Books for Engine Fanatics
I didn’t read many books in the past. I gathered most of my information about engines from magazines and internet sources. This was OK until I ran out of depth in the material. There is plenty to read, but pretty soon it’s all the same. Books go much deeper and I found that I enjoy reading about the men who created these machines. Aviation engines interest me the most, but I won’t skip any engine book. I have some technical books that are very in depth in engine theory and design. These are not very entertaining unless designing an engine. Recently, I’ve found a few biographies that caught my interest. The first was “Fedden – the life of Sir Roy Fedden“, about the man who designed the great piston engines of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. I’m now reading “The Ricardo Story” about Sir Harry Ricardo whose research brought major changes in engine design. I also have “Not Much of an Engineer” about Sir Stanley Hooker who had major roles at Rolls Royce and Bristol. An overview of piston aircraft engine designs “”Development of Piston Aero Engines” by Bill Gunston is an excellent reference with many photographs and drawings. On my list to get are “Memories and Machines: the Pattern of My Life” and “The High-Speed Internal Combustion Engine” by Sir Harry Ricardo. These are collectible, so they are quite expensive. These books give a wonderful history of engine development and the people behind the work.