So, I being poor, have only... books not written by Ian D. Skennerton. These books seem to command a massive price. Are they really worth it? And if so what do they have which is so great?
Printable View
So, I being poor, have only... books not written by Ian D. Skennerton. These books seem to command a massive price. Are they really worth it? And if so what do they have which is so great?
Worth every penny and then some, probably the best Lee Enfield author out there, save up you hard earned pennies it will be well worth it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micheal Doyne
The breadth and depth of his knowledge is unparalleled. Any nationality, any version. I have learned two things:
A. Good reference books are absolutely essential to save you from spending too much on a "bad" weapon and can help you find the "Shelby Cobra" so to speak.
B: Often times you can contact the author directly and get it quite a bit cheaper than Amazon or elsewhere.
If you have currently all the information that you need with out having to read his books than you do not need them. Please do not waste your time asking what is in them ! You can ask questions on this site and the members I 'am sure can answer them for you .
Real in depth researched Knowledge. They are not novels or comics.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micheal Doyne
I too am very happy to have Skennerton and other publications. I just recently bought "Hatcher's Notebook" and had to pay for it...then found it cheaper a year later. Well, I have it in hardcover anyway.
Yes. they are worth it. They aren't going to go down in price soon...
I just purchased a whole bevy of books from him last evening. He sells directly via his website, http://www.skennerton.com/, and his prices are very reasonable. I rely heavily on The Lee-Enfield Story and am looking forward to having more of his books on my shelf!
I have known IDS since I was a teenager; we lived in the same town and I bought my first P-14 from him.
He trained as a musician, but was always keen on old guns.
His first book (1975) was a thin, hardback job: "Australian Service Longarms", now long out of print, it was / is an introduction to a history of such arms in Australia, from the "Marine and Militia Pattern musket to what was hot in 1975. The last entry is for the M-16.
My signed copy is number 116 .
One of the tings he rapidly discovered is that just about every text available had been cribbed from someone else's previous books and magazine articles. NOBODY seemed to reference primary sources for text or technical illustrations.
He ended up in the UK for several years in the late 1970's, trawling through mouldering archives, assisted by input from some of the last greats in that field.
The UK government was busy "culling" archives "chronologically" and for all I know, probably still is.
Being a camera buff, he did all of his own photography where possible. This was in the days before digital, so he set up his own darkroom so that the illustrations intended for publication were optimized for "dot-screening' and of suitable contrast / brightness.
After the first couple of small books and prodigious amount of research, he decided that he needed to control every step of the process up to the final printing and binding.
Thus, he bought an IBM "Compositor"; essentially a hot-rodded IBM "Golfball" typewriter. Remember that this was happening in the mid 1970's. These Compositors have a MEMORY and respond to "flags" for font changes. The trick was to type in the text, then put in "flags" for font-changes. Fore example, it would "replay" the 14 point bold for the start of a heading and "pause" while you changed the "golfball' for ten-point standard for the sub-heading and then again for the ten-point italic for the "sub-notes.
Anything bigger than about fourteen point, or requiring a "fancy" font, was done MANUALLY, using "Blick Letraset" dry-rub sheets. There is probably a video on "that site" about such exotic technology.
All of this "robot typing" was done on sheets of fine-grade, white glossy paper. These were then cut up and allocated a position on a "page" and lightly glued down, along with any illustrations. Text and images were shuffled about as needed.
MONTHS of prep, just for a set of "print-ready" pages. And you had to keep in mind that in a bound, hardback, things are done in "sub-bindings" and you have to be careful because each "leaf" actually contains FOUR "pages", not two. Part of the trick was to ensure "fiddly bits' like footer page numbers, or even tiny slips of paper containing a corrected line of text did not "fall off the page", literally.
All this mountain of carefully prepared paper then went to a specialist photographer to prepare the masks for making the lithography plates that ultimately put printers ink on paper. But, before anyone went mad and rushed straight into a run of several thousand books, a trial run was made. The test product, including "page-folds" is then proof-read, again and evaluated for "layout" (and "lost" bits of text), before the "GO" button for true production begins.
Anyone who moans about the complexities of producing the office Christmas party flyer needs to get a life.
Now I'll go and make a coffee and get back to cleaning and lubricating my lathe so I can re-crown this barrel.
Cheers, and stay upright and breathing!
Yes, well worth the money. If you have a general interest in LE's & only buy one of his books get the LES as it is encyclopaedic.
Thank you for this post. I learned a tremendous amount of information and will pick up his books.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce_in_Oz
I've got several of Ian Skennerton's smaller books that I've picked up 2nd hand when I've seen them at a reasonable/good price. I didn't suddenly wake up one day and think to myself "Today I must buy some of Ian Skennerton's books.". But if I have seen something by him offered at a reasonable price 2nd hand and have thought that it may be of interest I may buy it.
If you want a specific one of his books that is still being published but don't want to pay the current retail price, it's a case of finding a 2nd hand copy.
From my shelves what I have in Ian's H/C's I have his SAIS on various others types and 2 x H/C on Commonwealth Bayonets one a collectors grade but the main one you want of Ians for the Lee Enfield is the one bottom left "A century of Lee Metford and Lee Enfield Rifles." its a bigger version of the other 2 the mauve one top left is a 300 limited signed run mines No.211 its the same as the one to its right.
Another I have that is a pretty good read is a H/C by Major E.B Reynolds it can be a bit pricey, there are the Stratton books which are not too bad either but only small S/C's so whilst they have good info nothing like Ian's books.
Senior collectors in the 1970's told me to buy two reference books for every gun I bought. I have traveled with Ian in England and he has stayed with me a few times. His memory/recall is amazing.
Buy books!
Then read them!
The old advice is “Buy the books, then buy the gun.” it is true!
If you are going to buy more than one Lee-Enfield and collect several of the Enfield family of firearms Skennerton’s books are ESSENTIAL. Knowledge is power and saves you thousands of dollars and much heartache over the years.
If you are going to buy only one or two standard “cheap” Lee-Enfield rifles, and you do not want to know what the markings mean, you do not need his books. However, if you are going to buy a lot of Lee-Enfields and/or expensive models like snipers, early models, trials rifles, foreign issue marked, experimental etc. then you would be foolish to not buy all of his relevant books.
Are his books perfect? No, there are a very few minor errors as happen in every book, but the books are 99.9% correct and are the best reference out there. I have a lot of his books, including three of his biggest books and every penny was well spent. There are times that I have bought something and and then regretted that I had not checked his books before-hand as I could have save myself some money (more than the cost of the books). The only wish would be that they could be in digital form so that I could consult them while I am at a gun show with one hand while the other hand was holding onto the rifle in question. Note for gun show novices: if you put the gun back down on the seller’s table and let go of it, it is fair game for the guy standing behind you, the guy who has had virtually memorized Skennerton’s book and is praying that you will walk away.
I recently spotted an extremely rare Lee-Enfield Lattey sniper sight in its original box at our local gun show I was not sure if it was complete and did not have Skennerton’s book with me. Rare as it was, if it was missing any pieces, they would be impossibly to find. After the show I checked at home in Skennerton, 2007 THE LEE-ENFIELD, found that from the photos I had taken that it was 100% complete, but then the gun shows were cancelled due to the pandemic! :-( Luckily I knew the seller and was able to arrange a “contactless” purchase on his front doorstep. :-) I need to remember to have it in the car at least when local gun shows resume after the Covid-19 pandemic passes.’
I blame Ian Skennerton for my addiction to collecting Military firearms. I was invited to his house in the early 1970's to view his collection. I've been hooked ever since.;)
I believe he later sold his collection to finance his research in the UK which would have been a big sacrifice to make, but I guess it paid off. The man is a walking firearms encyclopedia!
If you are at all interested in Lee Enfields, do not even hesitate... pay the money for Skennerton's 2007 edition of The Lee Enfield. (Be careful when shopping: you want the BIG one, not the small booklet called "The Buyer's Guide"---it has the same cover so look sharp). Yes, it's expensive, but not compared to other gun books of the same quality. For the wealth of data it contains, it's a bargain. If you cannot afford it, save up. If for some reason you later give up on Enfields, you can sell it for close to full value, or sell it with your rifle.
Keep in mind the book is not just for collectors...every historical rifle has a story, and is part of a larger story. This is what makes historical arms so fascinating. What were the designers thinking when they built it the way they did? Why choose one thing and not the other? Why did they change it over the years? What problems were they trying to solve? How well did it solve the problem? Why did it stay in service for a century? Skennerton tells that story. Other books might give you tips on model identification (Stratton's books are great for working on rifles on your workbench) but no other work tells the story like Skennerton does. The LE story is a great story---a story that belongs not just to Britain, but to many nations, and the wider world of small arms development.
Pay the money for the book. Buy once, cry once. You won't regret it.
Apologies guys I misinformed you the mauve Lee Enfield Story I have is No.30 of a limited edition, its this one my "The Broad Arrow" that is No.211 of 300 H/C limited Ed so sorry about that in my trade its absolutes as there is no maybe in a court of law with a death on site if you have set the crews up to fail.
So if your going to go the full monty you may as well get this one they are worth every penny or $'s
Identify with the reference. Have found a couple but not for sale or to many $$$.Quote:
Originally Posted by artyldr01
Ian is in the process of releasing a new run of The Broad Arrow too (a Mk II edition no less!). So now’s the time to jump on it!
Yes unfortunately just owing them will not suffice. If it did I would be a whole lot smarter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Surpmil
Unless they are Jack Reacher novels. Up until 2AM the last two nites . Can't put the book down. But it does beat commercials, infomercials and carona coverage. My lockdown strategy , cut the cable and focus on the library.
I dropped cable about 1.5 years ago because mine cost about $200 CDN monthly and was climbing. I now have this massive library to go through...
Dropped ours this year, should have done it LONG ago. Hooked up a PC to the TV and now watch what we want on YT, when we want, at the speed we want, with few and short commercials.
Try it, you won't go back.
Yes the H/C Ltd Ed's he has on his site for $1,500 and the S/C at $1,000 that is a pretty hefty price tag
Crew is running fiber down my semi rural road. Here is hoping for internet soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Surpmil
As a chronic Enfielditis sufferer, all I can offer is - keep going. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryB
The Broad Arrow Mk 2 will hit the shores from printing for sale in May I believe and is an expansion and improvement on the original according to Ian. Get your orders in quick as I beleive the orders for both the soft and hard copies are flooding in.
I look forward to a new edition of "The Broad Arrow".
Skennerton's books are worth it. My only complaint is his "Lee-Enfield" needs an editor to help him with organization. It's a great book, if there is something worth knowing about Lee-Enfields it is in there, but it needs some better organization.
A new title from Ian .. :thup:
Updated 12th July 2020Quote:
You and some forum members will probably be interested in my new 'Broad Arrow Mk 2' book.
Cheers, Ian
Broad Arrow Mk 2 (click here)
Attachment 109872 Attachment 109873
(Click to Enlarge)
Numbered Presentation HC edition and soft covers finally arriving! Now available in Oz, a few days off in Christchurch NZ and from Colchester in England, shortly. Some delays to Oregon, but books should be available there by the end of this month as well.
Broad Arrow Mk 2 - Our 2020 editions available in July...
Don't pay over US$1,000 for a 2001 edition, the Mk 2 is bigger and better!
Prices: US$50 (A$66) for soft cover and US$80 (A$125) for Presentation HC edition with Resources CD too. Separately, the CD is $12.50.
Updated, improved edition has larger page size, 20+ more pages and illustrations, colour plates, soft cover and presentation numbered hard cover editions available. Limited numbers of HC Presentation so don't delay.
Presentation Resources CD has folders of photos & pdf files for more detail.
As every one else has said you won’t regret buying them
Thanks all,
Due in no small part to your recommendations I now have modest Skennerton collection.....
Broad arrow
Lee Enfield
Armorers perspective
And the Webley .455 pamphlet
Not written by IDS in any respect. He handled the publishing, so I was told by the author.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micheal Doyne
That is also my understanding as well.
I wish lan would update his web site format, just saying.