Latest Products

The Second World War In Colour - Luftwaffe - Signed copy

This superb collection of wartime colour photographs brings the Luftwaffe – its aircraft and personnel – to life in a dramatically vivid way. Colour photography was still a rare thing in the 1930s and 1940s.

What to expect from the book 'WWII In Colour - Luftwaffe'

Various systems had been tried, but it was the Germans who had the greatest success with their Agfacolor process. This meant that colour images could be produced with basic darkroom equipment, even close to the action.

As a result the members of the Propaganda Kompanie, armed with Leica cameras and the new Agfacolor film, were able to capture aspects of the Luftwaffe’s operations in a way never seen before.

A wide range of aircraft and theatres of war are featured, including Messerschmitts Bf 109 and Bf 110, Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, Ju 52 transport, Ju 86 and Ju 88, Dornier 17, Focke-Wulf 200 Condor, Heinkel He 111, Gotha Go 224 transport and others plus ground crew and anti-aircraft teams.

The resulting pictures were published in a number of magazines, including the Luftwaffe’s Der Adler, as well as in books aimed at the home front audience.

'The Second World War In Colour - Luftwaffe' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2014
ISBN: 9781445638928
Format: Softback, 128 pages
Size: 246 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

The Lost Works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Signed copy

IKB is rightly famous for the great engineering wonders that have survived - from the SS Great Britain to the delights of Paddington and Temple Meads stations - but it may be surprising to learn that much of what he designed has been destroyed or lost.

What to expect from the 'The Lost Works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel'

From the ships, the Great Western and Great Eastern, to the majestic water towers of Crystal Palace, the Hungerford Bridge over the Thames to the South Devon atmospheric railway, many of Brunel's achievements have been lost to rebuilding, fire, neglect and scrapping.

John Christopher, acknowledged Brunel expert and the author takes us on a tour of the lost works of Brunel. By tracing what remains or by telling the story of the treasures lost to us, he demonstrates just why Brunel can truly be crowned as Britain's most famous engineer.

'Land Rover Series I, II, III & Defender' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2011
ISBN: 9781445600901
Format: Softback, 128 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

German Infantry Weapons of the WWII - Signed copy

A fascinating in-depth dossier is based on original classified wartime reports issued by the US Military Intelligence Services. It examines the main weapon types – pistols, rifles, grenades, machine guns and mortars - as well as anti-tank guns and infantry howitzers.

What to expect from the 'German Infantry Weapons of the Second World War'

The equipment of the German Army in 1939 reflected the High Command’s policy of having the smallest variety of weapon types consistent with meeting operational requirements.

Initially the emphasis was on developing only selected types for mass production. As the battle fronts widened and conditions in the theatres of operations became more diversified, they were forced to increase the variety of their weapons.

Detailed descriptions and specifications are accompanied by diagrams and photographs, providing an invaluable resource on Germany’s infantry weapons of WW2.

'German Infantry Weapons of the Second World War' in detail

Editor: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2014
ISBN: 9781445642208
Format: Softback 160 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Waterloo Station Through Time - Signed

The first Waterloo Station opened in 1848 and was originally owned by the London & South Western Railway and originally known as Waterloo Bridge Station. John Christopher tells the story of Waterloo from its early beginnings, when the LSWR extended its route from Nine Elms, to the present day. 

What's inside 'Waterloo Station Through Time'

The current building was completed in 1922 following a huge rebuilding programme started in 1899. Catering for suburban traffic, Waterloo is also the major station for trains to Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth and once served the famous boat trains. Close by was the London Necropolis Railway station, which took coffins to Brookwood Cemetery.

Eurostar trains and Waterloo Station

For a time, the station was the base for Eurostar trains and a new Crossrail project may see Waterloo connected with Euston. This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Waterloo Station has changed and developed over the years. It is now Britain's busiest and largest station.

Other London railway stations in this 'Through Time' series include Paddington Station, Victoria Station, King's Cross Station and Euston Station.

'Waterloo Station Through Time' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2015
ISBN: 9781445650852
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Kings Cross Station Through Time - Signed

King's Cross station, the terminus of the Great Northern Railway, opened in 1852. Designed by Lewis Cubitt, it replaced a temporary station at Maiden Lane and quickly established itself as the London terminus of what became known as the East Coast Main Line to Edinburgh.

The story 'King's Cross Station Through Time' is telling

Every weekday from 1862 onwards, the Flying Scotsman left King's Cross 10.00 a.m. for the north, initially taking over ten hours to complete the journey.

Some of Britain's most famous locomotives, from the Ivatt Atlantics to the A3 and A4 Pacifics, Deltics and HSTs, have sped north from King's Cross.

The underground station below the main line station encompasses six lines and was the scene of the disastrous King's Cross fire in 1987, following which it was rebuilt.

King's Cross has been redeveloped many times over the years, and the 9 3/4 fictional platform was made famous in the Harry Potter novels. Recent construction work has seen the refurbishment of the station itself and a major redevelopment of the surrounding area.

Other London railway stations in this 'Through Time' series include Paddington Station, Victoria Station, Waterloo Station and Euston Station.

'King's Cross Station Through Time' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2012
ISBN: 9781445605302
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Euston Station Through Time - Signed

Euston is one of London's busiest stations. Built as the London terminus of the London & Birmingham Railway in July 1837, Euston was London's first intercity railway station.

What's inside 'Euston Station Through Time'

Originally designed by Philip Hardwick, the station entrance was through the world's largest Doric propylaeum, which became known as the Euston Arch. In the 1840s the station was expanded greatly and by 1923 express trains left Euston regularly for Wales, Scotland and the major cities of England, including Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

In the early 1960s the original station was demolished, to a huge outcry, and a new modernist structure replaced it. Join John Christopher on a journey through time, telling the story of Euston from 1837 to the present day area.

Other London railway stations in this 'Through Time' series include Paddington Station, Victoria Station, Waterloo Station and Kings Cross Station.

'Euston Station Through Time' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2012
ISBN: 9781445605296
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Through Time - Signed

IKB was Britain's greatest engineer. He was the man who built everything on a huge scale including Britain's biggest ship, some spectacular bridges, a tunnel under the Thames and the magnificent Great Western Railway from London to Bristol.

What's inside 'Isambard Kingdom Brunel Through Time'

Brunel left an unsurpassed legacy of industrial architecture and design, from the vaulted roof of Paddington station to the iron-hulled SS Great Britain, from the Clifton Suspension Bridge to the Tamar Bridge (which bears his name on its approaches).

His life was one of superlatives; bigger, wider, taller and faster. As the historian Dan Cruikshank put it, Brunel was quite simply 'a one-man Industrial Revolution'.

Here, John Christopher tells the story of the man and his tunnels, bridges, railways, ships and buildings, with many new illustrations accompanying the old, showing the changes time has made to Brunel's greatest legacy - the things he designed and built that we still take for granted and use every day, over a century and a half since his death.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Through Time - the details

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2010
ISBN: 9781848689633
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Brunel in London - Signed

Brunel and London might not seem an obvious association, but John Christopher puts the case that it was London, not Bristol, that was the most important centre of Brunel's activities.

Making the case for Brunel in London

It was here that he lived, worked and died. London is dotted with examples of his works, some obvious and some less so, from the subaquatic Thames Tunnel between Wapping to Rotherhithe where he cut his engineering teeth and was almost killed in a sudden deluge, to the Hungerford suspension bridge between Charing Cross and the South Bank - mostly forgotten but parts of it still exist - the two stations at Paddington serving the Great Western Railway main line running to the west and, of course, his final steamship, the vast Great Eastern built at Millwall, which marked the end of his career and his life.

Less familiar are Brunel's connections with the Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and the two towers he built when it was relocated to Sydenham in south London.

John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Brunel, takes us on a tour of London, examining the relationship between city and engineer.

This is one in a series of books about rediscovering Brunel’s works in your area. See also Brunel in Gloucestershire, Brunel in Cornwall, and Brunel in Bristol.

Brunel in London - the details

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2014
ISBN: 9781445618555
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Brunel in Cornwall - Signed

John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Isambard Kingdom Brunel, takes us on a tour of Cornwall which marks the extreme south-western extent of Brunel’s kingdom.

What to expect from 'Brunel in Cornwall'

Cornwall is surprisingly rich in Brunel's works. The Royal Albert Bridge, which crosses the River Tamar, connected the broad gauge network with the Cornwall and West Cornwall railways – both engineered by Brunel – to take the trains coming from Paddington all the way to Penzance via a series of over sixty spectacular timber viaducts.

The original viaducts have gone now, either modified or replaced over the years, but in many cases the masonry piers remain like rows of monolithic sentinels. As a result there is much to reward the Brunel hunter, including the branch line south to Falmouth plus many surviving examples of his railway stations. There are other connections, literally.

His Great Eastern steamship was the first vessel to successfully lay a telegraphic cable to connect Europe and the USA – a story told at the historic Porthcurno Telegraph Museum near Land’s End.

This is one in a series of books about rediscovering Brunel’s works in your area. See also Brunel in London, Brunel in Gloucestershire, and Brunel in Bristol.

Brunel in Cornwall - the details

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2014
ISBN: 9781445618593
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Balloons At War - Gasbags, Flying Bombs & Cold War Secrets - Signed

"I hope these new mechanic meteors will prove only playthings ... and not be converted into new engines of destruction to the human race." (Horace Walpole, 1785)."

Walpole's words prove to be prophetic. Even before a balloon had left the ground, Joseph Montgolfier had seen a potential use for his new invention in attacking the English at Gibraltar.

What's inside 'Balloons At War'

The first 'air force' was founded by Napoleon Bonaparte. The American Civil, Franco-Prussian and First World Wars saw extensive use of balloons, but it was during the Second World War that barrage balloons helped prevent incursions by enemy aircraft and new, ingenious uses were found for balloons, including dropping bombs (by the Japanese against the USA), destroying enemy aircraft, and in many clandestine operations.

'Balloons At War' - The Details

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: History Press 2004
ISBN: 9780752429953
Format: Softback 224 pages
Size: 247 x 172 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection