DE HAVILLAND “MOZZIE”
THE DE HAVILLAND 98 Mosquito was one of the most versatile aircraft of World War II. No other aircraft served so many roles as a day and night fighter, bomber, … Continue reading
POWER QUANTS
IT’S QUITE enough to give mathematics a bad name. “Traders Profit as Power Grid is Overworked,” in The New York Times, August 14, 2014, explains how “quants” (those mathematically trained … Continue reading
TOYS—1927
NOT TO sound like an old guy—which, of course, I am—but today’s play for kids seems a bit artificial, if not downright electronically weird. By contrast, one of the books … Continue reading
GAMESMANSHIP—WITH A MOTORING SUBTEXT
STEPHEN POTTER (not related to Harry) was a British academic, writer/producer at the BBC and most revered for putting self-help books in their place. He originated the Theory and Practice … Continue reading
DUTCH DARRIN’S FORD CABRIOLET
THE TERM custom coachwork may not resonate with the name Ford as readily as with Roll-Royce, Duesenberg or Packard. Nor does a relocation from Paris to Los Angeles seem the … Continue reading
INTERIOR DESIGN
THERE ARE multiple reasons I enjoy books on interior design. The topic is interesting from a historical viewpoint of how people live. The books reinforce my interest in the art … Continue reading
JANE’S ALL THE WORLD’S AIRCRAFT—1913
WHEN I was a lad, I thought it was cool that a girl named Jane knew all about aircraft. It wasn’t until later that I learned the name was Fred … Continue reading
ELECTRICALLY FORCED INDUCTION
FORCING MORE air and fuel into the combustion process enhances power on demand, a great idea in these days of downsized engines for better mpg. Hitherto, forced induction has been … Continue reading
NUTSHELL STUDIES OF UNEXPLAINED DEATH
DOLL HOUSES with grisly murder scenes, constructed by a wealthy grandmother? It sounds downright creepy—until you learn that Frances Glessner Lee also founded the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard … Continue reading
THE UNITED STATES—1909
WE LEARN a lot about our country through foreign eyes. And the views are particularly striking when written more than a century ago. Thus it is with one of the … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 