Publisher: Old Pond Publishing ISBN: 978-1-906853-83-9 Author: Steven Vale Book published 2011, 318 pages Review Date: November 2011 Books, DVD and Software Index
Walking with Giants Video
Front Cover.
Sample page.
This book has a high quality feel and the Author Steven Vale was also responsible for the DVD titles in the 'Massive Machines' series. These titles have been previously reviewed and are indexed here.
The content of this book is about very large earthmoving machines which the author has seen in most of the countries of what used to be classed as Western Europe. In fact the book is organised in chapters by country. Usefully there is a machine list at the end of the book which lists the machines discussed in each of the chapters. However a full machine index in machine order would have been more user friendly. As it is there is a very large range of machines included from all the major manufacturers, and a few smaller makers too.
The text style is authoritative and friendly, with plenty of facts and figures about the machines. A nice touch is the occasional references to and quotes from the operators of the machines or plant managers which gives the content a human angle. For many readers the photos will be the main reason for buying the book and it does not disappoint in this regard. There are over 400 photos and the vast majority are relevant and high quality.
The author has also included a postscript chapter to bring the book right up to date as at July 2011 and this is a thoughtful touch.
It is easy to highly recommend this book and anyone with an interest in major earthmoving equipment will find it interesting. It stands alone as a good reference work, but is also a good companion to Steven Vale's DVD series.
