Transportation Books

My three year old LOVES this book. The book is great because of the pictures and easy, rhyming text. He enjoys "reading" along. If you have a young one who loves trains, this book is a must!

I got this book for my husband who recently bought a go kart for the whole family to enjoy. He really thinks it is written well, and very informative

Although The Karting Manual was written primarily for a European audience, it gives great deal of insight on how a modern sprint kart works and more impotently to me, how to drive them. I bought the book for 12 year old son just starting in karting, I have raced them on and off for more then 30 years. I did find it was more general and seemed to be geared for the new kart racer, which is what I was looking for. I was very happy with the explanations on driving the book had, many where the points I had tried to make with my so, but the book did a better job explaining the concepts in a clear concise manner that even younger readers can understand. The book has excellent photography, the only drawback is since it was written for European karting, some of it's contents do not apply to North American karting. Nevertheless, if your a new kart racer looking for a book about modern karting and techniques, I would recommend it. It is not a technical manual, however.

This is easily the most comprehensive and well-rounded karting book for beginners and intermediate karters currently available.

Everything from the types of events, karts, the equipment you need, flags, race day procedure, racing line, tyre and chassis dynamics, driving techniques (including a full chapter dedicated to wet weather racing), all aspects of racecraft, race strategy, physical and mental preparation, set-up fundamentals, even sponsorship acquisition and more are included.

Not only that, everything is backed by excellent photography and clear, helpful diagrams throughout.

It has been written for the European karting scene, as other reviewers have pointed out, meaning one or two elements won't apply to North American audiences. However, the vast majority of the book is universal and will be of great use for any karter, regardless of where they race.

All in all, an essential book for anyone taking up karting or even experienced karters hoping to improve their skills.

Very nice book for those who are planning, or taking the MEL course.

I use the entire "Complete Pilot" series for my students, so this volume completes my library. Comprehensive without being exhaustive, Bob Gardner gives great deference to manufacturers' recommendations while maintaining a common-sense attitude towards standardization (helpful when moving from aircraft to aircraft). Easy to read and understand, "The Complete Multi-Engine Pilot" is great as both a primary text and review material.

I used this book to prepare for my Instument/Multiengine/Commercial check ride and it was extremely useful. This book is easy to read and very informative providing a lot of practical applications as well as theory. This book is essential to your library as an instructor or professional pilot.

The content of this book is good, although in going through the examples and figures I did find missing figures and numbers that didn't match what Mr. Gardner has written in the text. ASA needs to do a better job of editing.

A Multi-engine Flight Instructor

This book is like the others - Very Informative. It helps you with all aspects of working on the vehicles listed in the title. The instructions are very easy to follow. My husband likes these manuals because I can even figure out how to fix things sometimes so he doesn't have to take off work to fix the car. For the price you can't afford not to have one of these for each of the cars you own. Sure saves on mechanic bills!

The Haynes book relies too much on showing the specifics for the 6-cylinder engines of the Caravan and Town&Country minivan, at the expense of the 4-cylinders. Most of the specific information shows the details for the 3.0L and 3.3L and 3.8L V6 engines. Photos, illustrations, ect.

As a 2.4L owner, I am disappointed that they have not included more pages to cover the 4-cylinder models more thoroughly. Other than that, IMHO the Haynes book is a reasonable attempt to cover most of the mechanical issues and problems to deal with for these cars. If you have the 6-cylinder, I think you will like the book much better.

In a nutshell, don't ever buy chilton. they stink. they are always very generic, and never directed to the actual car you own. You simply can't cram 4 makes of dodge into the same book and expect a home mechanic to find it very useful. Haynes manuals have always been better. They show photos of the actual parts you're going to hold in your hand. the directions are to YOUR car, not some similar model. Buy Haynes. I don't know why auto parts stores even carry Chilton.

Save your money on Chilton. They do not hold near the information, clarity and in depth detail, thus VALUE, that Haynes Repair Manuals do.
Having said that, I would like to address some complaints I've come across about both Haynes and Chilton's Manuals.
1.) If your manual suggests at a point to seek professional input it is because MOST NON mechanics don't possess the skill or tools or shop equipment to perform a certain procedure (be it correctly or safely). The publishers' lawyer insisted on the "seek professional input" so as not to take on legal liability for an unqualified person attempting to perform a critical step in their care care. The reason is valid. You can injure yourself and damage your vehicle as well as render your vehicle unsafe to be on the road.
2.) Prior to purchasing a repair manual, LOOK THROUGH IT. Almost every auto parts store in America sells Haynes and / or Chilton's. If the particular manual you need doesn't have the plastic removed, look for a manual that does and look through the sections. CAUTION most auto supply stores will get mad and make you buy anything you rip open. They're trying to sell information contained in the manual, not give it away. Some copies are USUALLY open and can be looked at. Does the manual seem logical, good pictures? Thorough? Then CHANCES ARE that brand will be a good choice for your repair. Also READ the cover front & back thoroughly. It will tell you if special vehicles aren't covered (AWD, Alternate Fuel Vehicles, etc) Know what vehicle you have so you get the RIGHT manual. The correct year, make, model, engine size.
3.) If you do encounter a problem in the middle of a repair, it's possible that it is YOUR not doing something correctly. Not the tool, or the repair manual. Go away from the car, get lunch or a cold glass of lemonade, read through the manual. Even start again in the morning.
4.) As automobiles become more sophisticated, there is truly less and less that a vehicle owner can do him or herself. It is a fact, you will need to take your vehicle into a dealership or well equipped shop for more things. In addition, used oil and other fluids are difficult to dispose of. DO NOT THROW DOWN YOUR DRAIN OR BURY IN YOUR BACKYARD!!!. Tires, batteries all have special disposal needs.
5.) There are some people WHO ARE NOT MECHANICAL. Buy them books, audio / video equipment, ties for Christmas. NOT A WRENCH SET!
6.) Neither Haynes nor Chilton are Professional Shop Manuals (these are available for hundreds of dollars).

As for the particular manual for the Haynes (30011)Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country from years 1996 through 2002:
This manual does NOT COVER All-Wheel Drive nor Alternative Fuel Models.
It compares favorably with other Haynes manuals for conciseness, clarity of both written instructions and photographs and is thorough. I used it step by step to replace horns, headlight bulbs and to go through a 30,000 mile check up and service. I also checked it's description for changing wiper blades, oil and oil filters, air filters and general repairs and found it both accurate and easy to understand.
I've been happy with Haynes manuals over the years and recommend all vehicle owners purchase one even if you don't expect to do any repair or service yourself. It helps to know the information, to be aware of how your car works and to talk in a reasonably intelligent manner (on your part anyway) when you take your vehicle in for service.
I'm happy with this purchase.
John Row

This is a really good service manual. Points out alot of WRONG things with the haynes manual!!

Recieved quickly. Easy to diagnose problems thanks to the manual. Nice not to pay for an over priced mechanic any longer.

After reviewing the service manual on 08/09/2008, I have found that it is very difficult to get anything done from the manual. There are too many "see this section" inserts and one section will make you go another and then another, and you end up traversing the whole manual in confusion.
Example: I am trying to change my rear speakers, and in order for me to do this, I have to visualize from the menu from page 1 where it might be located, then after getting there, I have to visualize again where it says how to remove and replace them, because it does not say this. Now I find what I am looking for, and after reading it, I see I have to go from Section to Section, and the wording in one section is not the same in the other section where you were led to, for example in Section X 91-13 it says "remove parcel shelf, see Body-Interior section, Repair Group 70, but when you get there, you have to turn pages to find what you think it is, and it does not say "parcel shelf", but "rear shelf".
This book is very confusing, and very difficult for the not so mechanically inclined owners and the cost of the book is way too much for this kind of shabby publishing, and Bentley Publishers and Amazon should refund me 50% of the cost, because that is how much it is worth.
Thank You.

Aivan loistava opus. Helpottaa korjaushommia oleellisesti. Nyt harmittaa, kun en ostanut tätä kirjaa heti auton ostettuani.

Ehdoton hankinta ;)

The Bentley A4 manual is a very complete manual. The over all ease of accessing different service info is helpful when trouble shooting most problems. The diagrams are very clear to include the electrical images. The code chart is a must to be able to read the codes concerning all manner of stored computer codes. This is a manual for someone who has knowledge of auto mechanics. There are no step-by-step directions as with some other do-it-yourself automobile manuals.

Lehman does it again. The illustrations are luminous and the story engaging enough for all ages. My little ones love her books, and my big ones do too.

On a train trip between cityscapes young girls watches as her view in a black tunnel is replaced by a vibrant countryside. When the train is flagged down mysteriously the girl notices she is the only one on the train who isn't asleep. Stepping off the train she finds a group of people gathered around a tree where a person and their plane have become lodged. What isn't apparent until she reaches the tree is that the people are all tiny, as if the remained frozen the height they were from her train window perspective. While the people are as real as the girl, the plane in the tree is one of those balsa wood planes with a rubber band powering the propeller. Once she has rescued the tiny pilot she returns to the train and resumes her ride home, out the of the fantasy and out of the tunnel, back to the city where she lives.

Out in front of her townhouse, standing in her stone yard, she looks up and sees the rescued pilot and a co-pilot flying toward her. They come with a gift of thanks, a small seedling for an apple tree that is planted in the crack in her stone yard. As a parting shot the girl sits on her stoop admiring her now-grown tree while all over the city other trees have begun sprouting up, no doubt from kindred daydreaming souls looking to return nature to the cities.

Lehman set herself an impossible bar with The Red Book a few years back and, unfairly perhaps, everything since has been measured against that amazing snake-eating-its-tale fantasy. If the impression -- mine at least -- was that her subsequent books (Museum Trip, Rainstorm) were increasingly weaker attempts to capture lighting in a bottle, Trainstop manages to stand apart from the others, on its own and with very sturdy legs. As with her previous books Lehman mines the theme of a child's daydream world, but here the idea of an fantasy taking place while the rest of the world sleeps, coupled with the message of bringing nature back to the cities, is perhaps the strongest, most direct message delivered yet. Where in previous books the children imagine or discover worlds for their own purposes and keeping, Trainstop gives us a child looking to share her fantasy with the world. It's almost a subtle environmental message, a quiet Lorax making a last call on those with eyes and ears enough to still listen.

For those unfamiliar with Lehman's work, the book is as wordless as her previous books, filled with the same thick-outlined ligne claire illustrations that are her trademark. Probably the simplest of her picture books to date, but no less engaging. I think what I'd really like to see is what Lehman can do with the long-form: graphic novels. Her sense of pacing, her imagination, I think make her an ideal candidate for an extended fantasy romp a la Sara Varon's Robot Dreams or, on a more picture book level, Regis Faller's The Adventures of Polo.

Invaluable guide offers detailed descriptions, drawings of masting, rigging and major fittings. I use this book when I have a question about anything and if my wooden boat model plans seem inaccurate. Many line drawings from different periods which are easy to understand. Lots of tips.

This is an old book and a "classic". A MUST have for the beginner

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is due to the dated writing, which is sometimes distracting. If not for that, it's 5 stars!!

A must for you if you're just beginning, like me. The author explains everything very well. Not only how things work, but why they work. His specifics about construction are excellent, if only for those who are curious about sailing vessels. His charts are wonderful for answering questions about construction and cutting before the cut is made. He really gets down to the nuts and bolts.

I don't agree that this book is not for the beginner. I'm a beginner, and I have learned much from this book, and continue to reinforce that knowledge with the book. If you be a beginning builder, a student of sailing vessels, or just plain curious about the subject, get this book. Remember, it reads a bit differently then more current books, but you'll smile at that fact, and get the benefit of the knowledge imparted within.

After initial chapters on varying types of ship models, including the built-up model and wooden-sail models, the author devotes individual chapters to the masting of ships, mastheads, the standing rigging, the running rigging, foot-ropes, the blocks, steering wheels, the ship's galley, pumps, ship ironwork, copper sheathing, the ground tackle, gun ports, boats and davits. He includes as well invaluable tables and lists of data that offer opportunities to compare vital statistics on rigging, masting and more.

Charles C. Davis was a well-known naval architect, shipbuilder, master seaman, racing yachtsman and nautical chronicler. His lifelong love affair with the great ships of the past resulted in several classic works on ships and ship model building. The present volume is one of the latter, an extremely thorough, practical and readable guide to building ship models in authentic detail and in proper proportion. In all, The Ship Model Builder's Assistant offers a treasury of both descriptive and "how-to" information essential to model builders and highly enlightening for all fascinated by the great sailing ships of America's past.

THIS BOOK IS MORE FOR THE SHIP HISTORIAN, NOT THE MODELER WHO IS LOOKING FOR HELP AND GUIDANCE WITH KITS. BUT NOT ALL IS LOST. THE RIGGING INFORMATION IS SOMEWHAT HELPFULL.

Detailed sequential instruction on constructing the built-up ship model. Accurate lists of the various countries' mast rules, including tops, heads, trestletrees etc, and rope & block dimensions, ensure that your model will look like the real thing and not a misproportioned eyesore.
There are lots of hints and tips to making the rigging and the ground tackle (capstans, bitts, winches, anchors) look real, including correct proportions of gunports.

The book does assume that you have an accurate drawing to work from and with this in mind it is a welcome addition to anyone's library. My only complaints are that there should be more detail on planking, and some of the drawings are a tad small, obscuring the detail.