Lives of North American Birds

Lives of North American Birds

Author: Kenn Kaufman

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 708

ISBN-13: 9780618159888

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The bestselling natural history of birds, lavishly illustrated with 600 colorphotos, is now available for the first time in flexi binding.


Ospreys

Ospreys

Author: Alan F. Poole

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

Published: 2019-03-19

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 142142715X

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This book shows us why.


Sharpshooting Rifles of the American Civil War

Sharpshooting Rifles of the American Civil War

Author: Martin Pegler

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-08-24

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13: 1472815920

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At the outset of the American Civil War, the Union Army's sharpshooters were initially equipped with the M1855 Colt revolving rifle, but it was prone to malfunction. Instead, the North's sharpshooters preferred the Sharps rifle, an innovative breech-loading weapon capable of firing up to ten shots per minute – more than three times the rate of fire offered by the standard-issue Springfield .58-caliber rifled musket. Other Union sharpshooters were equipped with the standard-issue Springfield rifled musket or the .56-56-caliber Spencer Repeating Rifle. Conversely, the Confederacy favoured the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifled musket for its sharpshooters and also imported from Britain the Whitworth Rifle, a .45-caliber, single-shot, muzzle-loading weapon distinguished by its use of a twisted hexagonal barrel. Featuring specially commissioned artwork, this is the engrossing story of the innovative rifles that saw combat in the hands of sharpshooters on both sides during the Civil War.


North American X-15

North American X-15

Author: Peter E. Davies

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-05-18

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 1472819926

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The revolutionary X-15 remains the fastest manned aircraft ever to fly. Built in the two decades following World War II, it was the most successful of the high-speed X-planes. The only recently broken 'sound barrier' was smashed completely by the X-15, which could hit Mach 6.7 and soar to altitudes above 350,000ft, beyond the edge of space. Several pilots qualified as astronauts by flying above 50 miles altitude in the X-15, including Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon. The three X-15s made 199 flights, testing new technologies and techniques which greatly eased America's entry into manned space travel, and made the Apollo missions and Space Shuttle viable propositions. With historical photographs and stunning digital artwork, this is the story of arguably the greatest of the X-Planes.


American Volunteer Group ‘Flying Tigers’ Aces

American Volunteer Group ‘Flying Tigers’ Aces

Author: Terrill J Clements

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2013-01-20

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1472800591

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The American Volunteer Group, or 'Flying Tigers', have remained the most famous outfit to see action in World War II. Manned by volunteers flying American aircraft acquired from the British, the AVG fought bravely in the face of overwhelming odds in China and Burma prior to the US entry into World War II. Pilots such as 'Pappy' Boyington, R T Smith and John Petach became household names due to their exploits against the Japanese Army Air Force. The AVG legend was created flying the Curtis P-40 Tomahawk and Kittyhawk. This volume dispels the myths surrounding the colours and markings worn by these famous fighters.


War in Japan

War in Japan

Author: Stephen Turnbull

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2022-03-17

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 147285120X

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Fully illustrated with colour maps and 50 images, this is an accessible introduction to the most violent, turbulent, cruel and exciting chapter in Japanese history. In 1467 the Onin War ushered in a period of unparalleled conflict and rivalry in Japan that came to be called the Age of Warring States. In this book, Stephen Turnbull offers a masterly exposition of the wars, explaining what led to Japan's disintegration into rival domains after more than a century of relative peace; the years of fighting that followed; and the period of gradual fusion when the daimyo (great names) strove to reunite Japan under a new Shogun. Peace returned to Japan with the end of the Osaka War in 1615. Turnbull draws on his latest research to include new material for this updated edition, covering samurai acting as mercenaries, the expeditions to Korea, Taiwan and Okinawa, and the little-known campaigns against the Ainu of Hokkaido, to present a richer picture of an age when conflicts were spread far more widely than was hitherto realised. With specially commissioned maps and all-new images throughout, this updated and revised edition provides a concise overview of Japan's turbulent Age of Warring States.