be a drain on capital resource.
     
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  11. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Thanks guys, at least i know that someone is alive in the archives at Bovington, have to get the big stick out and give them another prod.
    I can see Peters dilemma, i have had this before, everyone wanting something you are going to produce, you make it and then watch the tumble weed just roll by, not a squeak.
     
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  12. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    This will always be the issue with such niche products - not just books. The various French publishers who specialise in the Normandy battles (Heimdal et al) also follow the same approach - 'correct size' print run, sell out over a reasonable period of time and move to the next title. It's, in my mind, a very skilful approach. As buyers we also need to remember that the authors and publishers need to cover costs and hopefully make a profit and that's not achieved by sitting on old redundant stock.
     
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  13. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Just received the book the A9- A10 by Peter Brown. Which is an excellent book. I notice at the back page 71 to 78 there are some fantastic picture of technical drawings of the A9 and A10 which is the type of drawings i am after. Does the Peter Brown book of the A13 which is non existent show the same type of tech drawings?
     
  14. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    By non existent I assume that you mean out of print. Copies are offered on AbeBooks and Amazon at silly prices which probably means that they don't actually have any. Have you tried asking your local library if they can use the inter library loan system to find you a copy?

    If it really is non existent then your only hope is Hex the computer at Unseen University AM which has an algorithm for reading non existent books. Contact Professor Ponder Stibbons :rolleyes:
     
  15. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    I call non existent when prices are about £230 on Amazon. The book has sold out and theres not going to be another run, so out of print, so its second hand or old new stock someone is sitting on. Not really worried at the moment as i will get this book at the big militaria shows in the summer. I bought the A9& A10 book as the same thing will happen when publication runs out. Seeing the tech drawings in the A9& A10 book i just wondered if the A13 version has similar drawings which seem to be hard to locate in the archives.
     
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