Books published by The Crowood Press Ltd

The Mercedes-Benz W201 was a compact saloon designed to address both concerns about fuel economy generated by the first oil crisis in the 1970s and competition for sales from the BMW 3 Series.  Many doubted that Mercedes could deliver a compact car whilst retaining their traditional qualities. But the W201 soon won them over, for here was a car that was a real Mercedes in the tradition of the time - it was just smaller. With around 200 photographs, this book features the reasons behind the need to build a new compact saloon in the 1980s and the styling, engineering and specification changes introduced over the lifetime of the model. Full technical specifications, including paint and interior trim choices are given. A chapter on the special US variants along with production tables and vehicle number sequences and, finally a chapter on buying an owning a 201-series Mercedes.   

Pottery and Porcelain Restoration is a practical guide for amateurs to the craft of the professional restorer. With over 360 photographs, it explains the simplest, safest and ethical techniques that are recommended today and - essentially - do not further damage your pieces. Written with clear practical detail, it explains the full process and gives unique insight into the delicate job of the ceramic restorer. This new book introduces the history of pottery and porcelain, and gives an account of the methods and ethics of ceramic restoration; it gives a complete list and details of materials and equipment, and particularly advises on the best choice of glues; it describes the full restoration process, from preparation and cleaning to gluing and modelling, and finally to painting and gilding and provides step-by-step instructions for gluing multiple breaks, filling chips and large missing areas, as well as making lids, teapot spouts, hands, leaves, fingers and handles. Restoration examples are illustrated such as making Beswick horse legs, replacing missing handles on a Chinese jug and painting a Clarice Cliff jug and, finally, vital tricks of the trade are shared throughout and useful tips to setting up a workshop are given.

Creating A Napoleonic Wargames Army 1809-1815 describes the creation of a wargames' army and provides essential guidance for someone starting out in wargaming through to the more experienced gamer. With more than 290 colour photographs, it describes how the armies of the main nations - France, Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria - were organized.  It illustrates the uniforms and battle formations using computer-aided plans and demonstrates practical modelling techniques from basic to more advanced. Detailed painting guides with accompanying step-by-step photographs are included as well as a chapter on the flags carried by these five armies during the wars.

Every horse, no matter in what discipline it is ridden, will benefit from working with cavalletti. For Olympic champion Ingrid Klimke, riding over cavalletti is key to success.

Plants, Potions and Oils for Horses takes a new look at some old remedies, together with some contemporary alternative therapies to offer the horse owner some simple but safe treatments for common horse ailments. Topics covered in this new book include: herbal remedies; treatments from the kitchen; traditional treatments and aromatherapy.

Includes eleven detailed projects, which form a capsule collection of clothing and accessories that might have been worn by an Edwardian governess, a woman travelling on an ocean liner, a campaigning suffragette, or a wife overseeing a busy household in a large country house.

Few cars in recent years have inspired such devotion among enthusiasts as the BMW M3. This title looks at the first four generations of the M3, which arrived in the mid-1980s as an E30 'homologation special', intended to keep BMW ahead of rivals Mercedes-Benz on the racetracks.

In this long awaited follow-up to the highly praised Cobs Can! Omar Rabia introduces the idea of a systematic, progressive series of exercises designed to develop suppleness, collection, obedience and rideability in cobs. From the basic work to more advanced, every cob rider will find something of value here.

Traces the complete story of the Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider models produced between 1994-2005, commonly known to enthusiasts by the manufacturer's project code as the 916 series.

Morgan 4/4: The First 75 Years is a captivating read penned by the renowned author, Michael M Palmer. This book, published in 2011, takes you on a journey through the rich history of the iconic Morgan 4/4 car. This narrative is not just a treat for automobile enthusiasts but also for those who appreciate a well-documented history. The book is a comprehensive guide that spans over 75 years of the car's production, highlighting its evolution and the unique craftsmanship that has remained consistent over the years. Michael M Palmer, with his eloquent writing, has meticulously detailed the legacy of the Morgan 4/4, making this book a must-read. This masterpiece was brought to the public by The Crowood Press Ltd, a publisher known for its diverse and high-quality titles. The book is written in English, making it accessible to a broad audience. Don't miss out on this fascinating exploration of automotive history.

Weaving with high-twist yarns and contrasting materials can create fabrics with lively textures and elastic properties. This title shows how textiles can do precisely shape themselves.

'What fascinates me most, much much more than anything else in painting, is the portrait, the modern portrait.' Vincent van Gogh

Topics covered include:Brief history , 1935-1967Full history, 1968-1980Comprehensive production surveySpecification and detail changes by model year [August 1967 to January 1980]Engine optionsFactory fitted optional equipmentPaint and trim coloursSpecial and export editionsThe Karmann Cabriolet

The fountain pen is developed over thousands of years, from the simple stylus used for cutting marks into clay tablets, to the brush, through the reed, the quill and the steel-nib dip pen, and finally to the self-contained fountain pen. This title covers the history of the fountain pen with an advice on how to build a collection of these pens.

Saab 99 and 900 is a detailed account of the cars that came from Saab, the aeroplane maker, whose first car - the 92 model, set the standard for advanced design epitomised by the 99 and 900 cars. Cole delves deep into the cars' design and history.

Launching in 1962 and in production for eighteen years, the MGB became one of the most successful sports cars the world has ever known. MGB - The Superlative MG describes how the MGB arose principally from the ideas of one man, MG’s Chief Engineer, Syd Enever, how it was designed and developed, how it survived and thrived, and how it became the classic car still so highly regarded today. With over 620 archive and specially commissioned photographs, including previously unseen models, sketches and prototypes, and packed with tables and data, it includes how the drive to replace the revolutionary MGA led to the development of the MGB, with the key personnel involved at each stage. It goes on to describe the genesis of the Pininfarina-refined MGB GT, and the Ferranti MGB hardtop as well as the MGC and incredible lightweight MGC GTS – including, for the first time, what became of the factory cars when first sold. The story of Ken Costello and his MGB V8, and the factory MGB GT V8 is covered along with the evolution of the MGB through the difficult period of British Leyland to the tragic end of the Abingdon factory. The full story of the lost cause of the Aston Martin Lagonda bid to rescue Abingdon and the MGB – including political and commercial insight is given along with detailed insight from many people who were closely involved in the creation, development and ultimate demise of the MGB. The motorsports story of the MGB family, including race details, insiders’ stories and key racer biographies is covered. Finally, the sales and marketing of the MGB in its two principal sales markets, including the clever advertising campaigns and commercials is covered and details of the overseas assembly of the MGB, in particular Ireland and Australia.

Contemporary Raku is a complete guide to this exciting, dramatic and beautiful art form. It explains the making, glazing and firing methods employed for producing Raku-ware, and features contributions and insights from leading makers. Recognizing the deeper values of the practice, the book also considers the influences and sources of inspiration behind the work of these makers. It introduces the necessary tools and equipment, and advises on essential health and safety measures. It explains how to make vessels and forms with step-by-step photo sequences. Recipes for clay bodies and glazes for the beginner and the more experienced maker are included. Details are given on the Raku-firing process and the range of kilns used. Finally, it explores the practice of ΓÇÿNaked RakuΓÇÖ. With over 300 illustrations, it is a stunning and detailed account to this magical process.

The story of the Lotus marque encompasses ongoing technical innovation on road and track, from the Mark 1 in 1948 to the World’s most powerful electric hypercar – the Evija – in 2021. Founded in 1952 from Colin Chapman’s hobby, Lotus flourished by producing aerodynamically brilliant lightweight sports-racing cars, progressing into Formula 1 in 1958. Jim Clark and Team Lotus won the 1963 and 1965 F1 World Championships for Drivers and Constructors, as well as the Indianapolis 500. Jochen Rindt won the 1970 World Championship posthumously for Gold Leaf Team Lotus, and in 1972, Emerson Fittipaldi was F1 World Champion driving the JPS Type 72, with the Team winning the Constructors’ prize in 1972 and 1973. Mario Andretti won the F1 World Championship for JPS Team Lotus in 1978 but, surprisingly, this proved to be their last of seven F1 World Championship wins.   On the road, the Elite showcased the brand from 1957. Next, the Elan was a fine-handling fibreglass-bodied sports car, while the Seven provided exhilarating motoring for DIY enthusiasts. The 1963 Lotus Cortina was a fast road car and a success on track. The Elan Plus 2 was built alongside the Elan two-seater and Europa, and in 1974 the road car range went upmarket, powered by Lotus’s own engines, with the Elite Mk 2 and Éclat, and the mid-engined Esprit produced between 1976 and 2004.  Tragedy struck with the sudden death of Colin Chapman in December 1982, aged 54. General Motors acquired Group Lotus in 1986, selling up to Romano Artioli’s Bugatti in 1993, enabling the ground-breaking Elise to launch in 1996. Ownership of Group Lotus passed to Malaysian car maker Proton, and in 2000, the Series 2 Elise and the Exige were released, maturing gradually over the next twenty years. The Toyota V6-powered Evora was announced in 2006. In 2017, Group Lotus was acquired by the global automotive company Geely, ushering in a fresh, financially secure era. Launched in 2020, the 2,000bhp all-electric Evija became the new Lotus flagship. Lotus blossoms anew. 

A beautiful book that combines science and art and gives the artist a journey through nature.

This story is like something out of Hollywood. In the mid-1960s BSA/Triumph learns that Honda is to launch a 750cc motorcycle that will clearly outclass its 650cc twins. Luckily, Meriden’s top two designers – Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele – have been toying with the idea of a 3-cylinder 750. Could it work? The prototype is fast and intoxicating to ride, but delays mean the Triumph Trident and BSA Rocket 3 have only been on the market a few weeks when the smoother Honda 750 comes along. The British bikes might be fast, but they lack sophistication and no one loves their oddball styling. Sales are so slow that production is suspended for eight months. BSA/Triumph fights back with a factory race team that sweeps all before it in 1971, including a 1–2–3 at the Daytona 200. And while BSA collapses, Triumph struggles on, launching the factory custom Hurricane and updating the T150 Trident with a 5-speed gearbox and front disc brake. The Meriden factory sit-in stops Trident production, but a few months later bikes are rolling off the line at Small Heath and the electric-start T160 is launched. To no avail – the odds are against them and in early 1975 Trident production finally stops. But just as in Hollywood, that’s not the end of the story. Les Williams and Norman Hyde keep the Trident flag flying through the 1980s and beyond. The Trident and Rocket 3 Owners’ Club is formed, bringing together enthusiasts for the iconic triples. And in 1992 (and again in 2020) the reborn Triumph company launches 3-cylinder bikes that carry on the Trident name.

The Rolls-Royce company acquired Bentley Motors in 1931 and, although models continued to be produced with the Bentley name, they increasingly used many Rolls-Royce components. By the time the Silver Cloud and Bentley S were released in 1955, they were really differently badged versions of the same design. Yet the sporting tradition of the Bentley marque was upheld with the exotic Continental models that were derived from them. The Silver Cloud family represents a pinnacle for the Rolls-Royce company. The cars all had and still have a very special presence, and the standard saloons have an unsurpassed elegance and rightness of line. The special-bodied cars, meanwhile, are reminders of an age when the skill of the best coachbuilders was something deserving of universal admiration. With around 190 photographs, this book features: The story of the design and development of the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S TypeA look at the production development of these cars between 1955 and 1965An examination of the Bentley Continental models that were derived from Silver Cloud and S Type designThe history of the Phantom V and Phantom VI limousine chassis introduced in 1959 and destined to last until 1990Full technical specifications, including paint and interior trim choicesProduction figures and chassis codesA chapter on buying and owning one of these wonderful classic cars.

The early Hinckley Triumphs produced from 1991 to 2004 – Trophy, Daytona, Trident, Trident Sprint, Tiger, Speed Triple, Adventurer, Thunderbird – were designed and manufactured using a modular concept. This assists in the sharing of components across the range of bikes, which was useful with the restricted availability of spare parts. With over 725 colour photographs, First Generation Hinckley Troumph (T300) Motorcycles provides helpful guidance on keeping your bike on the road, including a discussion of the models produced and their modular design; identifying common problems and how to address them. There is a comprehensive guide to maintenance, including the tools required and details of restoration, modification and upgrades, from changing the exhaust to fabricating swing arms. Also included is a useful list of suppliers for both new and reconditioned parts, as well as specialist service providers.

Impressionism, an art movement pioneered by a handful of avant-garde painters based in Paris in the 1870s, gave academic oil painting a vivacity and spontaneity it had previously lacked, and remains to this day the single most popular style of art for gallery-goers and amateur painters alike. This elegantly-written book, by a professional artist and scholar, is both an instructional guide to incorporating Impressionist techniques into your own painting, and an illuminating investigation into how those first Impressionists actually painted their pictures. As such, it will fascinate both the painter and the art historian. This new book provides detailed advice on paints, brushes and canvas, as used by the original Impressionists and still widely available today. It discusses the process of making an Impressionist painting from initial vision to final completion and analyses the role of composition, light and tone, colour and paint handling. Finally, it gives an overview of the subject matter most closely associated with the Impressionists.

Named after Elisa, the granddaughter of Lotus's owner at the time, Romano Artioli of Bugatti fame, the Lotus Elise was launched at the Frankfurt Show in 1995. In the subsequent twenty-five years it has not only established itself as the embodiment of what Lotus stands for, it retains a unique place in the international sports car market. The Elise story is one of steady evolution. The original car, conceptually a true Lotus complying exactly with the mantra ‘performance through light weight’, employed traditional Lotus construction practices, based on a radically innovative extruded aluminum chassis. The Series 1 Elise opened the gates for the Series 2 (S2) model and its principal derivative sibling, the more track-focussed Exige, and the concept matured steadily, with powertrain revisions, styling facelifts and chassis modifications though the next two decades. No other manufacturer came up with a car to seriously rival the Elise, nor the Exige, in terms of handling dexterity on both road and racetrack, and it aptly characterizes the definition of a sports car.  

Dr Heuschmann explores what it means to be a 'responsible rider,' and asks whether, in today's society, it is indeed possible for riders in any horse sport to put the good of the horse first and foremost. The book includes art to help show the anatomy of the horse and how it is impacted by various riding techniques