This book holds educational value, where there are chapters that take thermodynamic principles to explain just exactly what makes Mamod steam engines work, with diagrams to aid these explanations.
With the assistance of many associates including Mamod themselves, this book is truly one for anyone interested in
Mamods or steam engines for that matter and for restorers of these engines too.
From the creator of RestoringMamods.com, this is a full 109 page colour book with nearly 250 images and over 37,500 words. This is the Layman’s Guide To Mamod Steam Engines.
eBay Feedback from those who have purchased the book:
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Reviews
The book is laid out very clearly and logically and in such a way that you can pick it up and delve in anywhere for interesting reading. I especially like the the more advanced technical information, which is often set in separate text boxes so you don't have to wade through them if you don't want to.
The author has included a lot of information that helps you avoid un-necessary work whilst still achieving the end result.
As I home-educate my younger children this book has become an invaluable addition to our learning library, but it is in no way just for juniors or beginners. I'm 50 years old, and this book has given me the confidence to get stuck in and enjoy restoring and running my new acquisition. Hopefully the book will sell enough to merit a colour version at some point. [just to point out, there are four versions of the book, full colour, black and white with each type coming in perfect bound or coil-bound]
Buy it!"
D.T - Verified Amazon Purchaser
"The Key to the book is the title and description on the front cover. "The laymans guide to Mamod steam engines" Purchasing, restoring repairing and maintaining your mamod steam engine...... plus a few extras inside. So that should give an indication of what a buyer can expect.
The title is pretty much self explanatory as to what is in it. I don't want to spoil it for anyone regarding the extras but I these, whilst brief yet covering a number of pages are a nice touch.
This book does not delve into finer details such as small changes, nor can it be used to exactly date a mamod. When I say exactly I mean as far as the small changes denote an more finer date.
This book and the original mamod book have a few similarities, yet they are also completely different.
Given the Mamod bible is probably about 70pound plus to buy, I wont go as far as saying this is a much better alternative, but it is a cheaper replacement. If you have the Mamod bible already then I think it is an excellent book to add and they compliment each other.
Again, keeping in mind the title, for a seasoned Mamod collector to buy this book it would be much like a Olympic swimmer getting swimming lessons. I don't mean any offence by that toward Will.
In saying that, I must admit I found the history from 1996 to present quite fascinating . I really only cover mamods from 1936 - mid 1970s so for me reading about the later years allowed me to learn more and gave me an insight as to how a layman may find it.
I know online is the way of the future but I much prefer hard copies of things..... Not ebooks, not searching google opening multiple tabs, but books.
Online pictures and refs are great but they are at the hands of the owner and technology. Sites do close down, site owners move on so they are somewhat unreliable. To get information in hard copy is nice.
Browsing through this book it is quite clear that if expanded it would be massive, perhaps even 3 or 4 volumes.
I would say a downside is some information looks to be repeated when it comes to restoring, such as different sections for restoring depending on the engine (MM1, sp1 etc). I can see why Will has done this and it is very well intended given the engines do have some major differences when stripping down. The problem is that a whole book could be written just on restoring if how to dismantle each model was covered.
My final thoughts are, if you are a mamod enthusiast and like books I think it is worthwhile for the hard copy of such information and something to add to your collection. Books on this hobby are limited so it is nice to see
For anyone completely new to the hobby and mamods, I think it would be very helpful to them."
Andrew Gorton
"Indeed a riveting read for a first time enthusiast. To point out a few areas of integral worth I would deem the historical content most enticing. For any steam engine enthusiast with a Mamod interest, this book is worth a read. The imagery, used throughout the book, aids the descriptions with enough depth for a clear understanding of the engines while not withdrawing from the content. Further, the particular care within the glossary certainly helped for a novice such as for myself. This book has enhanced my knowledge and further enthused my interest for Mamod steam engines. From my perspective, this is definitely a worthy purchase."
Brooke Mahoney
"A truly amazing narrative about Mamod steam engines; I would have to say this book is essential to anybody with an interest in steam engines. I am a young and budding enthusiast when it comes to all things mechanical, but one that takes precedence above the rest, is the heritage of Mamod steam engines. It has fascinated me for years that such a toy, the first being built nearly 80 years ago, are relatively unchanged in the way they work. In a nut shell, this book gives you everything a layman such as myself needs to know about Mamod steam engines plus lots more. From a timeline of Mamod’s productions throughout the years, to the author's personal experiences with safety recommendations, all the way to restoring a Mamod. I’ve restored and ran a few steam engines when I was younger, with my father overseeing. And I’d have loved for this book to be about then, as it would have saved us both a lot of time and money, as you may know, restoring these engines aren’t a two-minute job with any old parts especially if you do not have much experience. If I was to point out some faults in the book, it would probably be with some of the information being repeated between different engine chapters restored. I understand many Mamods are built the same way so the restoration processes are quite similar so I guess this is always going to be an inherent fault of the book. As well as this, I found some of the more challenging 'science' difficult to understand, although that may have just been me and, like the author states, it is degree level thermodynamics! Overall, any fan of the Mamod steam engines should have this book in their collection. It’ll prove crucial, with tips that come from someone with experience, to make your hobby easier and less costly. And a definite must if you have a young member of the family that is looking like a budding ‘engineer’, and has the “knack”, as the engineering joke goes."Lewis Edgeworth
"After being asked to proof-read certain engineering aspects to the book Will kindly gave me a copy of the book as a sign of gratitude. From being someone with no experience with the brand Mamod, I found this book to be very interesting and very detailed to broaden my knowledge on the subject of everything related to Mamods. The authors passion for them is clearly shown through his writing and helped me understand Mamods into quite some depth. The illustrations and layout of the book made it easy to follow and learn, especially the history of them. It seems that a lot of time and effort has been put into this book and, from my own opinion, it has seemingly paid off. My one criticism, I guess, is that the locomotive engines by Mamod haven't been covered in the restoration chapters, but, to be fair, the restoration techniques and processes highlighted throughout the book will help any restorer with any Mamod engine since the engines are similarly built."
James Grainger
"A well thought out, detailed and helpful guide to Mamod steam engines. The writer's enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject shines through and makes this a truly enjoyable read. As quite the novice when it comes to restoring these engines, the book told me where to start and didn't patronise in the slightest. The diagrams are extremely helpful and well placed and the contents page made it easy to navigate to my areas of interest. I'm looking forward to increasing my Mamod steam engine knowledge even further with the help of this book!"
Ugomma Nwosu
