Arcadia Publishing

East Broad Top Railroad.

Widely-known and beloved of fans of narrow-gauge railroads, the East Broad Top, running since 1856, is the last original operating road of the type east of the Rocky Mountains. This appreciation presents a couple hundred good period b&w photos, maps, timetables and, for this series, quite a lot of text (although most is confined to the captions). (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Flight research at NASA Langley Research Center.

This pictorial history of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory starts with its creation in 1915 as a response to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and shows how this institution prompted the aviation boom through subsequent decades. Chambers, a government and defense contractor, has assembled over 200 photographs from Langley's archives that outline the role of this institution through World War II, the Cold War and the eventual formation of NASA. Written for those who enjoy aviation history, this book also explains Langley's role in developing general and commercial aviation technologies. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Rails around Denver.

Like others in the series, this book features a collection of captioned photos (with brief introductory text). Lewis has gathered well over 200 photos of the flatlands of Colorado with, alas, only a nod to the west. (West of Denver is heaven for rail fans: extraordinarily rough country for laying rail but containing irresistable appeal and fabulously rich mineral deposits.) (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Rails of California's Central Coast.

The "Central Coast" comprises the western edge of the state between San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz (book needs a map?). This was Southern Pacific country so we have many of the 250 (or so) photos memorializing SP's great steam classics: Cab Forwards, the beautiful streamlined 4-8-4s and a dog's breakfast of other rail vehicles — horse cars, streetcars, and narrow gauge loggers. Most text is confined to the captioning of over 200 photos. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

San Francisco Bay area aviation.

In this densely illustrated account, expert aviators Larkins and Reuther give the inside track on the machines and pilots who must have flown over the city on the bay. With hundreds of period photographs they explain why the city drew float planes, military aircraft, balloons, blimps, and gliders to such installations as the NACA/NASA Research Center, the Boeing School of Aeronautics, and the best races and air shows of the nation. They give readers plenty of topics for further research, such as why on earth the Graf Zeppelin appeared on the skyline in 1929. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)