23 January 2011

Wine, Women and Song - Hamish Brown

This year is off to a good start in terms of interesting and quality titles. Already we have news of David Vincent's The RAAF Hudson Story - Book Two and the new edition of Pathfinder Cranswick as detailed below. Now we can add Hamish Brown's tribute to his father in the form of Wine, Women and Song - A Spitfire Pilot's Story.

Doug Brown became, via training in New Zealand and Canada, a Spitfire pilot with No. 485 Squadron and flew over the Normandy beaches during the invasion of mainland Europe. He later joined, and led, No. 130 (Punjab) Squadron. His experiences and more are related in the book through his wartime letters to his family at home in New Zealand. More than 200 images, and passages that add further detail to the letters, complete a book of almost 400 pages.

While I have not seen this book in the flesh, the author has been kind enough to provide several extracts to give an idea of the style and content of his work. It reads well, the photos are re-produced to a high standard and the appendices, what little I have seen of them, appear useful and loaded with the type of information that will set you off on tangents! I have also noted some of the images of equipment comparing favourably to the Lewis/Cowper work Chasing Shadows which I have yet to see surpassed.

Hamish has said the books are not expected from the printer until the end of the month and WWS will be officially launched in February. He is currently working to have the book available in an NZ chain bookstore so overseas readers are asked to drop Hamish a line - hamishAThml.co.nz

To paraphrase an old flying adage, if it looks right, it'll read right.

Wine, Women and Song - A Spitfire Pilot's Story is now available. Click here for further details - WWS now available

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