Tank: The Definitive Visual History of Armored Vehicles (DK Definitive Transport Guides) Kindle Edition

This book is a great read if you are a person interested in military battle vehicles. I had a military vehicles book back in the 80’s and I couldn’t find it. This one fits the bill perfectly. It’s updated information compared to my old book fills the gap nicely. It actually goes back to the first tanks and tells which nations had what at different times. It’s very interesting and informative as well. If you want a serious easy to read book on tanks I’d wholeheartedly recommend this one. I really don’t think you’ll regret it.

Teenage son loves it!

This a good reference book.

This book is a pretty comprehensive insight into the development and history of tanks and armored fighting vehicles from World War I to today's conflicts in the Middle East. Each chapter of this book contains an introduction, several two-page directories of tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and armored troop carriers, notable tank battles, famous tank designers, and detailed four-page entries about notable tanks from a time period. The M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, T-72, Tiger, T-34, Sherman, and Soviet amphibious tanks and armored troop carriers are among my favorite tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and armored troop carriers in this book, and this book happens much deservedly includes tanks built by China, Israel, South Africa, and a few other countries after World War II (North Korea and Iran have built their own tanks based on Soviet- and Chinese-supplied tanks as well as American and British tanks supplied to Iran before the Islamic Revolution, but are not included in this book). The reference section includes info on tank evolution, the engines used to power tanks, the caterpillar tracks for tanks, firepower, armor protection, uniforms and clothing worn by tank and armored fighting vehicle crews.It is quite amazing how British engineers came up with the idea of a mobile fortress with caterpillar tracks in order to break stalemates in the trenches and give the British and French a tactical advantage over the Germans in WW1, and years ago I was struck by the fact that the German invasion of Poland would be the first instance of military commanders placing tanks at the forefront of armies. The T-34 was a technological breakthrough for the USSR in land warfare because its performance was one of the many refutations of Hitler's narrative of Slavs as racially inferior to Aryans, stunning German military officers who had felt confident of a German victory on the Eastern Front. Although the Soviets never used any their tanks in combat with NATO member-states in Europe during the Cold War, they used them to crush the 1956 Hungarian uprising and 1968 Prague Spring, as well as use them in anger in Afghanistan during the 1980s. The M1 Abrams played a big role in Operation Desert Storm because it took out 2,000 of the 3,847 Iraqi tanks destroyed in the Persian Gulf War. Since the 2010s, the armies of Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan have used tanks and armored fighting vehicles in a number of intra-state conflicts in the Middle East and the Caucasus, demonstrating that tank warfare has adapted to the ever-growing number of wars within sovereign states.

My grandson got the book for Christmas. He loves it.

Got this as a Christmas gift for my 14 year old son who is very much into tanks and all things military right now. It has great pictures and seems to be very informative.

TANK: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY OF ARMORED VEHICLES is yet another exquisite addition to the growing library of DK/Smithsonian books. If you have any interest in the subject matter (tanks), this is most definitely THE book to get.DK has mastered the art of creating encyclopedic books that “pop” with visual “eye candy”. Regardless of the subject matter, I find it hard to open up any DK book and not want to scan through it in entirety … even those books aimed at children. The combination of DK’s presentation and the wealth of artifacts provided by the Smithsonian is something I find hard to ignore. I’ve been looking for a solid all-encompassing book on tanks for years. I knew my search ended as soon as I saw the DK and Smithsonian logos on the pre-published book cover; I immediately pre-ordered. The book arrived today and was everything I hoped and expected it would be.As a 40-year student of World War II who also enjoys playing World of Tanks, I am confident this book will satisfy anyone with a craving for reading/understanding armored vehicles. Not a single page of the books 250+ pages is wasted. Presented in a chronological manner that pretty much starts with the early 1900s to present day … the thorough nature of the book doesn’t forget to spotlight Da Vinci’s armored vehicle drawing. Following the traditional method DK uses to present material, the chapters are grouped by significant periods in the history of tanks. Each and every page is laden with original (not archived) color photos that beautifully illustrate most every facet of tanks/armored vehicles all the way up to today. While the book is wonderfully rich in photographs, the accompanying text and factoids add to the books informative value. Throughout the book are numerous two-page spotlight sections that pay special attention to key innovations, innovators, vehicles and events in tank history. What I particularly liked was that iconic vehicles are highlighted and each is given a multipage spread that includes a highly detailed photographic examination of that vehicle’s interior and exterior (including the Sherman, T34 and Tiger tank). Even experimental tanks are covered and presented in vivid color (my only “complaint” would be that the infamous “Maus” didn’t get more attention). There really isn’t ANY downside to this book … it informs and entertains.TANK is a “must have” if you are interested in modern military history or tanks. The Smithsonian contribution is what really packs the book’s punch … the collection of photographs give you the experience of visiting a museum. I have several DK/Smithsonian “Definitive Visual History” books in my personal library and view them as indispensable resources. Each and every volume offers an exhaustive study of the subject matter with stunning visual support; TANK is yet another fine addition to this wonderful series of books.

I bought this more our 9 year old son for Christmas, but nearly couldn't get it out of my husband's hands to wrap it! Increadible pictures! Great information and details! More of a high school reading level, but no matter the age, this tank book can be enjoyed by any enthusiast!

We went to the Bovington tank museum and had a guided tour of the section that contained the tank that a relative drove during WW2. We were so interested that we forgot to take any photos of that section. Because this book has participation from the tank museum, we got this book. The book is suitable for ages 10yrs and up. It is clear, well presented and the many photographs make it an accessible book and we found it supported the tank museum's exhibits very well. This book covers many tanks, so is not going to be a book of great detail on any particular exhibit, but amounts to a good photo guide, with enough detail for most people.This book is by DK, which is a guarantee of great presentation. We got the kindle edition, so that when we return to the museum, we have a detailed guide with us.

This is a great tank book. It is well illustrated and concentrates on the main tanks of the last 100 years.It explains on why certain tanks were important, why they worked well or didn't and where they came from.It also has sections on the designers of many of the key tanks, which adds a human touch.The book is also large enough that it can contain some of the more obscure tanks from Japan, Italy, Sweden etc.

I've only dipped into this but I LOVE IT. Following a visit to the Tank Museum at Bovington, (highly recommended!), I wanted to expand my knowledge without something so technical that it would bore me. This is a delight with superb colour illustrations and photographs. It it no lightweight book and needed a sturdy supermarket bag to carry it in! It is 30 centimetres tall and 25 wide. I am very much looking forward to getting into this properly.

Bought for my son who absolutely loves it. Textured cover with bumpy tracks is really nice touch, very high quality book with great information and illustrations.

The publisher knows how to present material in an informative and engaging way. A big book beautifully illustrated with a narrative that doesn't get in the way. An excellent reference as well if you want to drill into a particular tank. Under £20 is great value for a large format, full colour book running to 250 pages.Excellent.